In perhaps the most famous account of wrestlers breaking an unwritten rule, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, and Razor Ramon broke kayfabe for good in what has become known as the “Curtain Call.” The incident saw the men, close friends backstage known as “The Kliq,” hug in the middle of the ring following a match at Madison Square Garden in May 1996, completely breaking character while doing so. Diesel and Razor, the real-life Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, were about to leave the company for its main competitor, WCW, and were saying goodbye to their friends.

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The incident happened at a WWE live event at MSG. Nash wrestled Michaels, who was then WWE Champion, in the main event. Hall wrestled Triple H, who was still portraying his “Blue Blood” character at the time. Fans weren’t surprised to see Hall hug Michaels, two babyfaces, after the match, but when heels Nash and Triple H joined in before the four men turned to the crowd, fans were shocked. The incident was also captured by a fan in attendance. Vince McMahon and WWE brass were outraged, as character dynamics between faces and heels, both in and out of the ring, remained sacrosanct at that point. 

It was Triple H who suffered the brunt of the punishment for the Curtain Call, with Nash and Hall out of the company and Michaels reigning as WWE’s top star. He was set to win that year’s King of the Ring tournament, but instead suffered multiple losses to mid-tier talent. The Curtain Call could be considered one of the first incidents in WWE history that publicly broke an unwritten rule.

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