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WWE Superstars generally like to keep their work confined to the ring. Well, the ringside area, anyway. Unless they're in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Or if the match is set on the back of a semi-truck or inside an office building or... you get the idea.
They also - again, generally speaking - prefer that work be handled alongside another wrestler. Or, at the very least, with someone who knows what they're getting themselves into.
Sometimes, though, things don't go the way they're planned. Superstars can find themselves on a non-WWE TV show yet still having to do WWE-style things. Or maybe a reporter (or comedian) is getting lippy and you've got to show them what's what.
With that in mind, we've compiled a list of five times WWE Superstars - be it real or pretend - put their hands on a non-wrestler and we all got to see it.
We're not going to lie - this list is going to be weird.
#5. WWE Hall of Famer Capt. Lou Albano vs. Mr. Ernst
Hey Dude, a wacky sitcom that ran on the Nickelodeon cable network from 1989 to 1991, centered around a "dude ranch" and the shenanigans of its young staff. During the show's third and final season, WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano appeared in the episode "Killer Ernst" as himself.
Here's the set-up, as quick as we can make it: Mr. Ernst, the wimpy owner of the Bar None Dude Ranch, books a match at the ranch between Albano and another wrestler, the Masked Marauder. The Captain's opponent cancels at the last minute, which means that wimpy Mr. Ernst (for some reason) has to take his place or the ranch will lose all its money (for some reason).
Look, this was a show on Nickelodeon - it wasn't exactly Heels, okay?
Thankfully, Mr. Ernst and the Bar None staff (which included a young Christine Taylor - she would go on to star in The Wedding Singer and the Zoolander films) were able to save the day in the end.
How? Well, we're not going to say. Not because we don't want to spoil anything (you can see how in the video above) but because we're still not entirely sure, and we watched the video, too.
We realize this one is a kind of a cheat, as it technically takes place in a ring. However, it's not a WWE ring - or even a real ring, for that matter - so we're counting it.
#4. Kevin Owens powerbombs MGK off a stage
Musical performances are nothing new to WWE programming - but this is the only one we can think of where the performer ended up being thrown through a table.
On June 15 2015, Billboard Music and Ohio Hip Hop Awards winner Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) performed what we're assuming was his hit single "A Little More" to what we're assuming was applause. One of those applauding was former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens, who had come out from the back to seemingly show his appreciation.
And then this happened.
Much like the previous entry, this one might seem a little bit of a cheat, as it's the only one here that took place on WWE television. But technically, it was outside the ring, so it counts.
While there was no follow-up to this particular altercation, MGK would still continue to work with WWE afterwards. Most recently, he served as the director for the WWE 2K22 video game's soundtrack, and will even be included as a playable character in the title's upcoming DLC.
#3. Bret Hart puts Will Sasso in the Sharpshooter
WWE Hall of Famer Bret "The Hitman" Hart has been no stranger to non-wrestling television throughout his career. In 1994, he starred in two episodes of the Western series Lonesome Dove, and a few years later even had a short but memorable role on The Simpsons.
That same year, in 1997, he was featured in a high-profile segment on the sketch comedy show Mad TV, which is where things get weird.
In the sketch, Will Sasso portrayed Hart's fellow WWE Hall of Famer Jesse "The Body" Ventura, who was recently elected as the Governor of Minnesota at the time. Sasso's Ventura introduced Hart as his Lt. Governor during a press conference - which really isn't how that works, but whatever.
Hart would physically attack any of the reporters assembled if they questioned the Governor, to hilarious results. Except the attacks seemed to be getting a little too real for the actors in the sketch, and things went a little haywire. By the end, Hart had Sasso in his trademark finisher, the Sharpshooter.
Of course, this was all staged (please try to contain your surprise), and it led to a match between Hart and the comedian on an episode of Nitro. But the less said about that, the better.
#2. "Dr. D" David Shultz smacks John Stossell
David Shultz's pro wrestling career was, by no means, an unsuccessful one. Before coming to WWE in the early 80s, Shultz held titles all over the territory system, especially in the Northeast regions - and especially Canada.
McMahon saw his potential as a heel in his company, and Shultz even earned a match against WWF Champion Hulk Hogan at one point. Then, on December 28 1984, things went sideways for him.
Shultz was being interviewed by reporter John Stossell for the news program 20/20. Stossell had made a name for himself as a consumer journalist, combining his personal political and economic philosophies with his reporting. He was backstage during a WWE show at Madison Square Garden working on an exposé of the wrestling business.
Then, Stossell made the mistake of asking a wrestler the one question you never wanted to ask a wrestler during that era: Is wrestling fake?
Despite insisting that he had struck the journalist under orders from Vince McMahon, Shultz would apologize to both Stossell and the New York State Athletic Commission, the latter of which had suspended him immediately after the incident. The promotion would release him shortly thereafter.
#1. Hulk Hogan chokes out Richard Belzer
During the run-up to the very first WrestleMania, then-WWE Champion Hulk Hogan was making the media rounds to promote the event. His tag team partner, A-Team star and gold jewelry enthusiast Mr. T, was right there alongside him.
The duo even co-hosted Saturday Night Live at one point (though it was the season with Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey, Jr.) Needless to say, the two were a hot commodity in mainstream media leading up to the very first Show of Shows.
One of the programs they appeared on was Hot Properties, hosted by comedian Richard Belzer. Nowadays, he's best known for playing Det. Munch on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Viewers of the interview wouldn't need to be detectives to figure out Belzer wasn't exactly thrilled to be interviewing the two.
Near the end of the transparently uncomfortable conversation, Belzer asked Hogan to put him in a sleep hold. Take a look at what happened next:
Once the hold was applied, the host quickly passed out and fell to the floor, hitting his head as he did. Belzer would have to make a trip to the hospital aftwards, as his injury required stitches.
As tends to happen after incidents such as this, Belzer filed a lawsuit against Hogan for $5 million. The two would eventually settle out of court. The amount wasn't disclosed, but Belzer would later reveal that the award allowed him to purchase a new house in France.
This is by no means an exhaustive list - it's just five, and not even five particular ones. Can you think of any others? Share them in the comments below, and who knows? Maybe we'll do a part two.
