In the storied and often contentious history of professional wrestling’s backstage politics, few groups have cast as long a shadow as The Kliq. For decades, the inner circle comprising Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Triple H has been synonymous with an era of unprecedented influence over the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) roster during the mid-1990s.
However, a recent revelation from Triple H provides a nuanced counter-narrative to the image of the group as purely self-serving. During a conversation on the What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast with Cody Rhodes, Triple H reveals The Kliq unanimously voted to keep Bam Bam Bigelow on the WWF roster, despite the fact that Bigelow openly despised the group.
The story centers on a pivotal meeting in Indianapolis, where Vince McMahon, the then-owner of the WWF, sought input from his top talent on who should remain with the company and who should be released. At the time, Triple H was still relatively new to the organization and felt unqualified to influence such high-stakes decisions, but he recalls the moment Bigelow’s name surfaced on the list of potential cuts.
Despite the palpable tension between Bigelow and The Kliq, the group’s recommendation was based on a singular metric: professional quality. When McMahon noted that Bigelow hated the group, the members of The Kliq remained unmoved, arguing that his talent outweighed any personal friction.
“We’re like, he’s f–king really good. Yeah, but he hates you guys. So what? Like, he’s good,” Triple H recalled. “It’s not about you don’t like us… It’s like, he’s f–king really good, so he should be here.”
The roots of the friction: Old school vs. New school
While The Kliq may have respected Bigelow’s work in the ring, the feeling was not mutual. Bam Bam Bigelow, a powerhouse athlete who main evented WrestleMania XI against NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, viewed the group’s behavior as a violation of the industry’s traditional codes of conduct.
In a widely circulated shoot interview with Title Match Wrestling, Bigelow detailed his frustration with the group’s perceived abuse of power. He attributed much of the friction to his friendship with Chris Candido, another wrestler who had clashed with Shawn Michaels and the rest of the circle. Bigelow described himself as “old school,” believing that there were certain unwritten rules of the locker room that The Kliq ignored.
Bigelow believed that the group attempted to “bury” him by influencing management, suggesting to Vince McMahon that Bigelow had a bad attitude that damaged locker room morale. This dynamic created a shark-tank environment where those outside the inner circle often felt marginalized.
The tension eventually reached a breaking point. Bigelow recounted attempting to address the situation directly with McMahon, only to be met with a denial of the group’s existence. “Vince said, no, there’s no Kliq,” Bigelow stated, noting that this refusal to acknowledge the political reality made his departure inevitable.
A complicated legacy of respect and rivalry
The relationship between the two parties was marked by a strange paradox. While Bigelow felt persecuted by the group, Scott Hall later admitted in his own Title Match Wrestling interview that the environment they fostered was indeed “vicious.” Hall acknowledged that Chris Candido, in particular, was treated poorly, though he attributed some of that to the “conditions” of the era and the poor gimmicks assigned to certain talent.
Perhaps the most striking irony of the rivalry is the origin of the group’s name. According to Scott Hall, it was actually Bam Bam Bigelow who coined the term “The Kliq.” This detail suggests a level of familiarity and observation from Bigelow toward the group that existed even amidst the hostility.
The professional fallout led Bigelow to leave the WWF in November 1995, shortly after a loss to Goldust at the 1995 Survivor Series. He subsequently transitioned to Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he experienced a career resurgence, winning the ECW World Heavyweight Championship and forming “The Triple Threat” with Shane Douglas and Chris Candido.
Timeline of Bam Bam Bigelow’s Transition
| Date | Event/Milestone | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| April 1995 | Main evented WrestleMania XI vs. Lawrence Taylor | WWF |
| November 19, 1995 | Final WWF match (Loss to Goldust) | WWF |
| Late 1995/1996 | Joined ECW; formed The Triple Threat | ECW |
| 1997 | Won ECW World Heavyweight Championship | ECW |
| January 19, 2007 | Passed away at age 45 | N/A |
The impact of locker room politics
The story shared by Triple H highlights the complex intersection of personal animosity and professional respect in high-pressure environments. For Bigelow, the “Kliq” represented a shift in the industry toward a more political, less traditional structure. For the members of The Kliq, the ability to separate a colleague’s personality from their talent was a point of professional pride.
This dynamic reflects a broader theme in professional wrestling history: the struggle between the “old guard” and the “new school.” While Bigelow believed the group was attempting to sabotage his career, Triple H’s account suggests that the group viewed him as an indispensable asset to the product, regardless of whether they liked him personally.
Bigelow’s legacy remains that of one of the most agile “sizeable men” to ever enter the ring, a performer whose skill was undeniable even to his most vocal critics. His ability to command a crowd and execute high-flying maneuvers at his size set a blueprint for future generations of heavyweight wrestlers.
As the industry continues to archive and analyze the “Attitude Era” and the years leading up to it, stories like the Indianapolis meeting serve as reminders that the truth of backstage politics is rarely binary. The rivalry between Bam Bam Bigelow and The Kliq was not just a clash of egos, but a collision of different philosophies on how the business should be run.
You’ll see currently no further scheduled interviews or public disclosures regarding this specific meeting, but the ongoing trend of “shoot interviews” and podcasts continues to peel back the layers of the WWF’s most secretive era.
Do you think professional respect should always outweigh personal conflict in the workplace? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
