In the current landscape of professional wrestling, backstage fights are extremely rare. Wrestlers take professionalism way more seriously, most of them are not taking substances that would goad them into throwing hands and most wrestlers are more keen on playing video games than getting black out drunk. But back in the day of the 80s, 90s and the early 2000s? Oh my was there a ton of backstage brawls.

The reasons for why these things happened so frequently is pretty obvious. Most wrestlers have big egos and are used to being the biggest, toughest guys in the lives away from wrestling. But when you get many of these cooped up and away from their families for hundreds of days out of the year, angers will flare and must be released in some fashion. In these cases you would think that the biggest and meanest dog in the park would rule the day but isn't always how it went down. Sometimes the smaller man has actual training in legitimate fighting to tip the odds in their favor or they just get lucky and defeat their larger foes. That's the kind of fights I'm going to be discussing here so let's dive into 15 real life backstage WWE brawls with surprising outcomes.

15 Rick Rude Vs. The Ultimate Warrior

via WWE Network

A free life lesson: never fight with a crazy guy. Even if you're sure you can take them on, you never know what they can and are willing to do if fists start flying. The Ultimate Warrior would definitely fall into this category because when you crumble up a cookie and smell it instead of eating it, I would qualify you as out of your mind. He also has muscles about to burst out of his skin. Rick Rude however didn't have to follow this advice because he's Rick Rude and his mustache alone has more testosterone than most men have in their entire bodies.

As the tale goes, The Ultimate Warrior had been stiffing Rude in the ring with his signature clotheslines from hell and horrendously painful slams. Rude being the gentleman he was went up to Warrior backstage and told him to please lighten up in the ring. Warrior's response? "I don't have to. I'm the Ultimate Warrior". That was all it took as Rude just threw one punch which was enough to put the lights out on one of  the most hated men in pro wrestling. Is it any wonder why so many people were sad when Rick Rude passed away in 1999?

Winner: Ravishing Rick Rude

14 Goldberg Vs. Chris Jericho

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If you couldn't tell by his ring attire, Bill Goldberg is something of a martial arts enthusiast. If the MMA gloves wasn't indication, than his time as a broadcast commentator for the short-lived Elite XC promotion will clinch it. Combine that with his massive size and his time as a defensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons, you would think that he could take one plucky Canadian rock star in a real fight. But he failed big time.

In Chris Jericho's second book Undisputed: How To Become The World Champion In 1372 Easy Steps, Y2J speaks about how he confronted Goldberg over some smack talk the WCW legend was saying about him behind his back.

Tempers flared and Goldberg charged at Jericho but Kevin Owens' former best friend had a plan.

He locked on a guillotine choke and held on for dear life until the boys separated them. They would break free and fight some more, but Jericho still came out on top. Even more impressive was that Jericho tamed the beast enough to the point where he was able to get Goldberg to agree to a truce. A most impressive victory for a guy with no fighting background to speak of.

Winner: Chris Jericho

13 Big Show Vs. Steve Blackman

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Big Show is big enough to the point where it seems impossible to think that anyone would even think of physically attacking the giant. However that might have worked exactly in Steve Blackman's favor because he was able to take down the 500 pound mammoth with one technique.

The story comes to us courtesy of Teddy Long (holla playa) on his interview with Sean Oliver of Kayfabe Commentaries. In the WWE locker room, Blackman was just lying on the floor resting with his bag as a pillow and the 7 footer was standing over him. Blackman politely asked him to move over a little bit but Show decided to ignore his plea. Not amused, Blackman hooked both of Show's feet and scissor sweeped him, tripping him flat on his back. Realizing that it's best not to mess with someone who can do that to him, Show moved away and gave Blackman his space. Let me reiterate that Blackman managed to trip a 500 pound monster without even getting up off his back. Not only is this a shocking result, but it's so casual that it impresses even the most hard to impress folk. Maybe we could pit Steve Blackman and Haku in a fight to the death.

Winner: Steve Blackman

12 Yoshi Tatsu Vs. Sheamus

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Now that Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka and Hideo Itami are all signed to the WWE roster, it's easy to forget about some of the other Japanese wrestlers who have competed for WWE over the years. One of the most forgotten ones would have to be Yoshi Tatsu. While he was an alright worker, he was largely forgettable due to WWE never really giving him a push but he's still memorable for something outside the ring.

We have to go back to WWE's former developmental system called Florida Championship Wrestling for this tale. There are two versions of the story. The first is about Tatsu, Sheamus and Ted DiBiase Jr. all sharing an apartment together and fighting over a blender not being washed. The other has to do with Sheamus not paying back Tatsu money he owed him but in both versions it ends with Tatsu beating the heck out of Sheamus. I'm partial to the money story as it just brings to mind that classic Family Guy scene with Stewie and Brian. Tatsu trained in the New Japan Pro Wrestling dojo which teaches their students real martial arts and also competed briefly as a boxer. It was never confirmed whether Tatsu got his money, but I would have to assume yes.

Winner: Yoshi Tatsu

11 Sheamus Vs. Sin Cara (Hunico)

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Sheamus' gimmick since he got brought up to WWE's main roster in 2009 is that he's a tough guy from the mean streets of Dublin, Ireland. With that kind of gimmick plus the fact that he's a huge dude weighing in at 270 pounds, you would think he can hold his own in a fight. That's far from the case as he makes two appearances on this list and both times on the losing end. First he lost to Yoshi Tatsu and then years later, he would lose to another lighter man.

This story goes back to 2014 at a Raw in Albany, New York. Cara was in the training room being attended to by one of the physicians on hand.

All the trainers were occupied when the big Irishman came in and made a remark that Sin Cara should leave because he was important to the company than the luchadore.

Cara who has a history of flying off at the handle didn't take kindly to this remark and got in Sheamus' face. Cara counter by sweeping him and started to wail on him before being broken up. We get that you're friends with Triple H Sheamus, but maybe you shouldn't be starting fights you can't finish.

Winner: Sin Cara II

10 Ken Shamrock Vs. Nasty Boys

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Now I know what you're thinking; well in a two on one situation, of course the duo is going to beat up the solo act. Especially since the solo act is Ken Shamrock in the 1990s, a man whose main claim to fame was twisting people's limbs in ways they should never move. However, this story takes place in 1990 before Shamrock was a UFC sensation so all bets are off.

While there are two different versions of the story, they both start the same way. Shamrock and the Nasty Boys were both at a nightclub when a very drunk Brian Knobbs started harassing a female friend of Shamrock's. Eventually Shamrock had enough and decided he should beat them up but the bouncer stepped in before anything got too heated. Shamrock however knew where their hotel was and decided to go after them later. After he burst into their room, he decided to pounce on the passed out Knobbs. This is where the stories differ as Shamrock says he got a cheap shot from behind by Jerry Sags and the Nasty Boys say they Sags got the better of Ken and eventually Knobbs joined in on the beatdown. Either way, Shamrock left that room on a stretcher. It may not be the cleanest win, but the Nasty Boys sure were the victors.

Winner: The Nasty Boys

9 Eve Torres vs. Matt Hardy

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Fans in other countries might be extremely grateful when WWE superstars come to their part of the globe, but those trips always take their toll on the performers. Often times the wrestlers go to the bar to deal with their blues and that gives birth to a hilarious tale involving Matt Hardy and... Eve Torres?

While a fight between a man and woman might make some brace for impact, it's actually not as bad as it sounds. Essentially, Torres and Hardy were both getting a bit loaded and decided to start play wrestling. Things got heated up though, when Hardy accidentally gave Torres a black eye. Torres' defensive instincts came in and decided to try out a rear naked chokehold on the not yet Broken One since she had just started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu months prior. It worked brilliantly and Hardy was literally put to sleep by the former Diva's submission hold. It's worth noting that at this point Torres wasn't even an active performer but just a backstage interviewer, so imagine Renee Young choking out Elias and you'd have a pretty good idea of what this looked like to the boys in the back. I suppose if I had to be choked out by somebody, Eve Torres is a pretty good pick, but Hardy probably would have preferred to remain conscious.

Winner: Eve Torres

8 Chris Jericho Vs. Brock Lesnar

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This is one of the most recent confrontations on this list and truth be told, this isn't too much of a fight. No punches were thrown, no cheeks were busted wide open or anything like that. However, the very fact that Chris Jericho was able to confront the biggest baddie in the locker room and live to tell the tale compels me to include this on my list. So let's dive in.

As some may recall, the main event of SummerSlam 2016 was a random as heck match between Brock Lesnar (of course) and Randy Orton (huh?). In yet another repeat of the 2014 match between Lesnar and John Cena, Lesnar completely dominates Orton for the majority of the match. The ending got particularly violent as the Beast elbowed Orton to the point where he was gushing blood.

Thinking that the finish was Lesnar going off script and taking advantage of his good friend, Jericho confronted him after the match, got nose to nose with the former UFC Heavyweight Champion and wasn't backing down.

It took Vince McMahon and his cronies to step in, clear the situation up and calm down the rowdy Canadian. Just because his head is still on his shoulders, Jericho wins.

Winner: Chris Jericho

7 Buff Bagwell Vs. Hurricane Helms

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There are hated characters in the business of pro wrestling that have at least a couple of people who come to their defense. Buff Bagwell is not one of those people as nobody in the various locker rooms he's been a part of seem to like the guy much at all. He seems to have rubbed everyone the wrong way and he's so insufferable that he even drew the ire of one of the chillest people in pro wrestling; Hurricane Helms.

By all accounts and from various shoot interviews with his past coworkers, Helms is always cool as a cucumber and is a class act. But when somebody like Bagwell tells you that you're never going to be a draw in the WWE, even Helms has to fight back. That comment was made by Bagwell back in 2001 during his brief stint in the WWE. Helms responded by saying that Bagwell was juicing which... well we don't have proof, but would you be shocked if the answer was yes? Bagwell didn't take kindly to this and slapped him across the face. Helms paid him back by throwing a plastic water bottle at his head. The superhero nailed him pretty good as it busted Buff's stuff wide open and Bagwell was released shortly thereafter. Good riddance.

Winner: Hurricane Helms

6 JBL Vs. Joey Styles

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JBL has a history of being one of the biggest bullies in WWE history. This just doesn't stay limited to other wrestlers as he has been known to bully non-wrestling personalities like announcers. Newer fans of pro wrestling might be familiar with the story of Bradshaw bullying Mauro Ranallo but JBL was also known back in the mid 2000s for pushing the buttons of Joey Styles. This was not a good calculation on his part.

As the story goes, JBL had spent the entire time of WWE's tour of Iraq for their Tribute to the Troops show in 2008 drunk as a skunk. He had decided that the two targets on this tour would be announcers Lillian Garcia and Styles. Garcia obviously couldn't fight back, but Styles landed a solid haymaker during their blow up that knocked JBL flat on his Texas rear end. Stripped of his pride, JBL spent the next show sulking in the locker room not saying a word and stayed on his Blackberry. This is a good time for JBL to learn that you shouldn't pick on a guy who was extreme enough to announce the original ECW. He should just consider himself lucky that Styles didn't have barbed wire on him.

Winner: Joey Styles (OH MY GOD!)

5 Kurt Angle Vs. Brock Lesnar

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In terms of pure athletics, it's hard to think of any other two superstars with more credentials to their name than Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle. With Angle you have a man who won an Olympic gold medal (with a broken freaking neck!) and with The Beast Brock Lesnar you have a former NCAA Heavyweight Champion who finished his college career with a record of 106-5. So what would happen if these two decided to see who was the better wrestler?

Well we don't have to wonder because it actually happened. At a house show in South Dakota, these two decided to settle the score once and for all.

After being egged on by the rest of the roster and after Angle heard that Lesnar said he could easily beat Angle, the two waged war for about 12 minutes.

For what Lesnar lacked in experience relative to Angle, he made up for in strength but it wasn't enough as Angle scored the single decisive takedown to win the fight. Keep in mind that at the time of this fight in 2003, Lesnar had almost 100 pounds of weight on the four time WWE Champion and he still couldn't beat him. That just goes to show that Olympic level wrestlers are at a whole other level.

Winner: Kurt Angle

4 Shawn Michaels Vs. Marty Jannetty

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Ever since the break up of The Rockers back in January 1992, every time a tag team has broken up there is fan debate as to who will be the Shawn Michaels and who will be the Marty Jannetty. If you're a Shawn Michaels that means you're the success following the break up and if you're the Marty Jannetty, that means you'll end up as a loser asking your fans if it's okay to date somebody you once thought was your daughter. But what might be forgotten about in that rule is that if you're a Jannetty, you can probably take your HBK in a fight.

Despite being a superior athlete to Marty Jannetty and having a status as the greatest in-ring worker ever, Shawn Michaels' track record in street fights is abysmal. Jannetty though isn't known for being a particularly strong fighter either so you would think this would be a wash. Not the case as the fight between these is said to be complete domination by Jannetty. It's said that Michaels missed the next day of shows due to his face being cut up from the melee, letting everyone know that scars don't work on sexy boys.

Winner: Marty Jannetty

3 JBL Vs. Steve Blackman

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In the mid 1990s, WWE went through a period of giving people a bunch of silly gimmicks and some of them included a bunch of martial arts gimmicks. These included such classics like Shinobi, Kwang and Super Ninja. Intially it seemed like WWE was going to revive this trend in the Attitude Era with Steve Blackman but unlike those other posers, Blackman actually was an accomplished martial artist. So either JBL didn't know this, or he just picked on the wrong guy.

As the story goes in Hardcore Holly's autobiography The Hardcore Truth: The Bob Holly Story, JBL was drunk from a night of drinking and thought it would be funny to pat the rear end of Blackman at the airport. Blackman told him to cut it out but JBL kept pushing to the point where he got backhanded with a stiff jab. Blackman kept popping him with shots and the intoxicated Texan couldn't lay a finger on him. Blackman tried to kick JBL's legs out but his leg got caught on a bag handle. Blackman would tell Holly that "if it wasn't for the bag handle, Bradshaw would have been in intensive care". Unlike JBL, I'm not stupid enough to test that theory.

Winner: Steve Blackman

2 Big Show vs. Great Khali

via wwe.fr

Has there ever been a more tantalizing idea of a backstage fight than the Great Khali and the Big Show? It may not be the most technical or as J.R would say "catch as catch can" fights, but my god it would be like King Kong Vs Godzilla in terms of size. If we would have to give an advantage to one of these goliaths, you would have to say Big Show. Not only has he been the better athlete, but he also has boxing training, But in actuality, the East's monster defeated the West's monster in this brawl for all.

The incident in question took place in Aricebo,Puerto Rico according to Chris Jericho from his 3rd book The Best In The World: At What I Have No Idea.

In Jericho's words, he says that the beef started because Great Khali stole one of Big Show's spots during a tag match.

It was that rage that might have caused Show to lose the brawl as after a few punches were exchanged, Show toppled over and fell after losing his balance and Khali landed on top of him. By street fight rules, Khali wins. Show also had to apologize to him afterwards in front of Vinnie Mac for starting the fight, so double points for Khali here.

Winner: Great Khali

1 Booker T Vs. Batista

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Batista has had one of the more interesting post WWE careers out of any WWE Superstar. Not only did he join the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing the role of Drax The Destroyer but he also competed in an professional MMA fight. That combined with his obvious strength would make you think that he could handle himself in a fight. But against the royal 5 time WCW champion, Batista just couldn't cut the mustard.

This fight takes place in May 2006. Batista and the rest of the WWE roster were filming a commercial for Summerslam when The Animal pulled the ultimate locker room sin; he didn't shake the hands of all the boys. That combined with some disparaging comments Batista made about the SmackDown roster didn't make him well liked by some of the boys. Booker T took exception to this and decided to lay down the gauntlet to Batista. They brawled and by most accounts of the story, Booker T got the best with the only strike Batista nailed him with coming from a sucker punch. A funny coda to this story is that Vince McMahon was rethinking making Batista the top star of his company as he felt that his biggest star shouldn't be losing real fights. Oh Vinnie Mac, always with his priorities in order.

Winner: Booker T