5 Alleged real-life backstage incidents that left the WWE/AEW locker room divided

WWE and AEW are two of the most notable promotions in professional wrestling, the two companies both put on superb matches, and leave their respective fan bases in awe. However, behind the in-ring action, real-life backstage conflicts have occasionally sprung up, usually resulting in the locker rooms being divided.

These alleged altercations among talents often stemmed from creative disputes, unprofessional behavior, or personal issues between wrestlers. The locker rooms are usually left at odds, and the talents involved receive corrective measures if the incident has been proven to be factual.

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#5. Jade Cargill-Shayna Baszler

Jade Cargill and Shayna Baszler during Clash at the Castle in 2024. (Image credits: wwe.com)

It was recently revealed that prior to Jade Cargill’s injury hiatus in 2024, there was some backstage heat between Cargill and fellow WWE Superstar Shayna Baszler.

This supposedly came during their Triple Threat Tag Team Match at Clash at the Castle, where there was a spot during their match where Cargill was seen tapping out and later blamed Baszler and stated that The Queen of Spades needs to “learn how to work.”

The comments did not sit well with Baszler and she fired back, escalating the situation. Luckily, the WWE management intervened before total chaos ensued.

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#4. WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart

The altercation between the two stars took place in 1997, months prior to the infamous Montreal Screwjob.

In a heated argument, Hart accused Michaels of disrespecting him on live TV. This verbal exchange turned physical; there was one point during the skirmish where The Hart Foundation spearhead managed to grab a clump of The Heartbreak Kid’s hair.

What happened between them deepened the rift even more, as this has without a doubt paved the way to the chaos that transpired at Survivor Series that year.

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#3. CM Punk-The Elite after AEW’s All Out

CM Punk (Image credits: wwe.com)

Back when he was still with AEW, CM Punk’s relationship with the promotion turned sour after his match at the All Out pay-per-view.

He used the PPV’s media scrum to reveal his grievances towards several talents and executives of the promotion.

Some of the folks Punk was referring to (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) were so livid that they rushed to him after the media scrum and began trading blows with The Second City Saint and his friend Ace Steel.

The parties involved were later suspended by the promotion, not to mention stripped of the championship titles they were holding at the time.

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#2. Randy Orton-Machine Gun Kelly

Randy Orton and rapper Machine Gun Kelly also had a backstage incident during last year’s SummerSlam. The rapper revealed it during Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, where he claimed that the WWE Superstar badmouthed him.

In response, The Viper took to social media, denying the allegations and suggesting that the rapper made it all up. MGK insisted that the cameras captured the moment, and he went on to dare the promotion to release the video.

The company would respond to the allegation, stating that they were unaware of it until the aforementioned podcast.

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#1. Jack Perry-CM Punk

It began when AEW star Jack Perry insisted on using real glass during his pre-show match at All In London in 2023.

The material was used in a car spot during his match against Hook, where he also taunted Punk about it, stating that it was the real deal, before saying, “cry me a river.” Punk opposed the usage of it, and by the time The Scapegoat’s match was over, things got heated between them backstage which resulted in Punk briefly choking Perry.

After the promotion’s investigation, they terminated Punk’s contract and indefinitely suspended Perry.