The Clique (pronounced "click") is/was a group of five men who were said to have almost unconditional power in the WWF locker room during the mid 90's; most specifically late 94 through mid 96. This group consisted of:
Triple H (Paul Levesque)
Shawn Michaels (Hickenbottom)
Diesel (Kevin Nash)
Razor Ramon (Scott Hall)
1-2-3 Kid (Sean Waltman/X-Pac)
Speculation was that none of the men involved in this group liked being referred to as the Clique, probably because they didn't make it up and apply it to themselves. Instead, the name originated from different sheet writers and reporters.
The members of this group denied any and all power they wielded in the locker room, saying it just wasn't true. However, during this period, it should be noted that Diesel, Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels had almost exclusive control of the Heavyweight and IC titles. They were also involved in all the biggest angles running at the time. For all accounts and purposes, the Clique ceased to exist in May of 96 when Nash and Hall departed for WCW. It was around this time HBK began calling his fans the "Kliq". The common consensus was that he did this to annoy the so-called insiders who originally placed the same label, spelled differently, on him and his friends.
The Clique Curtain Call, as it has since been called, took place at a house show at Madison Square Garden in May of 96. It was to be Hall and Nash's last matches in the WWF before heading south. Hall was set to face Triple H, while Nash squared off with HBK in a steel cage. Both men would do the jobs cleanly to their friends and quietly exit the WWF. It didn't happen quite that way...After HBK defeated Diesel in the cage match, Razor Ramon and Triple H made their way back to the ring. Instead of the brawl many expected, the four men faced each other in the middle of the ring and embraced, then turned towards the crowd with their arms raised together in a final farewell.
Now these were the days when wrestling was still considered a sport, not "sports entertainment". This wasn't the way the WWF did things during this particular time period. The four friends had revealed a side of the business that the fans were never meant to see. Someone had to be punished; but who? Certainly not Hall or Nash, as they were both on their way out. Definitely not HBK; he was the current WWF figure-head. That left Triple H...
It should be noted that before this particular incident, Triple H was scheduled to win the King of the Ring tournament the next month. Instead of following the plan, the WWF made Triple H the fall guy. He was jobbed out to everyone he faced for the next few months, and all plans to elevate him to the top were scrapped. Showing the resolve that would later propel him to the top of the WWF, Triple H accepted his punishment without complaint. He jobbed to Sid in the first round of the IC title tournament. He layed down for Jake Roberts; basically did whatever was asked of him. All the while Shawn Michael's star continued to shine.
While it all seems very unfair, and indeed it was, it should be noted that had Triple H received the push he was in line for in 96, with HBK still on top of the WWF, things would probably be much different today than they are. The path Triple H took to the top has made him a much more resilient, well-rounded athlete. If he had won the 1996 King of the Ring tournament like he was supposed to, he might not have become the Triple H we all know and love (or hate) today. Then again, maybe he would have. Personally, I believe the punishment, the formation of D-Generation X and the subsequent departure of HBK helped Triple H blaze the trail he now follows.
