Shawn Michaels vs Harris Brothers
Date: October 5, 1995
Location: Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, NY
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Sportster
This occurred just days before the Syracuse incident, at an afternoon charity show at MSG. Ron and Don Harris were known as the Bruise Brothers in ECW, but were called the Blu Brothers in WWF at the time. Their last day with WWF was on October 9, so they figured they could get away with this with little disciplinary action taken against them.
At the show, the brothers entered (one report said they broke into) Shawn’s dressing room and Don put a chair against the door to prevent anyone from coming in. The Wrestling Observer stated it was Ron who grabbed Michaels by the throat and held him against the wall, but we’ve seen other reports that said it was Don who did it. There was no further physical punishment beyond that, other than Michaels having “a scare thrown into him, but wasn’t roughed up or hurt to the point he missed any dates.”
There’s nothing conclusive regarding the reason for the confrontation. One report said it was because of some pranks Shawn pulled on them at the time, while the Observer stated, “There are various reports as to the whys of this incident basically stemming from personal disagreements.”
Kevin Nash, who was friends with the Harris brothers, said they told him about it in the shower area after it happened. Nash was a close friend with Shawn, and in some ways his bodyguard in real life. The brothers had respect for Nash and knew of his friendship with him, which is why they told him about it honestly. Nash respected them as well, and said he understood why they did it after hearing their reasons (which Nash did not disclose in the shoot interview).
One report said Shawn was crying after the incident, but that isn’t confirmed. Shawn was not popular in the locker room during this time period. Many wrestlers wanted to rough him up, but didn’t because of Shawn’s status and power within the company, and also because Nash was considered a tough guy who always had his back. The Harris brothers got away with it because of their friendship with Nash (who wasn’t there when it happened), and more importantly, because they were on their way out of the company anyway. As expected, no disciplinary action was taken against them, other than they haven’t been back in the company since and probably never will be. The brothers have been associated with TNA for years, both inside and outside the ring.
