It’s a sad reality that betrayals happen in the world of professional wrestling. We as fans get emotionally invested in the lives and matches between the athletes in the ring. So, when a manager, a friend, or sometimes even a brother turns on them, it shakes the wrestling world. Some more so than others.
There are dozens—maybe hundreds—of instances of betrayals that happen in professional wrestling. Some of them fans can see coming a mile away. Like when you know the villain in a comic book will betray the hero at some point. But then there are other times that catch you completely off-guard. Times when the betrayal is so shocking that we’re left speechless.
This list is by no means the end all be all of such shocking instances of treason. But these are five times the wrestling world was stunned by the actions of underhanded wrestlers who, for whatever reasons, turned on the people who supported them the most.
Paul Bearer Betrays Undertaker
There are many places to start on this list, but I think one betrayal that no one saw coming at the time was when Paul Bearer betrayed the Undertaker.
Though the Undertaker didn’t debut in WWF with Paul bearer by his side, the sickly-looking manager soon accompanied the Dead Man down to the ring. It wasn’t long before the two were practically inseparable. And to make matters worse, Paul Bearer carried the mystic urn that, once he raised it high into the sky, somehow gave Undertaker paranormal strength to not only continue on in matches but overcome whatever opponent he was facing.
So, it was beyond shocking when Paul Bearer, the Undertaker’s closest confidant, turned on him.
It was Summer Slam, 1996, and Undertaker and Mankind had fought each other in an absolutely brutal match where the winner would be declared by who took take possession of the Undertaker’s urn.
As the match reached its epic conclusion, and the Undertaker was going to take possession of the urn from Paul Bearer, Undertaker’s friend and manager turned his back on the Dead Man. This allowed Mankind to come back in the ring and apply the mandible claw to the Undertaker, not once but twice, incapacitating him. Bearer would then add insult to injury by kicking the Dead Man when he was down, then slammed the urn into the Undertaker’s head. It would be years before the two men would reconcile.
Seth Rollins Betrays The Shield
When the group known as The Shield burst onto the scene in WWE at Survivor Series in 2012, they interrupted a triple threat match between CM Punk, John Cena, and Ryback, who they would put through a table. The power and gusto of their debut put everyone on notice.
For the next two years, The Shield would dominate the WWE by collecting title after title, and take out the likes of The Undertaker, Mark Henry, and Randy Orton just to name a few. It looked like the group would continue their dominant run for many more years to come. Of course, Triple H, who has always been known as the Cerebral Assassin, had something else in mind. Unbeknownst to anyone, Seth Rollins had cut a deal with Triple H and attacked his brothers in The Shield with a steel chair.
Though each member of the shield would continue on with singles careers, and attain more championships individually, fans can only imagine what more The Shield could’ve accomplished as a cohesive group, had Seth Rollins stayed true to his brothers and not joins Triple H’s “Plan B.”
Paul Heyman Betrays RVD/ECW
Through the years, many people have had some horrible things to say about Paul Heyman, even though no one can doubt his contributions to the wrestling industry. But there’s one thing that has always been synonymous with the man once known as Paul E. Dangerous, and that’s Extreme Championship Wrestling.
When the World Wrestling Federation was battling week to week with World Championship Wrestling, it was ECW that captured the attention of a certain subset of wrestling fans. Fans who wanted the extreme. Paul Heyman is the man that gave that to those fans. Whether it be with the likes of the Sandman, New Jack, The Dudleys, or many more, ECW provided an edgier and more dangerous form of wrestling.
Even when ECW wrestlers would later show up in WWF, and even when ECW itself was purchased by WWF, tried-and-true fans of the extreme form of wrestling stayed the course. Chants of “E-C-Dub” could be heard far and wide.
So, when Heyman ran down to the ring, after a referee was down during a match between Rob Van Dam and Big Show, everyone knew Heyman was there in support of RVD.
Except he wasn’t. It looked like RVD would do the impossible and defeat the giant, but it was not to be.
Paul Heyman, the creator of Extreme Championship Wrestling, turned on not only RVD but ECW itself, and helped Big Show win the championship. Fans in attendance couldn’t believe it. At the time, it surprised everyone that Paul Heyman would pull such a dastardly move, but looking back on it, it really shouldn’t have. After all, it’s Paul Heyman.
Shawn Michaels Betrays Marty Jannetty
The Shawn Michaels wrestling fans know and love today has already been involved in several betrayals. Whether it’s the Montreal Screwjob, Triple H turning on him, or Michaels turning on Hulk Hogan, there are plenty of times Shawn Michaels has colored outside of the lines.
But back in the early 90s, that wasn’t the case. Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty were known as the Rockers and the sky was the limit. They were a fresh new tag team in WWF, and they were fighting the biggest team teams in the company. And they were winning!
But as time went on, the winning started to dwindle. In their last couple of matches against teams like the Legion of Doom, miscommunications caused the team to lose. And frustration started building between the two.
Even so, it seemed like nothing more than brotherly arguments. When the two appeared on Brutus Beefcake’s “Barbershop,” it appeared for a moment that the partners had finally come to an understanding and were about to continue fighting on as a tag team.
Of course, history tells us that was not to be.
Shocking everyone, as Shawn Michaels lifted Jannetty’s hand in the air, posing as if everything was right in the world, the Heartbreak Kid would nail his tag team partner with a thunderous superkick. But that wasn’t enough. He would that throw Marty Jannetty through the barbershop window, not only shattering the window, but any hopes fans had of the tag team ever working together again.
Hulk Hogan Betrays Everyone
Any wrestling fan who grew up on the 80s and 90s wrestling—dare I say any wrestling fan ever—could probably repeat Hulk Hogan’s words to all the Hulkamaniacs around the world: “Train, say your prayers, and eat your vitamins because whatchya gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you!”
It’s practically engrained in the zeitgeist of pop culture now.
The Hulkster faced off against everyone, from Andre the Giant to Randy Savage to Yokuzuna to Sycho Sid. When Hogan left the WWF and went to work for WCW, he was welcomed with open arms and given an entire parade, celebrating his arrival. There he would battle the likes of Ric Flair, Sting, Vader and many more. And through it all, the proud red and yellow of Hulkamania on display.
That all changed on July 7th, 1996, at Bash and the Beach. The Outsiders, Hall and Nash, had invaded WCW and declared war. After taking out wrestlers and even Eric Bischoff, it looked like no one could stop them. At the event, they’d taken Lex Luger out of the match, and were in complete control against the remaining opponents of Randy Savage and Sting. With both men down, Hulk Hogan emerged from the back and the crowd went wild, knowing that the Hulkster was there to bring order back to WCW.
They were sadly mistaken.
Hulk Hogan came down to the ring and hit the Macho Man with not one, not two, but three leg drops. Then he covered the Savage, and Scott Hall mockingly counted to three.
For years there were wrestlers intent on destroying Hulkmania. Whether it was the Iron Sheik or Undertaker or even the lackluster Dungeon of Doom in WCW. Many had tried, and all had failed. But on that night at Bash at the Beach, in Daytona Beach, Florida, Hulk Hogan himself destroyed Hulkamania for millions across the world. And in doing so, he and the Outsiders gave birth to the NWO.
