Bret Hart – The Kliq Killed Wrestling With MSG Curtain Call
In 2024, kayfabe is a fluid entity in professional wrestling, with many wrestlers acting out of character out of the ring and on social media. In 1996 though, kayfabe was strictly maintained, until a quartet of wrestlers decided to ‘kill’ professional wrestling in the eyes of Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart’
The Curtain Call – What Happened?
On May 19, 1996, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall wrestled their final WWF matches before leaving for WCW with Hall beating Triple H while Nash lost to Shawn Michaels. After the latter match, the four friends embraced and posed in the ring, despite Nash and Triple H being heels while Michaels and Hall were faces. The incident was dubbed ‘The Curtain Call’ as it pulled back the curtain to fans, shattering kayfabe for the live crowd in MSG.
Appearing on Netflix’s Mr. McMahon docuseries, Hart makes his views clear on the actions of The Kliq, who he believes changed the perception of wrestling on that night in New York.
“They killed wrestling that day. That was when wrestling wasn’t real anymore. We’d pulled the curtain back and said, ‘This is how it works.’ That was the unveiling of the new direction that wrestling would be. It’s not wrestling anymore. It’s entertainment.”
Hart’s feelings on The Kliq are similar to those of McMahon, who opted not to punish Michaels, the newly-crowned WWF Champion at the time. In the docuseries, Hart recalls attacking McMahon after the Montreal Screwjob and makes his current feelings on the former WWE Chairman crystal clear.
“[Punching McMahon was] Probably the best thing I ever did and he deserved every bit of that.”
Netflix’s Mr. McMahon has proven to be a captivating watch and offers insight from those who know the controversial billionaire best.
