5 greatest unscripted moments in WWE history

It's long since been revealed that WWE's programming is scripted, and they have a team of writers who do their best to bring out storylines to entertain the fans. Almost every single step of the story is planned from start to end, but wrestling is chaotic and things don't always go according to plan.

WWE Superstars are human, after all. They may do everything they possibly can to keep the ship upright, but every once in a while, things just go sideways.

In this list, we'll take a look at five of the greatest unscripted moments in WWE history.

#5. WWE's infamous Montreal Screwjob

Let's begin with one of the most controversial endings in WWE's history – the Montreal Screwjob. Unlike other events in this listicle, this one had something like a script, but it was not relayed to everyone involved in the match.

Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were battling it out for Bret's WWE Championship at Survivor Series in 1997. The champion had already agreed to a lucrative deal with WCW and was making the jump soon, and Vince McMahon was far from happy.

With Bret unwilling to drop the title to Michaels due to real-life issues between the two, the initial plan was to end the match in disqualification. Bret had promised Vince he would lose the title properly before he left for WCW, but Vince was unwilling to risk it.

McMahon concocted another plan instead: the Montreal Screwjob. Michaels knew about it, referee Earl Hebner knew about it, but Bret Hart was blindsided.

What happened next went down in history. With Bret locked in his own Sharpshooter, Hebner called for the bell. Hart hadn't tapped, and both he and the fans in Montreal were left stunned as Michaels escaped the arena with the title. Years later The Heartbreak Kid spoke about the match to ESPN, saying:

"It [was] probably the most uncomfortable day I've ever had in the wrestling business. By the time the day comes, the decision has been made. But no one knows how it's going to get done until Bret and I sit down to start discussing the match - none of this can actually go into play until we do that. And so it was just an uncomfortable day knowing what you know, [how others] assume it's going to happen, and then you having to be the one to orchestrate it all."

Why did Vince McMahon go off the script to get the title off Bret Hart? He simply did not want to risk the Canadian star jumping to WCW with the championship.

Hart buried the hatches with WWE in 2010 and returned to the ring for a few matches, but it's been obvious in the years since that he still feels bitter about it.

#4. CM Punk's Pipebomb Promo

CM Punk is known as one of the best talkers in WWE history, and his infamous promo from June 27, 2011 will likely go down in history as his greatest moment.

Unsurprisingly, the whole promo was unscripted. Vince McMahon permitted him to go out and air his grievances for John Cena and the audience, and Punk did not hold back.

Punk spoke about the "Pipe Bomb" promo a few years later and told SPORT1 Wrestling:

"All of it (came from him personally). I had to make an outline for Vince and I didn't say anything I wrote in the outline, I just know that I needed him to agree and then I went out there and said whatever I wanted. I knew what I wanted to say, I knew I wasn't stepping over the line and I knew nobody was going to be pissed at me. The thing with live television is, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission."

The Pipe Bomb promo is still talked about today, more than a decade later. It was the moment that launched CM Punk into a new stratosphere and put WWE back into mainstream consciousness arguably more than it had been in years.

The frustrations that led to that legendary promo eventually pushed Punk to walk out of the company. He would not wrestle for seven years before making his debut for AEW in 2021.

#3. Shane McMahon bounces off the glass at King of the Ring

Try, try, try again – that is what Kurt Angle and Shane McMahon had to do after a scripted move did not go as planned.

At King of the Ring in 2001, Shane and Angle were involved in a street fight. At one point, the two found themselves on top of the stage, and the plan was to put Shane through the glass panels that were part of the set.

Angle picked Shane up for a belly-to-belly suplex and hurled him at the glass, but Shane bounced right off with a sickening thud.

There had been a mix-up from the production staff, and the glass that was supposed to be gimmicked to break easily turned out to be a much harder version. Shane, who is famous for putting himself through anything to please the fans, wanted to try again.

Kurt Angle was wary, but obliged. However, Shane O'Mac bounced off again, this time landing on his head. Still, he wanted to see it through. On the third attempt, Angle was finally able to put him through the glass as planned.

In the end, the match turned out to be good for both WWE superstars – Kurt walked away looking vicious while Shane was applauded for his toughness and determination to finish.

#2. The Undertaker chokeslams Mick Foley through Hell in a Cell

The Undertaker vs Mankind (Mick Foley) at King of the Ring 1998 will forever be remembered for Foley's flight from the top of the cell. However, another spot from the same match stunned fans, officials, and WWE Superstars alike.

Because while The Undertaker throwing Mankind from the top of the cell was planned, the chokeslam through the roof was not.

At this point in the match, Foley had already flown off the top and crashed through a table on the floor. He'd been stretchered off, but fought his way back, and the two climbed to the top of the foreboding structure once again.

They battled there, trading blows back and forth, until The Deadman lifted Mankind for a chokeslam and a section of the cage gave way under the impact.

The Phenom spoke about the incident on The Bill Simmons Podcast, saying:

“That cell wasn’t supposed to break like that. It was only supposed to give way. I had already had that match with Shawn [Micheals] and Shawn’s half of what Mick weighed. I’m 315 and Mick’s probably 280 and we’re walking on the chain-linked panels and you can hear the wire cling and they’re shooting off. I’m just really fortunate, right before I chokeslammed him, I stepped off the panel on top the poles. If I hadn’t, we could have had a really far worse outcome.”

Despite the unplanned carnage, Foley and Undertaker somehow went on to complete the match, and it made Mankind the hardcore legend he is today.

#1. Vince McMahon tears his quads

A fumbled finish is one of the best ways that WWE can evaluate its stars. How one reacts to the moment is key, and the spotlight was on Batista and John Cena at the 2005 Royal Rumble.

The Animal was supposed to win the battle royal by eliminating the leader of Cenation, but both superstars fell out of the ring at the same time, landing almost perfectly in sync.

WWE officials stood and argued inside the ring for a few minutes before a furious Vince McMahon stormed down from the back. While the unscripted ending saw chaos in the ring, the addition of the Chairman added fuel to the madness.

As soon as he entered the ring, Vince blew both of his quads and toppled over. Unable to stand, he sat against the ropes and screamed at Batista and Cena while the audience gaped. And despite being in immense pain, the WWE Chairman managed to get the Rumble restarted with just the final two participants.

This time, the finish went according to plan, and Vince headed backstage without alerting the fans. Both the botched ending and McMahon's injury are hands-down two of the craziest unscripted moments in WWE history, and amazingly, both happened within a span of minutes.