How Shawn Michaels Almost Ruined A WrestleMania 14 Press Event
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It is no secret that Shawn Michaels was a handful to deal with during his run as WWE Champion in the late 90s, but during a match with The Undertaker at the 1998 Royal Rumble Shawn would suffer a horrible back injury that would force the Heartbreak Kid into an early retirement following WrestleMania that year. The Road to WrestleMania that year for Michaels was one that was riddled with pain and resentment. The writing on the wall was clear. Austin was the hottest thing on two feet, and it he was going to be the guy moving forward, but in order to get there Shawn had to be the one to pass the torch and drop the belt to Austin, and then go home the next day to have his back worked on, thus sidelining him and forcing him to miss out on some of the company's hottest years.
Shawn Michaels Was A Problem Going Into WrestleMania 14
In Michaels mind, he was being dealt an unfair hand, having been the one that carried the company when it was losing in the ratings to WCW every week. The thought that he would not be around to see the fruits of his labor as world champion did not sit well with him and put him in an exceptionally awful mood in the weeks and months leading up to WrestleMania, with many wondering if he would do business when it came down to the night of the big match.
The Undertaker even famously sat at a monitor backstage with his fists taped just in case he had to interject himself in the main event in the event that Michaels did not cooperate with the plan and ended up going into business for himself, making the moment all about him. Fortunately, this did not happen and the WrestleMania 14 main event went off smooth.
RELATED: 10 Things WWE Fans Forget About The Build Up To WrestleMania 14
Mike Tyson's Involvement In WrestleMania 14 Was Big For WWE
WrestleMania 14 was a huge moment for WWE, having brought in pop Culture Icon Mike Tyson to special guest referee the main event between Austin and Michaels. This was looked at as a huge turning point in the Monday Night Wars as Tyson’s involvement meant the world would be watching as Tyson was one of the biggest and most captivating stars in the world at the time. The partnership between Tyson and McMahon was a match made in pay per view heaven and Tyson's involvement in the promotion for the event meant big time main stream attention.RELATED: Mike Tyson's Relationship With Wrestling, Explained
As part of the promotion for the event, a big press event was held in the heart of Boston, drawing 15,000 fans and members of the press to watch DX’s “Public Workout” at the Government Center the Thursday before the big show. There was a ring setup and Michaels arrived in a limo with Chyna, Triple H, and honorary DX member Iron Mike Tyson to shoot an angle where Austin would crash their party and things would become physical ahead of their big match that Sunday. Unfortunately, while cutting a promo for the live audience, Michaels was hit in the head with a battery that was thrown by a fan. Shawn immediately dropped what he was doing and walked out mid-promo. This was the straw that broke the camel's back as Michaels felt extremely disrespected by this and had to be talked into going back out there execute what had been planned.
Shawn Michaels Was Not In A Good Place Mentally Before WrestleMania 14
Michaels famously was a drug abuser prior to his religious awakening before his triumphant return to the ring at Summerslam 2002. Shawn was said to not be in the right frame of mind for this event, likely having to do with the extreme pain he had to be in due to his back injury. Michaels’ drug use would only continue to get worse during his time away from wrestling as he would sit at home in San Antonio and abuse pain pills.
The HBK we got during his second run with the company from 2002-2010 was one with a clearer head and calmer demeanor. Luckily for him, he was able to kick a lot of his negative habits and has seemed to be remorseful for how he treated people the first time around and is aware of how difficult he could have been in the past.
