The Clique

The Clique

 

What is the "Kliq" ?

The "Kliq" (pronounced "click") is Shawn Michaels' term for his own fans. If you are a Shawn Michaels fan, you are part of his "Kliq". The "Kliq" was also the name of Shawn's post DX group in the WWF, which included himself, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna, and their "Ravishing" Rick Rude.

Where does the differently spelled "Clique" fit in ?

The Clique (pronounced "click") is a name given by various sheet writers and hotline guys to a group of wrestlers in the WWF who it was said had the most pull-the biggest voice-in booking decisions with Vince McMahon. The Clique is said to have been comprised of the following:

What is a "clique" in general?

A "clique" is defined in the Webster's New World Dictionary as:

* clique (klek) n. [Fr. { cliquer, make a noise] a small, exclusive circle of people; coterie.

Basically it means a small, select, possibly elite group.

Where did it originate?

It's also speculated to be a shot at the above mentioned sheet writers and hotline guys. It's said that everyone accused of being in the WWF Clique despised the term (especially since they were labeled with it-they didn't make it up and apply it to themselves). They even denied having the power they were accused of having. (It is curious to note though, that at the time the term surfaced, Diesel was WWF champion, and since then Michaels has won the belt, Ramon held the Intercontinental title more than once, and all of them have been included in significant angles. Helmsley went on to win the Intercontinental Title as well, while Shawn won the European Title). In light of this, it's speculated that Michaels "borrowed" the term to cheese off the so called "insiders."

The "Clique" essentially ceased to exist in 1996. "Kliq" surfaced as a description of his fans. The term "Kliq" i was till used as a referal to Shawn's "faction" in the WWF: he, HHH, Chyna and Rude that of post DX. It is spoken of in such a manner as to refer to the original "Clique", as if the two are the same thing and the "Clique" never ended (which it really won't, so long as Shawn, HHH, Hall, Nash and Waltman remain close friends).

What, is the Madison Square Garden (MSG) "Incident" ?

In May of 1996, just prior to Hall and Nash leaving the WWF, they-along with Michaels and Helmsley-competed at a "house show" (untelevised card) at Madison Square Garden in New York. Following the main event (a cage match between Michaels and Diesel) the four of them celebrated in the ring-Hall and Nash's "farewell gesture" to the crowd. This was considered a rule that should never be broken in that it "exposed the business" by revealing that "good guys" ("faces") and "bad guys" ("heels") could be friends in real life.

 

The Madison Square Garden Incident

 

So what did this lead to ?

Hall and Nash left the WWF for WCW (where they started the incredibly successful "Outsiders" and subsequent "New World Order" angles: both of which insinuated that the duo was "invading" WCW on behalf of the WWF). Michaels was too popular and had too much pull to be punished. The 1-2-3 Kid didn't take part in the celebration (though he was later released from the WWF, at which time he joined his friends in WCW). This left Helmsley to absorb the brunt of the punishment (though this is only speculation on the part of wrestling fans). Helmsley's career took a noticeable nose-dive following the "incident". For the next half year Helmsley lost on a regular basis to the likes of Goldust, Jake "the Snake" Roberts and "Wildman" Marc Mero. He eventually seemed to "get out of the doghouse" and get his career back on track: most notably by aligning himself with Mr. Perfect (Curt Hennig) and winning the Intercontinental Title from Mero. This can still be seen today as it has taken 3 years for HHH to finally achieve the WWF Championship and he contiues to refer to the affect this "punishment" has had on his career hence the expression "Its My Time Now!".

So where does the "NWO" fit into all this ?

The NWO in the begining could be seen as an extendsion of the clique into the WCW. It was created by Nash and Hall the "Outsiders", with the defection of Hulk/Hollywood Hogan and the aid of Eric Bichoff they were able to instill some of the values of the clique into the fans of WCW and take over the company at the same time.

 

What about what I saw on the 10/6/97 RAW is WAR? All that stuff about the "Kliq" and the MSG footage ... that was all a "shoot", right ?

Nope. It was all preplanned by the WWF. Everything Michaels and Helmsley has done in regards to this angle was preplanned and authorized by Vince McMahon ?

But it looked so real ... the tape delaying in playing, the "abrupt" cut to commercial, etc.

That's the whole point: it HAS to look real to fool the "smart" fans.

Why ? What is the point of them doing this?

This all started with a rumor that Shawn Michaels-due to a lengthy, ironclad contract with the WWF-was trying to get fired so that he could go to WCW to join his friends. The WWF is capitalizing on this rumor. How ? By making it seem as if Shawn will do just about anything to get fired. Since the WWF doesn't want to fire him, he'd have to do something pretty outrageous and cross the line, right? Those fans who know this (or think they "know" it) will tune in to RAW, or attend house shows he's at, or buy the pay-per-views he's in-just to see what "outrageous" things he'll do to get fired. To accommodate this, the WWF lets him do stuff that the "smart" fans see as signs of him trying to get fired. This makes them even more enthusiastic about the storyline, and even more likely to tune in to see what Shawn will "do next".

In all likelihood the WWF itself started the "Shawn wanting to get fired" rumor.

Did Shawn really kiss Helmsley ?

Yes. On 9/23/97, which was the taping for the RAW is WAR which aired on 9/29/97, Shawn kissed Helmsley square on the lips. This incident was not aired. It happened several seconds after the events which ended that TV broadcast. To have aired the incident would have actually meant completely re-editing the show so as to have enough time to show it. It's unclear as to whether the WWF "authorized it" or not, but that's a safe assumption. They did not omit it because it was a "shoot". The event served to generate a lot of additional interest in the taped show, as fans tuned in to see the kiss. (Those who had heard about it anyway). It's hard to argue that the Internet fans aware of the kiss made all that much a difference, as they only constitute a very small portion the overall amount of wrestling fans. However, the show DID have an improved TV rating from the previous week, which was a live show from Madison Square Garden. the omission of the kiss served as "proof" that Shawn was trying to get fired, and that the WWF was "covering up" that fact. (Sharp eyed fans may have noticed on the 10/6/97 RAW that Shawn grabbed Helmsley's butt. Was it deliberate ... is Shawn gay ? Hell no he's married!!!

SHAWN MICHAELS