A wrestling fan out there would have no hesitation in admitting that professional wrestling is scripted. However, if you tag all the sacrifices that wrestlers make as ‘fake’ then you are just asking for an all-out war.Also read: 10 WWE Sexiest Moments that parents wouldn't want their children to seeEven though all the aspect of programming is scripted, there will always be a chance of slips here and there. Some might end up being just a silly joke while others expose how dangerous the business could be. But no matter which category the moment belonged to, they were always memorable. Over the years, a lot of such moments have transpired in the squared circle and here is a look at some of the most shocking ones that made our heart skip a beat.
#10 Montreal Screwjob
Let’s start off with the most obvious one. The reason why Montreal Screwjob is so low on this list is because there are still debates going on whether it was a work or a shoot.
If it was a work, then hands down it was the best in wrestling history and if it wasn’t, then it deserves to be in the list. There are a million articles out there explaining what went down in the Montreal Screwjob, so let’s just speak about the unscripted part.
Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart were facing each other in a Survivor Series match and according to the script, Bret was supposed to win. However, Vince McMahon decided to screw Bret and gave the win to Michaels. Everyone was shocked with what went down and Vince all of a sudden was the evil boss who screwed his employee.
#9 CM Punk drops the pipe bomb
CM Punk coming out, sitting on the ramp and cutting a promo was scripted but the things that came out of his weren’t. Punk poured out all his emotions in what turned out to be one of the best shoot promos in WWE history.
The straight edge superstar mentioned an array of topics and painted WWE as an evil figure in front of the WWE Universe. No one expected Punk to go to such limits in the PG era television and he meant every word that came out of his mouth.
This might not be highly unscripted like the other entries in the list but not even Vince McMahon would’ve imagined Punk going out and saying all that.
#8 Mickie James takes a trip back to Attitude Era
There were a lot of sexual content in the WWE back in Attitude Era but no one expected to see the envelope being pushed at WrestleMania 22. Mickie James and Trish Stratus were having a high profile feud which culminated at the pay-per-view and Mickie had a wicked plan on her mind.
She was playing a stalker character and during the match, Mickie grabbed Trish’s crotch. If that wasn’t enough, Mickie then went on to lick her fingers. It was highly sexual and Vince McMahon was instantly furious.
WWE erased the moment from every possible source just like they erased Chris Benoit but thanks to YouTube; we still have access to this unscripted moment.
#7 The MSG Curtain call
The MSG curtain call didn’t happen in any televised event but it was responsible for one of the biggest twists in wrestling history. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were supposed to leave for WCW from WWE with their last match for Vince McMahon coming at the Madison Square Garden.
Nash, Hall along with Triple H, Shawn Michaels and X-Pac were a backstage group called the Kliq back then and once Hall and Nash finished their final match, all the other three came down to the ring to have a group hug.
The problem was that, it was never scripted. Heels and baby faces hugging in between the ropes were a kayfabe breaking moment and Vince was furious. Hunter was supposed to win the King of the Ring tournament that year but he was punished leaving the door open for Steve Austin, who cashed in big time.
#6 John Cena and Batista make Vince McMahon tear his quad
The 2005 Royal Rumble was designed to put Batista over. The Animal was planned to win the match and everything went well until it came down to him and John Cena.
Batista lifted up Cena for elimination but he soon lost his footing making both men go out of the ring at the same time. The referees at ring side showed some great improvisation and started an argument on who won the match.
Knowing that things are screwed up, Vince himself came down the ring to solve matters. However, the chairman tore his quads and just sat down when he entered the ring. He showed no signs of pain whatsoever and ordered the match to continue. Batista and Cena pulled off their final spot once again and things were back to normal.
#5 Joey Mercury kisses a ladder
No matter how much you script a ladder match, there is always going to be a lot of screw ups. Need proof? Joey Mercury is the answer. The fans who just started seeing WWE will only know his as part of Authority’s stooges but before all that, he was part of the tag team MNM.
At Armageddon 2006, he was participating in a four team tag team match and was supposed to last the entire match. However, Mercury’s stay was cut short after he broke his nose after a ladder decided to kiss him.
It was a comparatively safe spot but the execution somehow got messed up leaving Mercury with a bloodied face. Mercury’s career was later cut short and he decided to take up the trainer role afterwards. Just some random information: Joey Mercury is an ECW Original.
#4 Mick Foley chokeslamed through the Cell
There is a reason why Mick Foley is called the hard core legend. He was known for pulling off some bumps that could’ve killed any ordinary person. Foley had some insane matches throughout his career but his Hell in a Cell bout with Undertaker stands out from the rest.
Before the match, Foley planned to do one big spot where he was to be thrown off from the Cell. That worked out pretty well and Foley, continued his match even after taking a 20 feet drop.
The second spot was Undertaker chokeslaming Foley on top of the cell. Taker slammed Foley but the Cell gave off dropping the hardcore legend into the ring. Foley was immediately knocked out for nearly three minutes and everyone including the Undertaker thought that he was dead since the cell giving off was never in the script.
#3 Jeff Hardys drinking problems
This doesn’t technically belong to the WWE history but its professional wrestling nevertheless. Jeff Hardy is known for being a notorious substance addict and has a history of showing up drunk for shows.
The worst from the lot came at TNA’s 2011 pay-per-view where Hardy was supposed to face Sting in the main event. Both men were scripted to have a good long match to cap the night off but it ended up being a 47 second affair.
Now, take your stop watch and clock in 47 seconds, that’s how long the PPV main event lasted.
Sting was so pissed at Hardy showing up drunk and didn’t want to have a match. So he just delivered the scorpion drop and forcefully covered Hardy who was stoned to say the least.
#2 Jerry Lawler suffers a heart attack on live television
Jerry Lawler might look like a great commentator but he isn’t. He has been a mainstay in the announce table for a long time now but that almost turned out to be tragic in 2012, when Lawler suffered a heart attack on live television.
He collapsed at the announce table during Monday night Raw and was immediately taken to the hospital. Michael Cole informed the fans about what happened and gave updates throughout the night.
The WWE medical team being there on time was a blessing and after this incident, WWE went stricter on the health condition of their elder performers which was indeed a great step from Vince McMahon.
#1 Owen Harts death
If you ever wondered who the best guy in professional wrestling was, Owen Hart is your answer. He was a family man who could risk missing a pay-per-view just to hang out an extra night with his children while being one of the most loved people backstage in a backstabbing business like Wrestling.
No one had anything bad to say about Owen and he was an inspiration to everyone who wanted to become a wrestler. Owen was given a Blue Blazer gimmick back in 1999. At the Over the Edge pay-per-view, Owen was scheduled to come down in a grapple line.
Unfortunately for Owen, the line snapped and he fell to 78 feet into the ground to his death. The show continued and the wrestling business lost one of the best human beings to have graced the ring.
