Shawn Michaels was the top guy during the mid-1990s, sharing the spotlight alongside his bitter rival, Bret Hart. The wrestling industry was stagnant, and the ratings plummeted year by year as no one was making bank but to many fans, Hart was the bigger star and a noticeably bigger draw thanks to his following in Canada.
Michaels was just a step below the Hitman but after the events of the Montreal Screwjob, Hart left the company and Michaels was finally all alone at the top.
Unfortunately for HBK, his tenure did not last very long after that as during a matchup against the Undertaker at Royal Rumble 1998, Michaels landed on the edge of a coffin and legitimately crippled himself as his back took the brunt of the damage.
Michaels Was Retired For Four Years
The showstopper was able to wrestle the next few months but after putting over Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 14, Michaels seemingly retired from the sport as he was not able to wrestle anymore.
Shawn Michaels might be the favorite superstar of Vince McMahon as the boss has always had a soft spot for the Heartbreak Kid, as demonstrated by the fact that despite being the most difficult guy to work with in the mid-1990s, McMahon never once had the thought of firing him, even when he was an abysmal draw.
Therefore, Michaels retained an onscreen presence during the Attitude Era, serving as the commissioner and special guest referee from time to time.
However, in 2002, Michaels was cleared to wrestle again and HBK returned to television in June 2002. Kevin Nash brought him out as the newest addition to NWO but unfortunately, Scott Hall was released from the company due to issues with substance abuse, and the NWO was quickly disbanded while Nash tore his quad and was sidelined for the next several months.
This left Michaels with nothing to do and so the company fast-tracked him to a feud with Triple H as SummerSlam was right around the corner and the company needed a big match.
After making amends with Triple H and reforming DX, the then world champion, Triple H, turned on Michaels and left him unconscious with a pedigree. Soon after, Michaels was attacked by an unknown assailant and Triple H went the detective route, trying to figure out who had attacked his friend.
In the end, it turned out that Triple H himself had orchestrated the assault and the two fought each other at SummerSlam and the rivalry continued for the next couple of years. The match at SummerSlam was great, epic even, probably one of the greatest matches in the history of the show but the contests following SummerSlam were nothing too grand, and the rivalry left quite a bit to be desired as it was quickly thrown together in panic after the dissolution of the NWO.
SummerSlam was fast approaching and the revival of DX barely lasted even a few minutes as Triple H turned on him and the plot rapidly progressed from then on, without a breather and with everything thrown at your face.
The backstory was interesting as Triple H and Michaels had a real-life falling out about a year ago and Michaels walking out on the offer of being Triple H’s manager was a stroke of genius as HBK was known to have a massive, massive ego during his time at the top. Sadly, with the short timeframe, the feud never really got the build-up it deserved.
Lastly but most awfully, the company resorted to the tired shtick of a mystery assailant who was then eventually found out due to the wonders of technology. The grand reveal came on an episode of RAW, all thanks to new technology that revealed Triple H as the attacker.
The Storyline Progressed Much Too Quickly
Contrast this with the storyline of Austin getting run-over and Mick Foley going on the hunt for the culprit, with months passing by as the mystery continued to fester. Over here, the company stamped on a tired trope just so the two had a semblance of a storyline heading into SummerSlam.
After the match at SummerSlam, the entire storyline felt played out but despite this, Triple H and Shawn Michaels would continue the feud for the next couple of years, trying their utmost to put on a classic, but the succeeding matches never came close to the bout at SummerSlam in terms of match quality.
The triple-threat at WrestleMania 20 was incredible, but a third party was involved and a mere one-on-one contest between HBK and HHH would have led the crowd to jeer both.
Just a few more months of appropriate buildup would have catapulted this rivalry towards the stuff of legends but sadly, the company had other plans. The split of NWO led them to throwing Michaels in there with Triple H and soon after, the two were tossed onto the card at SummerSlam.
The very same SummerSlam was headlined by The Great One versus The Next Big Thing. The company could have waited a few more months….