10 shocking Moments from WWF (WWE) 1996

#6 WWF make reference to the OJ Simpson car chase at Wrestlemania

Look familiar?

Wrestlemania XII is often seen as an impressive show that was ultimately about the main event. And while the WWF Championship match between Shawn and Bret was certainly iconic, this evaluation does do the show a bit of a disservice.

Not only did we see the return of The Ultimate Warrior, and a more than impressive bout between The Undertaker and Diesel, fans were also treated to the bizarre but instantly memorable Hollywood Backlot Brawl between the returning Roddy Piper and Goldust.

These were the early days of Goldust's career where he would use sexual ambiguity to throw opponents off their game. Certain WWF superstars later went on to admit that working with Dustin Rennels made them very uncomfortable, with many refusing to enter into a feud with him in the first place. Piper came back to the WWF promising to 'make a man' out of Goldust.

In many ways, this match was a precursor to some of the action we would later get in the Attitude Era. The two men were throwing each other around the backstage car park, beating themselves with pipes and other bespoke weapons, and at one point Piper was even run over by Goldust's car.

Perhaps the most controversial moment of the match came when Goldust fled the scene in a white Ford Broncho SUV. Piper gave chase and the match suddenly cut to an overhead camera displaying footage very similar to the infamous OJ Simpson car chase during what proved to be the 'trial of the century'.

This risky move by the WWF reminded us that Vince could still make his product culturally relevant when he wanted. Again, it was an early indication that McMahon would soon be embracing more controversial content in an attempt to win back fans. For anyone who still loves Attitude Era WWF, this match can be seen as an early beginning to it.