10 Behind-The-Scenes Secrets From WWE's Attitude Era You Need To Know

As far as backstage stories go, the WWE's Attitude Era is the gift that keeps on giving. As colorful as the characters and storylines were in this period of TV-14 programming, the behind-the-scenes secrets and anecdotes were riveting as well.

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These secrets include backstage chatter, tempers at boiling point, and even the wrath of Mother Nature. As these stories come to light long after the Attitude Era ended, fans get to explore a different side of their favorite WWE Superstars.

10 The Undertaker Was Ready To Beat Up Shawn Michaels If Things Went Awry At WrestleMania 14

HBK Wasn't Aware That A Beatdown Might Have Been Forthcoming

Leading Up To WrestleMania 14, Shawn Michaels Had A Strong Reputation For Having A Brash, Stubborn Personality
Undertaker, Meanwhile, Was One Of The Most Highly Respected Veterans In The Locker Room
For The Longest Time, HBK Had Denied Ever Seeing 'Taker With Taped Fists Prior To His Main Event Match Against Steve Austin

Right as the Attitude Era was getting off the ground, Shawn Michaels was reaching peak form in terms of being a backstage hell-raiser. Fully aware of HBK's reputation, Undertaker—a locker room leader—decided to take preemptive action on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Before the bell rang for Michaels' WWE Title defense against Steve Austin at WrestleMania 14, 'Taker sat at Gorilla position, his hands taped and ready to let loose. In the event that the mercurial Michaels refused to put over Austin, 'Taker would serve justice the old-fashioned way. "My intention was to make sure one way or another [that] business was done that night," the Dead Man told The New York Post in November 2020.

9 The Hardy Boyz Once Went Shopping With Michael Hayes

That Must Have Been A Sight To Behold

Michael Hayes Knows A Thing Or Two About Championship Gold, Having Captured Plenty Of It As Part Of The Fabulous Freebirds
In 1999, The Hardy Boyz Were Just Starting To Make Waves In The WWE's Tag Team Division
Aside From Hayes, The Hardys Have Also Been Affiliated With Gangrel, Terri Runnels, And Lita

Before redefining the ladder match with two other legendary tag teams, The Hardy Boyz went through a number of managers and sidekicks. One of these was Michael "P.S." Hayes, a member of the iconic Fabulous Freebirds. Though Hayes and the Hardys were wrestling generations apart, they forged a strong bond inside and outside the squared circle.

As narrated by Matt Hardy on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, he and his brother Jeff once went shopping for clothes with their manager. While Hayes had some other attire in mind for the duo, Matt and Jeff ended up buying their iconic tight-fitting shirts and dark jeans.

8 Edge Drove Through A Hurricane To Get To No Mercy 1999

His Match That Night Was A Make-Or-Break Deal

The Night Before No Mercy 1999, A Hurricane Nearly Prevented Edge From Getting To Cleveland, Where The PPV Would Be Held
Edge Decided To Drive From Miami To The Airport In Tampa, Putting Himself In Harm's Way As The Hurricane Hammered Florida
Somehow, Edge Made It To Cleveland In Time For The PPV

At No Mercy 1999, which emanated from the city of Cleveland, The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian got the wrestling world buzzing with their hellacious ladder match. That match, though, might never have happened if it weren't for Edge's gutsy driving.

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In a commemorative 2021 post on Instagram, The Rated R Superstar recounted the reason he missed his call time for the PPV. "I was living in the Bahamas(don't ask), and got stuck in Miami the night before the ppv because of a hurricane," Edge wrote. "I woke up and realized I needed to drive through the hurricane [to the airport in Tampa]...When I got to the arena, I raced in a sweaty, stressed mess and found Jay, Matt, and Jeff huddled in [a] hallway."

7 The Public Enemy Tried To Change The Finish To A Match As Their Entrance Music Played

Their Opponents Were Not Thrilled At All

In The Attitude Era, Vince McMahon Had The Final Say On All Televised Match Finishes
Bizarrely, The Public Enemy Wanted To Change The Finish Of Their Match Moments Before The Bell Rang
Their Opponents, Bradshaw And Faarooq Of The APA, Saw This As A Serious Affront

When Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge—collectively known as The Public Enemy—came over from ECW to WWE in 1999, they didn't exactly make a great first impression. "Nobody liked them," JBL told Corey Graves on an episode of After the Bell. "I remember Undertaker looking at them, and when he walked, he goes, 'That's lunch, boys.'"

The team of JBL (then known as Bradshaw) and Faarooq quickly found themselves at odds with The Public Enemy. As the story goes, the two teams were slated to have a tables match on the March 7, 1999 episode of Heat. Right as their entrance music played, The Public Enemy approached the APA and told them that they refused to do the booked finish, which had the former ECW duo losing the match. Ticked off by Rock and Grunge's refusal to do business, JBL and Faarooq proceeded to beat them down mercilessly in the ring. To the surprise of no one in the locker room, Rock and Grunge were released by WWE just weeks later.

6 The Dudley Boyz Drew A Curtain Sellout During A Match They Had With The APA

Bubba Ray and D-Von Earned Their Stripes In This One

Prior To Their WWE Debut, The Dudley Boyz Met With WWE Executives Like Vince McMahon And Jim Ross
J.R. Made It A Point To Tell The Dudleys That They Were Walking Into A Team-Oriented Environment
The Dudleys Kept Their Noses Clean, But They Would Have To Pass A Daunting Test In The Ring

Five months after Bradshaw and Faarooq infamously humbled The Public Enemy, another ECW tag team walked into the WWE locker room. Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley were on their best behavior as they joined the big leagues, but still, they found themselves booked in a match with two WWE enforcers.

The Dudleys knew that the match with the APA was going to be a test of their character, and they did their best to earn Bradshaw and Faaroq's respect in that highly physical encounter. Curious about how the newcomers would fare against the APA, the WWE roster gathered around backstage to watch the match—making the Dudleys vs. APA encounter a "curtain sellout." Bubba Ray recalled seeing his peers on an episode of The Broken Skull Sessions. "As soon as they yelled cut, me and D-Von got up, shook their hands, hugged them, said thank you. And there were all the boys in the background...that's when I realized, you know, what was going on."

5 Chris Jericho Rubbed The Locker Room The Wrong Way After His Second Televised Appearance

The Target Of His Promo Was A Well-Respected Veteran, To Say The Least

Pictures of Chris Jericho and The Undertaker

After Years Of Frustration In WCW, Jericho Signed With WWE In 1999
Jericho, However, Didn't Have A Bunch Of Friends Waiting For Him In His New Company
In Addition, Jericho Attests That His Personality Isn't Hard-Wired To Please Others

When Chris Jericho jumped ship from WCW to WWE in 1999, he had a hard enough time adjusting to his new company, given that he barely knew anyone on the roster. Y2J, however, ended up making things tougher for himself in just his second televised appearance.

On the August 16, 1999 episode of Raw, Jericho interrupted an Undertaker promo in the ring. Among many other insults that he hurled at The Dead Man, Jericho called 'Taker "the personification of boredom." This line drew the ire of many wrestlers in the back. "I remember like Shawn Michaels was around and Austin too, and they said, 'For future reference, you might not want to call the biggest name in the company boring next time," he recalled on a 2018 episode of Talk is Jericho.

4 The Undertaker Believed That The Deadman Persona Wouldn't Fit In The New Era

He Turned Out To Be 100% Correct On This One

The Undertaker Debuted At Survivor Series 1990
Outside A Few Tweaks Here And There, He Kept The Deadman Persona Going Till 1999
'Taker, However, Was Well Aware That This Gimmick Wasn't A Perfect Fit For The Attitude Era

For a decade, Mark Calaway had wholeheartedly committed to the ghoulish, supernatural persona of The Undertaker. But, as the company shifted to edgier programming, Calaway had his misgivings about the Deadman fitting in the new surroundings.

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"If I started feeling stale, my audience is probably feeling it before me," Calaway told Steve Austin on an episode of The Broken Skull Sessions. "The character, I don't think [it] would've lasted through the Attitude Era." With these thoughts on his head, Calaway debuted the American Badass gimmick—a gimmick that echoed his real-life passion for motorcycles—at Judgment Day 2000.

3 Triple H Sought Out The Undertaker For Love Advice

The Advice Worked Out Really Well For The Game

Prior To His Romantic Ties With Stephanie McMahon, Triple H Had Been In A Relationship With Chyna
When Vince McMahon Learned That Stephanie Was Seeing Triple H, He Initially Gave His Blessing
Vince Would Later Change His Mind And Tell The Two Lovebirds That Their Relationship Cannot Be Allowed To Happen

When Triple H started dating Stephanie McMahon in the midst of the Attitude Era, many eyebrows were raised at the romantic affair between a wrestler and the boss's daughter. Vince McMahon himself was a voice of dissent, even if he had initially given the relationship his blessing. At the very least, Triple H had a huge backer on his side.

"When Steph and I got together...the guy I talked to about it was 'Taker," recounted Triple H on the WWE-produced documentary The Last Ride. "He was one of the most supportive guys of it. He was like, 'Screw everybody and their opinions.'"

2 Jerry Lawler Walked Out After His Wife Was Fired

His Place At The Commentary Booth Was Taken By A Certain Wiseman

Jerry Lawler First Met Stacy Carter In 1989
11 Years Later, In September 2000, The Two Got Married
Lawler And Carter Got Divorced In October 2003

Throughout the New Generation Era and the Attitude Era, Jerry Lawler entertained the WWE fanbase through his witty one-liners and constant prodding of fellow commentators. By all accounts, Lawler was going to call WrestleMania 17 alongside his long-time partner Jim Ross. But it was not meant to be.

In March 2001, Lawler walked out of the company that he'd called home for the better part of a decade. Why? Because WWE had fired his wife, Stacy "The Kat" Carter. In Lawler's eyes, this abrupt move was without justifiable cause. While the King spent time away from the WWE, Paul Heyman—who was only months removed from seeing the demise of his brainchild ECW—sat next to J.R. at the commentary table.

1 Triple H And Shawn Michaels Had A Backstage Spat Over HBK's Drug Problems

It Happened On A Particularly Important Episode Of Raw

Shawn Michaels And Triple H Had Been Friends Since 1995
After Their Backstage Spat In 2001, They Would Not Speak To Each Other For Months
This Cold Period In Their Friendship Coincides With Triple H's Recuperation From His Career-Threatening Quad Injury

On March 26, 2001, Mr. McMahon would officially declare victory over his fallen foe WCW. He'd be interrupted by his son, who would reveal that the signature on the purchase paperwork read Shane McMahon, not Vince. The Vince vs. Shane feud lit up this momentous episode of Raw, but behind the scenes, sparks were flying as well.

Shawn Michaels, who hadn't competed in a WWE ring since 1998, had paid a visit backstage. HBK, however, was struggling with substance abuse at the time—and his best buddy Triple H took notice. Hunter tried to talk to Shawn about this problem, but instead of a sensible conversation between two adults, the two friends went at it in full view of other WWE superstars. It would take almost a year for Michaels—who had turned his life around by then with his faith and family—to mend fences with The Game.