WWE has been around much longer than the internet, which means that there was a time when dirt sheets didn't exist and the WWE Universe wasn't completely aware of everything that was happening in the company. Backstage stories from the 1990s and early 2000s have been passed down like folk songs over the past few years to the point where it is unknown what really happened and how much of these tales are actually true.

There have been some impressive stories coming out of the locker room in recent years as well and since WWE has learned how to use social media to their advantage. They have even been able to work the WWE Universe into thinking some incidents were real when they actually weren't. The wrestling business has become much smarter than it once was and it's now much harder to draw the line between fact and fiction.

The following list looks at just 20 backstage stories from the past two and a half decades that fans of the company have been passing around like a game of Chinese Whispers. This list will also look at whether or not there is actually any truth to what have now become some of the biggest Urban Legends of the wrestling business.

20 Stephanie McMahon And Randy Savage

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This is without a doubt the biggest Urban Legend in WWE history, it's a story that has been traveling around the WWE Universe for decades and the details have changed a number of times. Stephanie McMahon started in the business when she was just a teenager and it's reported that during that time she became quite close to a number of WWE stars. One, in particular was "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

It's said that Savage and Stephanie's relationship supposedly became much more friendly when she was still just a teenager with many reports stating that she was 14 years old and that was when her father found out. McMahon was said to have been livid about the situation and forced Savage out of the company and wouldn't allow him to return. It's reported that this was one of the reasons why Savage only went into the Hall of Fame following his passing since McMahon wouldn't allow it while he was alive. The McMahons have never officially confirmed this story to be true and many close to the situation have denied it, so it's currently unknown as to whether or not this incident took place and highly unlikely that the truth will ever come out now.

19 The Relationship Between Shawn Michaels And Vince McMahon

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This one has been talked about at length over the past few years as it seems that the relationship between Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon went much deeper than just two employees when the duo was working together in the 1990s. There have been rumours that their relationship could have been romantic but these have only ever been rumours and the validity of these claims has never actually been tested, and remains highly suspect.

Michaels did get a lot of what he wanted throughout the 1990s but it could be claimed that this was because McMahon knew that he was going to be a huge star and was a popular one with the crowd at that point. Michaels also got away with a lot more than any other star would have at that time, but it is thought that this was because he had a father and son kind of relationship with the boss which allowed them to remain close. Road Warrior Hawk did give his opinion on the matter which is why this rumour has been pushed forward in recent years, but since he was known to be a troublemaker and on bad terms with WWE at the time, it's hard to take his opinion too seriously.

18 Was Brock Lesnar Supposed To End The Streak?

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This is one of the most recent stories on the list but it seems that it's one that has caused the WWE Universe to question everything that has happened in the company ever since that night in New Orleans at WrestleMania 30. There were only five men who were aware of the outcome of that match and they were Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, The Undertaker, the referee and Vince McMahon. Lesnar shocked the world when he ended the streak and Heyman then began to preach the story that Lesnar was not supposed to end the streak, he just decided to because he knew that no one could stop him.

While it's highly unlikely that this is what happened, the recent storylines with The Undertaker and the fact that he didn't retire after the defeat could mean that this is at least half true. Brock has been unstoppable ever since and Undertaker has remained a consistent presence. Could Brock have held the company to ransom over the past few years or has Paul Heyman managed to make conspiracy an art over the past four years? The truth is that there are only four other men who can confirm or deny this and it's unlikely that any of them will be speaking publically about it any time soon.

17 Why Was Christy Hemme Really Fired?

Christy Hemme was the first winner of the annual Diva Search to be given a contract with WWE after she won the contest back in 2004 and then went on to face Trish Stratus for the Women's Championship at WrestleMania 21 the following year. It was obvious that Hemme was being pushed by someone backstage, but not long afterward it was announced that she had been released from the company and later moved on to a career in Impact Wrestling.

The sudden nature of her departure has made many fans question what actually happened backstage and one scenario that has been thrown up is that Hemme was linked to either Triple H or Vince McMahon and Stephanie found out about it and gave them an ultimatum which led to her release. There have been recent images of Stephanie and Christy together, which means that it's unlikely that this actually happened because Stephanie doesn't look like the kind of woman who would meet up with someone who tried to end either her or her father's marriage. Hemme has since moved on to much better things and is now the mother of five children so it seems that times have definitely changed for both women.

16 The Infamous Plane Ride

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It is the best known backstage story in the history of WWE, but back in 2002 when WWE superstars were on their way back to America after a tour of the UK, there was a lot of misbehaving going on. The stars had all been partying at that point and all decided to air their issues which saw Goldust and Terri Runnels having a loud argument about their marriage and divorce. Michael Hayes became involved when he decided to punch JBL in the face while he was asleep. X-Pac retaliated by cutting off Michael Hayes ponytail and taping it to the wall backstage at the next WWE event while Brock Lesnar and Curt Hennig decided to have a shoot wrestling match on the aisle of the plane to prove who the best amateur wrestler was.

The entire time Ric Flair was strutting up and down the aisle in just a robe showing off much more than he should. Many of the McMahon family were on the plane and there were even reports that JBL even tried to humiliate Linda McMahon at one point. Curt Hennig and Goldust were fired from the company for their parts in that night so it's quite obvious that much of this happened. Many of the accounts from that night match up with the rumours and prove that this is one of best (and worst) stories that wrestling has ever had to offer.

15 Shawn Michaels And His Antics

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Shawn Michaels name comes up a lot when it comes to backstage stories in WWE and one of the reasons for this is the fact that The Heartbreak Kid was a lot crazier in the 1990s. One of the stories that have turned into an Urban Legend in recent years is that Michaels actually relieved himself on his fans in a hotel room.

The story states that Michaels was always up for a laugh and he thought it would be hilarious if he took a group of WWE fans up to his hotel room where they wouldn't be expecting what he was about to do. Michaels instructed them to get on their knees and wait for a surprise when he decided to do the deed, something that none of the women were happy about. This is a story that has been passed down over the past few years and its actual origin is unknown. What is known is that Michaels has never confirmed that it happened and it's highly unlikely that he ever will. This leaves this one in the false pile until it can be confirmed by one of his old wrestling friends or even another superstar who was part of the company during the Attitude Era.

14 John Cena And The 280 Pound Fan

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John Cena is a 16-time World Champion and was most recently in a six-year relationship with former Divas Champion Nikki Bella. Despite all of his accolades throughout his career one of the things that many fans remember about the former World Champion is the rumour that he once had an encounter with a 280-pound fan.

Cena himself confirmed this when he was a guest on the Howard Stern Show, where he also confirmed that he once took home six fans as well. Cena stated that he was dared to take the fan home by some of the other wrestlers in the locker room that night and that he never backs down from a dare. He then went on to describe the night in detail which is something the Howard Stern Show has become known for and fans have then shared the story around over the past few years. Cena definitely had an unstable relationship status when he first came to WWE, but he married his first wife back in 2009, a relationship that ended in divorce in 2012 merely months before his relationship with Nikki Bella began. The 40 year old is now newly single and ready to continue the impressive antics that he became well-known for in his early career.

13 The Pitched Family Romance Angle

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There have been a number of rejected angles in WWE over the past few decades, some that were turned down by the talent or even by Vince McMahon himself, but one of the worst that the chairman has ever come up with is that he wanted to be seen as the father of his daughter's child on WWE TV.

McMahon pitched the idea of this angle with his daughter when she was pregnant with Triple H's baby and she was obviously repulsed at the idea and turned it down on the spot. McMahon then changed the idea and thought that a good swerve would be for Shane McMahon to be seen as the father instead. Stephanie once again turned down the idea of having her brother in on this storyline as well and Vince decided to give up on the idea after that. It has been revealed by a number of reputable sources that this was definitely an angle that McMahon wanted to do and wasn't impressed that Stephanie put a roadblock in his way. The McMahon family has become a controversial family over the past few decades but this would definitely have put them in a strange position with viewers.

12 JTG And The WWE Fan

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Pranks are one of the things that have become the core of many backstage stories over the past few years and since JTG worked for WWE for much longer than anyone ever expected, it was obvious that at some point he would be part of one of these stories. JTG was once known as one half of Cryme Tyme along with Sha Gaspard and was something of a joker on WWE TV. It appears that there were much bigger jokers than him in the WWE locker room and they ensured that he got his own fair share of hazing when he first started wrestling for WWE.

The superstar himself revealed in his book "Damn! Why Did I Write This Book?" that many wrestlers backstage actually conspired to have a fan break into JTG's hotel room while he was obviously unconscious and perform several acts on him. The former Cryme Tyme member revealed that this all happened while he wan't 100% and that it was considered to be a common backstage ritual for many years. Hopefully, JTG bringing this to light has allowed officials backstage to have a conversation with their superstars when it comes to what rituals are actually acceptable and which ones aren't.

11 The Sunny Saga

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Sunny may have been seen as the original WWE Diva but she has also been the subject of a number of backstage stories in her time, including the rumour that she was slopped with much more than she anticipated. The entire WWE locker room was aware of Sunny's antics when she was in a relationship with Chris Candido and this made her one of the most disliked women in the company and allowed the likes of X-Pac and a number of others to pull pranks on her.

One of the worst pranks would have to be when Sunny was set to be slopped by Phineas Godwinn, the bucket was left backstage throughout the show until he needed to pick it up and it appears that there were a number of stars on the roster who wanted to deposit more than just slop on Sunny. The Diva then took the bucket to the face not knowing exactly what was in it. Sunny was disliked backstage and it's easy to believe that this one is true as well since it's not the worst prank that has been played on a diva. Many of the male stars at that time hazed the women worse that JBL hazed them.

10 Raven And The Young Fan

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Raven was a star in ECW in a time when many fans would turn up at shows with the intention of going home with one of the wrestlers. It was a known thing in that day that this was one of the reasons many women came to shows and many male wrestlers decided to take full advantage of this. One night Raven apparently met and took three women to his hotel room with him. While two of these women were legal adults at the time, the third was just 15-years-old and while there are many stories about what actually happened that night, Raven still swears that the 15-year-old slept in a separate bed away from the other three.

Police found out about what happened and invaded his hotel room, but since there was no proof that anything had happened between Raven and the 15 year old, nothing came of the incident. It is interesting to note that the 15 year old involved in the incident went on to become female wrestler Becky Bayless, but even though she is now in the spotlight herself, the details of this night are still considerably hazy and since police officially took no action then it has to be seen as false.

9 Brie Bella And Daniel Bryan's First Encounter

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Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan are now married and welcomed their first child together last year, but their entire relationship is a product of their time together on the road with WWE, which means that they have been forced to celebrate some of their biggest relationship milestones whilst traveling with the company.

Bryan and Bella revealed in an interview a few years ago that when the couple decided that they were going to take their relationship to the next level, they were in a hotel room when Sheamus and Teddy Hart came through the door and saw that the couple were obviously trying to have a bit of privacy. It's reported that Sheamus looked Bryan up and down and his only words were "Ahh Fella." While the couple have stated that most of this story is actually true, Sheamus's comments are the only part of the story that has been officially confirmed. Either way, the couple stated that after the interruption they decided to just go to sleep that night instead. It could be argued that this made them stronger as a couple and they are still going strong five years later so Sheamus was actually just being a good friend and doing them a service.

8 X-Pac's Present On Sable's Last Day

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X-Pac is probably best remembered by WWE fans for his stint as part of D-Generation X and his later relationship with Chyna. While he was part of the WWE he found it hard to find much success and became known as quite a prankster backstage. One of the biggest and strangest stories that stands out from X-Pac was the time that he reportedly left something foul smelling in a cup and put it in Sable's handbag on her final day with the company for her to then find after a lengthy flight home.

This definitely sounds like the kind of prank that Sean Waltman would find amusing and if you add to this the fact that Sable wasn't well liked in WWE when she did leave it does make sense. Many reports suggest that this was because she thought that she was the reason that WWE's ratings had become much better than WCW's and she didn't mind telling anyone that would listen. Sable was definitely disliked and there are a number of other stories about WWE stars getting some sort of revenge on the former Women's Champion at that time, so it's easy to believe that this story is true. Gross, but true.

7 Dean Ambrose And The Bear Costume

Dean Ambrose has never claimed that he's a sane guy and there are a number of backstage stories that seem to prove that he definitely wasn't when he was working on the Independent Circuit. Ambrose became well known for his partying while he was portraying Jon Moxley in promotions like CZW and one night they found the star passed out in a bear costume with whiskers drawn on his face.

Ambrose was obviously out of it at that time but had been able to cut and incredible promo and then passed out but was unaware that there was a camcorder on the table at the time and when his fellow wrestlers returned a few hours later there was footage of Ambrose and an unnamed female wrestler while he was still wearing the costume. Ambrose was later forced to wear a bear costume on WWE TV which is thought to have been the creative team ribbing the former World Champion for his antics in his past. This is a tame story compared to many of the rumours about Ambrose on the Indies so it's easy to believe that it's true, especially since the bear costume was the strangest addition to the WWE storyline without an actual reason, so at least this clears that up.

6 Fabulous Moolah's Antics

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Even though The Fabulous Moolah has now passed away, the things that the former Women's Champion did to the business throughout her stint are still as relevant as ever especially since WWE continue to ignore the reality of many of her actions.

What is known for a fact is that Moolah dominated the Women's Wrestling business for decades and is the longest reigning Women's Champion in the history of the sport because of this, but the details and reasons why become much more speculative. Moolah had her own training school as well where she was able to keep an eye on competition and ensure that she controlled all of the women that she thought could be seen as bigger stars than her. She also sent many women to wrestling promoters and told them to expect to exchange more than money for the chance to perform. Many women of that time have confirmed that this was the way that the Women's division worked at that time. Her name was recently the subject of major controversy when the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal was named after Moolah, but fan outcry had the WWE change the name at the last minute.

5 Shawn Michaels And The Undertaker

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Shawn Michaels is a name that is now commonly used in the list of some of the greatest wrestlers of all time, but it was only after he "found God" and returned a new man that his wrestling ability was truly able to take center stage. During Michaels' first stint with the company throughout the 1990s he was well-known for his politics and the fact that he would go to Vince McMahon and get something changed if he didn't like the idea of it.

This obviously didn't go down too well with many other stars backstage and reached a point in March 1998 when Undertaker decided to step in. Michaels was due to drop the World Championship to Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Deadman wanted to make sure that he would do the right thing and not resort to any underhanded tactics. It was reported that The Undertaker approached Michaels backstage and reached the point where he actually threatened physical violence on the Champion if he didn't do what was expected of him on the Grandest Stage Of Them All. Needless to say, Michaels dropped the title to Austin without any issues and this has become one of the best-known stories from that era because it's highly likely that it would have taken someone like Undertaker to make Michaels see sense at that point.

4 Jake Roberts

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Jake Roberts is a WWE Hall of Famer and one of the most respected former wrestlers in the business, but even Roberts has been the subject of backstage stories in recent years which include the time when the legend had an unsavoury interaction with a fan.

It is reported that Roberts was another WWE star who attracted a number of wrestlers at the end of shows who were only too happy to follow him back to his hotel room and being who he was he decided to take advantage of this. Roberts and the fan encountered each other, but it ended with the fan throwing up on the wrestling legend. That definitely is not an interaction he will forget any time soon, and with good reason considering how strange it is to have this happen to someone. This is probably a story that Roberts once shared with fellow wrestlers, hoping that it wouldn't go any further because it's quite embarrassing. Many wrestlers did some unacceptable things with fans in the 1990s and it's easy to see Roberts falling into that category as well especially given his history with his personal demons as seen in the documentary that was recently made about his recovery.

3 The Fall Out From The Montreal Screwjob

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Survivor Series 1997 will always be remembered as one of the most controversial moments in the history of WWE. When Shawn Michaels locked Bret Hart in the Sharpshooter and the referee called for the bell even though he didn't tap, it was obvious that there was something more than entertainment going on in that ring. Hart was heading over to WCW and McMahon couldn't risk him taking the title with him and he couldn't force him to drop it either, so he was forced to reduce himself to underhanded tactics in order to ensure that the title stayed in WWE.

Hart was obviously furious and was seen spitting Vince McMahon after the match but the former Champion himself later explained in an interview that the story didn't end when he headed backstage. McMahon decided to approach Hart in the locker room which was a huge mistake since he stated: "He wanted to back me down in front of everybody in the dressing room and show that he was the boss and save face, but he put himself in that situation and I knocked him out." McMahon's black eye a few days later definitely confirms that Hart left his mark on the boss that night as well as the history of the company ever since.

2 JBL's Backstage Antics

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JBL is perhaps one of the best heels that WWE has ever created, but the man himself had no idea how to switch this off when he was out of the ring. It became well-known that JBL was the head of the hazing committee backstage when new wrestlers came into the company and a number of wrestlers have come forward and told their stories about JBL over the past few years, which proves that this one is definitely true.

One of the strangest sides of this story is when JBL reportedly approached a number of stars while they were in the shower, something that Edge revealed he was the victim of when he first signed with the company. The stories go from the usual hazing of newbies to the point where JBL was actually accused of much more serious acts against a wrestler and taking it too far with many rookies and they ended up walking away from the company. It's unknown how much of this is true, there are a number of wrestlers who have stated that JBL hazed them, but the worse stories about the former WWE Champion haven't been backed up by any former stars which means that they lack any real merit. JBL was definitely a bully but it's unknown how far he actually went.

1 Joey Styles Finally KO's JBL

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Joey Styles left a lasting impression on the wrestling business from behind the commentary desk following his tenure, but even though he had some memorable moments as an announcer he is perhaps best remembered as the man who finally put JBL in his place.As previously noted, JBL was a bully backstage and he made sure that he picked the people who he thought were the weakest and Styles matched this criteria. The bullying went on for months until it seems that Styles had enough when JBL spilled his drink on his during a tour of Iraq back in 2008.

The commentator responded by punching JBL in the face and knocking him clean out, the man who had cast such a shadow in the locker room for more than a decade ahead of this found it hard to continue his bullying ways after he had been owned by the mild-mannered Styles. This didn't stop JBL from continuing his ways, but it did stop him from attempting to bully Styles in the future. This story has been reported by a number of sources since it was huge news that JBL finally got what was coming to him more than a decade ago.