D-Generation X made history as one of the most influential factions in WWE history. Almost every member of the group benefited immensely from it. Cases in point, Triple H made the lead from a mid-carder to a main eventer thanks to DX, WWE also allowed Shawn Michaels to ditch the failing generic face character for an edgier heel run, and Chyna saw her star power grow as a true attraction in the business.
Even X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws saw their stock rise by having stronger importance in the group highlighting the positive things they were already contributing. There were many fascinating stories about DX and their members at different points in WWE. Find out just what caused their identity behind the scenes to be almost as controversial. The following DX stories are as interesting as they are surprising.
10 Shawn Michaels threw a DX script at Vince McMahon's face
Shawn Michaels was known for doing whatever he wanted and being among the few wrestlers that would openly disrespect Vince McMahon without punishment. One memorable story featured Michaels taking exception to Vince handing a scripted DX promo.
Michaels crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it at McMahon to show just what he thought about being scripted. Part of the DX charm was the unpredictable nature of their segments, so this moment of defiance worked out in the end.
9 USA Network cut DX off during the first hour of RAW episodes
Triple H shared some fascinating details about D-Generation X crossing the line on WWE Network’s specials looking at the past. DX clearly was a cutting edge move for WWE before they started adopting bolder changes for the entire product. So edgy and unprecedented was DX that USA Network reacted poorly to the faction's debut, and made some strict demands.
The first hour of RAW was not to feature any new DX segments that involved them talking or doing crotch chops. DX had to be used in the second hour with fewer children watching the RAW is War portion of the show. The rules didn’t last too long, though, as the ratings' continued increase because of DX changed USA’s stance.
8 Rick Rude hated being a part of DX
Rick Rude was the first person to appear on both RAW and Nitro on the same night as a member of D-Generation X and the New World Order. The episode of RAW was taped as Rude appeared with DX, but he left the company to join WCW the following week for the live episode of Nitro.
Rude bashed Shawn Michaels, DX and WWE during his first WCW return promo. The friendship between Rude and Bret Hart saw him having a disdain for Michaels. Many veterans hated Michaels due to his backstage antics, and Rude wasn't alone in disliking the fact that he had to work with the Heartbreak Kid every now and then, let alone being his teammate.
7 Shane McMahon came up with the name after hearing a Bret promo
WWE didn’t have a name for the faction of Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Chyna during the early weeks of them uniting. While they were brainstorming, Bret Hart called them degenerates in a promo running down their juvenile behavior. This insult would inadvertently lead to the faction's now unforgettable name.
Shane McMahon thought of the name D-Generation X after Hart's promo, and all parties involved loved it. Triple H revealed they were struggling to come up with a name and didn’t want to use “The Kliq” without the other members involved.
6 DX members refused to lose to Owen Hart during his big push
Owen Hart staying with WWE after the Montreal Screwjob came after his demands for a release were turned down. WWE allowed Davey Boy Smith and Jim Neidhart to join Bret Hart in WCW, but they viewed Owen as too valuable to give up from a logical business sense.
In return for staying in the WWE, Vince McMahon offered Owen a noteworthy pay raise and promised a huge push. The end result had Owen attacking DX during his return, thus setting up matches with both Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Unfortunately, backstage politics saw them refusing to lose, leading to Owen’s push disappearing before it could even take hold.
5 Triple H & Shawn Michaels tried to bury The Rock
Bret Hart revealed a huge secret that caused the heat between The Rock and Shawn Michaels to linger for years. Rock and Triple H were viewed as the top two prospects for WWE. This led to Michaels and Triple H trying to bury Rock early in his career with Michaels’ booking influence.
WWE still pushed Rock when he turned heel as part of the Nation of Domination. Hart sharing the stories made it clear why future reports of Rock refusing to work with Michaels came out when Rock was big enough to call his own shots.
4 WWE refused to let Chyna join DX when Stephanie was a member
WWE reunited D-Generation X in 2000 as a heel group with Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and X-Pac protecting Triple H during his WWE Championship reign. Stephanie McMahon and Tori joined the faction as the respective love interests of Triple H and X-Pac.
Chyna was the one person missing from the faction since she was a face character. Rumors circulated that WWE didn’t want any confusion over Triple H’s new romantic storyline with Stephanie. Chyna benefited from being on her own in the short term, but it led to more issues in her personal life.
3 Triple H didn't want to add new members
Triple H has spoken out multiple times about D-Generation X keeping the group small was always pivotal to the success. There were five credible wrestlers at most in any version of the faction, with everyone having a distinct role.
The wrestling industry saw what happened when the New World Order added too many people in its ranks, and Triple H didn't want his stable to follow the other faction's footsteps. Triple H specifically didn’t want to add more members when he was the leader. The group was perfect as it was and anyone else joining would have hurt the momentum.
2 Shawn Michaels didn't want to join the reunion for religious reasons
In the 2000's, there were rumors of Shawn Michaels apparently not wanting to reunite with D-Generation X. At this time, religion became a bigger part of Michaels’ life when he cleaned up his bad habits. As a result, the common belief was that Michaels didn’t want to do crotch chops or say some of the edgier things that defined his famously irreverent team.
WWE worked around this to convince Michaels to reunite with Triple H in 2006. They even joked about Triple H crossing the line behind Michaels’ back and Michaels refusing to get too far into his old ways.
1 All major DX members had an ugly falling out with Triple H
Triple H was the one constant in every version of D-Generation X, but he also had falling outs with everyone at some point. Shawn Michaels and Triple H fell out over Michaels’ personal demons leading to terrible moments when he returned to WWE in the late ‘90s.
The love triangle with Stephanie McMahon saw Triple H and Chyna having an ugly breakup to start his next romance. X-Pac developed heat with Triple H when he dated Chyna after leaving WWE. Even the New Age Outlaws bashed Triple H in shoot interviews after their release. Triple H eventually made peace and reignited a friendship with all of them, aside from Chyna.