Guns N’ Roses frontman, Axl Rose has had plenty of feuds over the years, he was deeply ensconced in a bitter feud with one of heavy metal’s other prominent frontmen, Möley Crüe‘s Vince Neil.
Axl Rose wanted to fight Vince Neil
It has come to light via Appetite for Distortion that Axl Rose accepted Vince Neil’s challenge to a fight. Axl suggested it to be a death fight. It is reported that Axl event researched countries that would allow such a match. However, Vince did not respond to Axl’s offer.
A reputed journalist Mick Wall refuted the claims and said Axl ran and hid after Vince went on MTV and publicly challenged him. However, Appetite for Distortion replied with the following:
Reread the draft I wrote for Doug Goldstein’s autobiography, and it was he, not Alan Niven that told me this story. But honestly Alan may have told me over the phone once too.
Point being, Mick Wall is an idiot and a fraud. https://t.co/QXFx6no8fk
— Appetite For Distortion🎙️ (@TheAFDPodcast) September 6, 2024
Mötley Crüe was formed in 1981 and quickly became one of the most prominent acts of the decade. Their 1985 record “Theatre of Pain” helped usher in the first wave of glam metal. On the other hand, Guns N’ Roses didn’t break through until 1987 with the release of their iconic debut album “Appetite for Destruction.” Therefore, by the time Axl Rose joined the scene, Vince Neil and the rest of Mötley Crüe were already big stars.
An incident in 1989 would bring them into direct conflict, kicking off the feud between Rose and Neil.
Rose could have saved himself from the lengthy feud because, at its inception, it had nothing to do with him. It all began when Mötley Crüe presented the Best Group and Best Metal Video to Guns N’ Roses for ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ at the 1989 MTV Music Awards Ceremony. As the band left the Universal Amphitheatre after completing their job, Neil stayed behind and waited for Guns N’ Roses guitarist Izzy Stadlin who had reportedly hit his wife, Sharise, at an earlier date.
Waiting backstage, Neil reportedly punched Stradlin after he and the rest of Guns N’ Roses had completed a performance with Tom Petty. Rose screamed at Neil and threatened to kill him for the attack on Stradlin, however, no action was taken.
This altercation garnered significant attention and led to a sharp increase in tensions. Rose then made an appearance on MTV in 1990 and challenged Neil to settle their differences once and for all. Neil sat on the challenge for almost a year, but eventually stuck his head above the parapet. He told everyone watching that Rose had threatened him and that he was more than ready to settle the score.
