WWE allegedly fired tag team after they attacked Shawn Michaels backstage, legend recalls
Shawn Michaels was one of WWE's biggest names in the 1990s. WWE Hall of Famer John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) recently recalled how The Harris Brothers allegedly lost their jobs after a real-life altercation with The Heartbreak Kid.
Don and Ron Harris were known as The Blu Brothers when Dutch Mantell managed them in WWE in 1995. They also worked for the company between 1996 and 1999, initially as The Grimm Twins before being repackaged as Disciples of Apocalypse members.
On Something to Wrestle, JBL said The Harris Brothers attacked Michaels backstage in 1995 after taking exception to a comment he made:
"I wasn't there and I don't know exactly what happened. They pulled him into a room and I don't know if they completely choked him out, but I think they roughed him up a little bit, is my understanding. They pulled him in there because there was something that Shawn had said that they took, I think, wrong. I don't know that for sure." [1:23 – 1:39]
JBL also gave Michaels credit for having the guts to stand up to two six-foot-five wrestlers backstage with nobody around to support him.
JBL on Dutch Mantell's reaction to the Shawn Michaels incident
At the time, Dutch Mantell performed as the Uncle Zebekiah on-screen character. His alliance with The Harris Brothers ended shortly after they confronted Shawn Michaels.
JBL added that Mantell questioned the tag team's logic in attacking one of the company's marquee attractions:
"Whatever happened, I believe that's what made their exit out of WWE. Dutch was explaining to me. He goes, 'Guys, when you go to the Chicago Bulls, you don't fight Michael Jordan. You fight somebody else. You guys just got me and everybody else fired.' So Dutch was kind of in a bind because The Harris Boys had this problem with Shawn in Madison Square Garden and they got, from what I understand, I believe got released, or at least Dutch got removed from them." [1:50 – 2:19]
Mantell also left WWE in 1996 after managing JBL, then known as Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw. He returned for another run with the company as Zeb Colter between 2013 and 2016.
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Please credit Something to Wrestle and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
