Backstage Fights

We eventually want a list of real backstage fights ever occurred in the world of pop culture and celebrities. Our original page, dedicated to backstage fights between pro wrestlers and MMA fighters only, can be found here.

Here's the list of what we have so far. Any contributions you make are greatly appreciated. Please contact us with any information you have on any fight not yet listed here.

Disclaimer: Take these stories with a grain of salt. Most of these are hearsay, and their veracity cannot always be confirmed. We are certain some stories here are either untrue or greatly exaggerated. Do not trust any of them as true. Nonetheless, backstage fights do happen, and there is at least some degree of truth to most of the stories here. Plus, they’re fun to read.

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Tommy Lee vs. Kid Rock

This happened at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. I guess this is the modern day version of Vince Neil vs. Izzy Stradlin, except in those days, MTV actually played cool rock videos. The newspaper reports say Kid (who is hardly a kid these days; aren’t kids supposed to be young?) went up to T-Bone, who then offered his hand in friendship. Kid back-handed Lee, and then threw another punch before Tommy could retaliate. Security then dragged Tommy away, and let Kid stay despite the fact that HE started it. We’re not sure what Kid’s problem was, but perhaps the fact that Motley Crue blows his band out of the water any day of the week had something to do with it, or maybe because he banged Pam long before Kid ever did (and Vince Neil beat them both to it, but you’ll never hear Vince admit to that; ok he did, but Tommy still doesn’t believe it). I’ve read that people said Kid can waste Tommy in a real fight, but I’d seriously doubt that. Tommy is skinny, but he’s tall, feisty, and has been in tons of fights in his life. Kid is, well, a kid.

Tommy Lee vs. Vince Neil

This happened toward the end of the 1999 tour, and was the catalyst for Lee leaving the band. Vince, who was drunk, showed up late at the airport, making the band wait forever. Tommy claims Vince egged him on, knowing Tommy couldn’t do anything physical since he was still on probation from his 1998 stint in jail. The two had a very brief exchange before Vince called for police to come help, knowing it would get Tommy in trouble. Tommy held back his anger but said he wanted to kill Vince. Tommy then decided to leave the band, and for the remainder of the tour, he said it was a nightmare being around each other. I saw the band perform in March of 1999, which was either right before or after this happened, and there was no noticeable tension on stage.

Nikki Sixx vs. Vince Neil

Neil was drinking (notice a pattern, here?), and on this tour (Generation Swine tour in 1997), there was a written agreement among the band that if Vince drank, he’d be fined $25,000. Well, he drank, Nikki told him what it would cost him, and they were on the floor in seconds. Nikki is believed to have thrown the first punch, but Vince was very much in control and it was pretty even on the ground. I’ve heard inside reports that Tommy and/or Mick told bystanders to let them fight and get it out of their system, but it was broken up and the San Francisco Police Department was called. This fight is referenced in the liner notes of Motley Crue’s Greatest Hits album in 1998, and it is also detailed in their autobiography, The Dirt.

Glenn Danzig vs. Danny Marianinho

One of the few backstage fights perfectly caught on tape. The North Side Kings singer, Marianinho, was complaining (politely) to Danzig about something, and Danzig responded with an uncalled for shove while shouting, “F*ck you, motherf*cker!” While Danzig is muscular, keep in mind he is about 5’-5” or so. Danny responded with a quick, perfect punch to the jaw that dropped Danzig immediately and put an end to things rather quickly. People around Danzig after the punch were yelling that it was a cheap shot, which it clearly wasn’t. We like Danzig, but he clearly started the “fight,” and Danny acted in clear self defense. It was an embarrassing moment for Danzig fans, and pretty much killed his aura from that point on. This happened in 2004, and you can find the video on Youtube here.

Tommy Lee and John Corabi vs. Mexicans

In the book The Dirt, both Corabi and Lee spoke of going to 7-11 once and getting jumped by some Mexican guys on the way home. They were outnumbered, and probably dressed in a manner that would cause them to get harassed. Kudos to the guys for even admitting to this, because they could’ve not told anyone and no one would’ve known. This would have been around ’95 or ’96, or perhaps ’94, which is when the Crue album with Corabi came out.

Vince Neil vs. Izzy Stradlin’

Backstage at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, Izzy (rhythm guitarist fir Guns N Roses) was apparently getting too close with Vince’s then-wife, Sharise. Vince got word of it, and after GNR came through the curtain after their performance, Vince clocked him. This became a pretty big story at the time, and led to a major feud between Vince and Axl Rose. Vince and Axl never met up, but threatened to many times in the media. Nothing ever came of it.

Nikki Sixx & Tommy Lee vs. Security

At a concert in Greensboro, NC in 1997, the front row security was (according to Nikki) being way too “stiff” with people in the front row. Nikki made a comment about it on the house mic, and then did a few more songs. Finally he could take no more and got back on the mic and cut a major promo on the security guy, using the dreaded N word. Nikki ended up spitting at the guy while Tommy came from behind the drum kit to throw his water bottle at him. Vince was nowhere to be seen, and Mick, who is physically handicapped, naturally did nothing either. Nikki begged the fans to harm the security guy, as fans roared in approval. This was caught on tape and is on Youtube here, and clips are also shown during the Behind the Music show on Motley Crue.

Howard Stern vs. Gary Busey

Busey was roughhousing with Howard and “attacked” him during commercial break in the late 90s. Howard was able to hold him down and control him in a front face lock, after which Ronnie the Limo driver came to his aid. This one is exaggerated often, but it’s brought up whenever Howard jokes what a bad security guard Ronnie is.

Stuttering John vs. Ralph Cirella

This was in ’95 or ’96. Ralph was napping on the couch in the office, and John, jokester he is, woke him up by pretending to scare him. Ralph was p*ssed and threw his sneaker at Ralph. John responded with, “F*ck you, Ralph!” and they exchanged a few b*tchslaps until it was broken up. It was on camera and one of the more memorable Stern shows on the E! network.

Stuttering John vs. AJ Benza

This was during the dark period in 2001 after Jackie Martling left and before Artie Lange joined the show. AJ was a regular fill-in on the show, and John, who took phone calls, put lots of calls through that were negative toward AJ. AJ thought it was deliberate and told John that during the break he was going to go back there and smack John. Everyone thought he was joking, but sure enough, AJ went to the office during the break and smacked John in the head. John didn’t see it coming, but being that he’s feisty, he fought back immediately. Baba Booey was caught in the middle of it and got scratched, while heavyweight KC Armstrong held AJ back. Lots of cursing back and forth. When they returned from commercial, they had a very lively discussion that resulted in General Manager Tom Chiusano telling AJ to go home and never come back. And that was the last of AJ Benza, thank goodness. See the fight here.

Stuttering John vs. Morton Downey, Jr.

This was around 1990 or 1989, when Downey was making an appearance somewhere. John showed up to ask his usual ridiculous questions for Howard’s WWOR TV show. Downey didn’t like the questions, threatened John, and John didn’t leave. Downey could take no more and punched John, before tons of people came in to break it up. This was all caught on video and is one of the funniest moments ever in Stern show history.