When it comes to professional wrestling, plenty of fans tongue-in-cheekily say “it’s still real to me.” Sure enough, as we all know when wrestling is great, there aren’t much better forms of entertainment on the planet. That’s when our favorite sport is at its most real. Huge moments in wrestling are what the fans live for.
While most everything in wrestling is a work, it also gets pretty real when certain moments happen and the fans can’t discern whether it was real or scripted. Sometimes those great moments involved a mix of real and embellished. Those moments are even better than the shoot ones in WWE.
10 Shawn Michaels Passes Out
Over the years, the going thought was that nine marines beat the tar out of Shawn Michaels who mouthed off to one of them and his girlfriend. Once he recovered from the real-life beat down, WWE turned it into a storyline to garner sympathy on the way to WrestleMania 12.
He would face Owen Hart on Raw and after suffering an Enziguiri, HBK passed out. Even Vince left the commentary booth to check on HBK along with the rest of the medical staff.
9 The Snake Bites The Macho Man
It does seem ridiculous today, but long before the internet and long before the walls of kayfabe came crashing down, wrestling was nothing but real. Which meant these men and women truly hated one another, and they’d do anything to get the upper hand.
Even if it meant attempted murder. Which is exactly what happened when Jake Roberts unleashed his snake on the Macho Man. Thankfully, it only took a few days for Savage to recover and then unleash havoc at Tuesday In Texas.
8 Pillman 9MM
Prior to the Attitude Era, there was no one more real or more dangerous than Brian Pillman. The Loose Cannon had all three companies - WCW, ECW, and WWE - vying for his services, and all completely unsure if the Loose Cannon was an act or if Brian Pillman had completely lost it.
When he brandished a firearm on Raw threatening to use it against Stone Cold Steve Austin, there was an element of danger to make fans think that Pillman had lost it too.
7 Kyle O’Reilly Seizure
It’s hard to believe how just a little over a year ago, The Undisputed Era were ruling NXT, before Adam Cole decked Kyle O’Reilly to tear down all they built together. Shortly after, Cole delivered a nasty looking Superplex on the steel stairs, that caused NXT’s KOR to suffer a seizure.
Considering O’Reilly really has diabetes, it was easy to think the seizure was real. Especially when Triple H came out to check on his employee and provide a medical update. Thankfully it was just a work for the storyline.
6 Jeff Hardy’s Pyro Mishap
Fans have been pulling for Jeff Hardy for years. When he finally ascended to the mountaintop it was one of the most emotional moments in WWE history. During one of his early appearances as champions, his crazy pyro went off too soon and too close to The Charismatic Enigma, and he was taken out as a result.
Considering how crazy the fireworks are, it wasn’t beyond the realm of logic that a major mistake happened. But Hardy had barely a scratch on him, and it was eventually revealed that it was Matt Hardy all along.
5 Mrs. Guerrero’s Heart Attack
After spending nearly a decade in the WWE as various characters, Bradshaw morphed into JBL, The Wrestling God and didn’t look back. His first major feud was with Eddie Guerrero over the WWE Championship.
He came to a House Show one evening in El Paso, Eddie’s hometown. As Latino Heat was giving thanks to his mother, JBL attacked the WWE Champion, which gave his mom a heart attack at ringside.
4 Rusev Superkicks A Soldier
Remember when Rusev was a dominant a**-kicking heel who mowed down everyone in his path? So does this list! On a Raw in 2014, the future Redeemer was in the ring when a “fan” made it past security and came for the Bulgarian Brute. Rusev did what any superstar would have done and defended himself by kicking the guy in the face.
However, the man was decked out in military gear and was actually a worker. After the faux-fracas ensued, the Big Show would cut the promo of a lifetime.
3 Pipe Bomb
It seems a little odd that anytime someone is given a microphone and “shoots” that fans believe it is a shoot. After all, a promoter is not going to give a live microphone to anyone and let them rip on their company. That being said, a great work-shoot promo does certainly feel like it shouldn’t be happening, which is what happened with The Pipe Bomb promo.
The Voice Of The Voiceless ripped into the company for a litany or perceived problems. Considering plenty of the fans agreed, a lot of fans thought that Punk was going off-script.
2 Brock Busts The Viper Open
Considering they both came from the fabled 2002 OVW Class, Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton never really had a big feud until 2016. They were set to collide at SummerSlam, but it wasn’t much of a collision as much as it was like a bear smashing a salmon along the rocks.
Brock Lesnar beat the tar out of the Viper and literally left him in a puddle of his own blood. Even the guys in the back weren’t sure this wasn’t a shoot and Chris Jericho had gotten right in Brock’s face after the match to defend his friend.
1 Vince McMahon's Limo Explodes
At the end of Vince McMahon Appreciation Night, he quietly walked out of the arena and got in his limo to head home. When the limousine exploded, it was one of the most jarring moments in WWE history.
Even some of McMahon’s own friends had called Titan Tower to see if their friend had died. Several news outlets reported it as factual. Considering he’s still around, it’s safe to say this one was a big ol’ work.