If there was one thing Mötley Crüe liked (or still likes) more than partying, it would probably be their propensity for beefing with their fellow rock stars. Nikki Sixx has feuded with the likes of Eddie Vedder, Lars Ulrich, and Godsmack, but one can say he doesn’t have anything on Vince Neil, who kept one such beef running long after it should have been squashed.
It all started one night in 1989 when Guns N’ Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin allegedly kicked Neil’s then-wife, Sharise Ruddell, after she refused his advances. The Crüe vocalist issued a receipt at that year’s MTV Video Music Awards, punching Stradlin as a wild brawl ensued. GNR frontman Axl Rose was among those involved as he defended his bandmate’s honor and yelled threats at his fellow lead singer.
Two years later and many back-and-forth insults, the feud was still raging, and Neil made a challenge to Rose during an interview with MTV News. “Axl, if you’re watching this, I want to challenge you to a fight,” he said. “I’m gonna give you the time, gonna give you the place, and there’s no backing out, buddy.” Neil went as far as to say he wanted the fight to take place at an arena where it could be televised for everyone to see. Decades later, that fight has yet to happen, and while their actions in the heat of the moment could somehow be justified, letting the beef linger for years thereafter only made the two frontmen look juvenile and petty.
