Highlights

  • Mr. Perfect was fired and his WWE career ended after his involvement in the chaotic "Plane Ride From Hell" where he fought Brock Lesnar on the plane.
  • Brock Lesnar, despite his involvement in the fight, did not receive any punishment and went on to become the WWE Champion shortly after.
  • Goldust's contract was not renewed by WWE after his drunken behavior on the plane, including singing songs to his ex-wife over the PA system.

Whilst WWE is a company which brings smiles to face all around the globe, there are several dark stories which have emerged over the years which bring some shame to the promotion and to even some of the all-time great legends of the business.

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One of those instances came during what is now infamously known as the “Plane Ride From Hell”. Following a European tour and notably the Insurrextion PPV in 2002, many of those on board the plane got into an awful state through several means including alcohol, resulting in complete madness, featuring many uncomfortable and shocking incidents. In the aftermath of the event, it is intriguing to look at what happened to many of the main culprits and notable people involved.

10 Mr. Perfect Was Fired After The Plane Ride From Hell

Mr. Perfect's WWE Return Was Brief

  • Mr Perfect wrestled on the plane with Brock Lesnar.
  • WWE released Mr. Perfect, ending his WWE career

“Mr Perfect” Curt Hennig had only returned to WWE recently to begin another run, despite being a little older by this point. During the flight, Perfect challenged fellow Minnesota wrestler, Brock Lesnar to a tussle, due to him poking and teasing the Beast Incarnate about who was the superior wrestler.

This led to quite a heated fight in the end, in which the pair had to be separated by several others on the plane, including the likes of Triple H. Perfect was one of the first people released from WWE following the Plane Ride From Hell, getting fired within days. Not long after, he would wrestle a few matches in NWA/TNA.

9 Brock Lesnar Got Away Scott-Free From Punishment

Brock Lesnar Didn't Get Punished For His Involvement

  • Brock Lesnar fought Mr. Perfect on the plane
  • Shortly after, Brock Lesnar became the WWE Champion
  • Lesnar was likely spared due to his age and the company's investment in him.

As previously mentioned, Lesnar became involved in a friendly fight which got out of control alongside Perfect. However, unlike Perfect, Lesnar wasn’t considered to be at fault for what went on during the plane ride.

Lesnar would receive no repercussions for his involvement, despite the pair being said to have nearly crashed through the emergency door on numerous occasions. It wasn’t long until Lesnar would win the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2002, showcasing once and for all that he had no heat.

8 WWE Didn't Renew Goldust's Contract

Goldust's Contract Was Left To Expire

  • Goldust displayed drunken behavior on the plane, singing songs to his ex-wife.
  • WWE publicly stated he wasn't getting re-signed

Goldust’s antics were one of the key points of mayhem when it came to the flight. Due to his intoxicated nature, he would take over the plane’s PA system, professing his love for ex, Terri Runnels and serenading her in drunken song.

He was eventually shut down by Jim Ross. Whilst he wasn’t released immediately, his contract was allowed to expire in 2004 without him getting re-signed to the company, which was publicly announced by WWE themselves.

7 Terri Runnels Was Released Later On After Remaining Silent

Terri Runnels Was One Of The Victims Of Terrible Behaviour From Co-Workers

  • Terri Runnels remained silent on the Plane Ride From Hell
  • She stayed in WWE until her release a year later

As mentioned, Terri Runnels was at the receiving end of an embarrassing situation regarding her ex-husband, Goldust. On her Twitch stream, Runnels also made reference to other inappropriate things which happened on the flight too.

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Runnels would remain with WWE after the event, but stated during her stream that she believed that she would have lost her job had she spoken up about some of the incidents which took place during the flight. She would eventually get released in 2004, though this was during a big firing spree from WWE, and it wasn’t related to the plane situation.

She did credit Paul Heyman in 2021 however for giving good advice on how to handle the situation (H/T Post Wrestling):

"I appreciate Paul E. (Heyman) saying to me that night on the airplane – because he sat right across from me – I appreciate him saying, ‘don’t sell it’ where Dustin was concerned because had I gone back there and tried to play ‘Mama’ to get him to calm down and sit down, that probably wasn’t going to lead to a good place considering the inebriation at the time."

6 Michael Hayes Didn't Recieve Much Backlash

Despite His Antics, Michael Hayes Got Away From Severe Punishment

  • Michael Hayes got busted open by JBL
  • He didn't get fired, unlike many of the other offenders

Due to getting extremely intoxicated, Michael Hayes was one of the worst offenders on the Plane Ride From Hell. In addition to several other inappropriate moments, he notably decided to hit a sleeping JBL in the head, cutting a fresh wound back open. While he thankfully didn't, Sean Waltman claimed in an interview with Sean Oliver on Kayfabe Commentaries that Hayes came close to urinating on Vince McMahon's wife Linda.

After that had settled and Hayes was sleeping, he had his recognizable mullet chopped right off by X-Pac. In the case of Hayes, he continued working with WWE in his backstage roles and has remained there until present day.

5 X-Pac Was Released Two Months Later

X-Pac's Release Could Have Been A Coincidence

Whilst Michael Hayes was asleep, X-Pac decided that due to his prior attack on JBL, Hayes deserved some comeuppance. He managed to get his hands on some scissors, and despite some protests, he chopped Hayes’ mullet off, who wouldn’t realize this had happened until later.

Whilst it likely had nothing to do with these events, it could well have played a role in X-Pac getting his release two months down the line.

4 Jim Ross Was Held Accountable For The Plane Ride From Hell

Jim Ross Was In Charge Of The WWE Superstars

  • Jim Ross didn't get involved, but he was blamed
  • Jim Ross failed to keep control of the chaotic wrestlers, even if there was likely little he could have done.

Serving in a role as Vice-President of Talent Relations at the time, Jim Ross has taken a lot of responsibility on his shoulders for what went on, as he was the person with the most authority during the plane ride.

During the Sports Media podcast, he stated that it was one of his “darker days” in his role. Ross would be the one to make a statement about the event, reprimanding the “childish” antics of those involved. It was he who took the brunt of the fault from a publicity standpoint, even if that wasn’t entirely fair.

3 JBL Wasn't Punished Following The Plane Ride From Hell

Despite His Controversial Past, JBL Did Nothing Wrong On The Ride

Whilst there are plenty of stories regarding JBL that will make many fans either squirm or dislike him, he was actually one of the victims of this awful flight. After a hard-fought match at the Insurrextion PPV, JBL suffered a laceration which was then busted open by Michael Hayes.

In the aftermath, JBL had no heat from the event, and instead began a push as a singles competitor following a breakaway from former partner, Faarooq.

2 Scott Hall Was Fired From WWE Instantly

WWE Let Scott Hall Go The Following Day

  • Scott Hall's action resulted in a lawsuit
  • Hall had to be escorted while unconsciousness through the airport.
  • WWE had no patience for Scott Hall's terrible actions

Scott Hall was said to be a key player in what would result in a lawsuit due to this journey. He was also in a drunken stupor and state which led to him allegedly having to be smuggled through the airport, disguising his unconsciousness for sleep.

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After being on the receiving end of alleged sexual harassment, two flight attendants were ultimately paid in a suit for some of Hall’s actions. Hall was released from his contract following Raw the next night as a result of not only the plane ride, but also due to other substance abuse issues, completing a disappointing return overall.

1 Ric Flair Escaped Backlash Until Recent Years

Secrets Uncovered Plunged Flair Into Controversy

  • Dark Side Of The Ring exposed Ric Flair in the Plane Ride From Hell episode
  • He initially escaped any punishment from his alleged sexual harassment

Ric Flair was another name slated to have been involved with inappropriate sexual conduct during the plane ride, with the two flight attendants also identifying him as an offender. In the case of Flair, he seemed to get away without much backlash initially.

However, following the Dark Side of the Ring episode which focused on the Plane Ride From Hell, Flair was thrown into deep waters and his reputation was put through the ringer. It seemed as though an upcoming deal with AEW was stopped dead due to light being shed on these allegations, though he did eventually sign.