8 Best Excuses For Wrestlers Not Doing A Job
7. He's Too Stiff
If you believe the word of an unnamed inside source (which you probably shouldn't) then Vader's white-hot WWF run in 1996 was originally supposed to culminate with victory over Shawn Michaels in their clash for the world title at SummerSlam.
Only problem here was that not everyone in Vince McMahon's circle of trust was on board with the idea of position the former WCW star as the company's top player, with Michaels - whose backstage antics in the 1990s are well-documented - said to be among the doubters.
The Heartbreak Kid was allegedly reluctant to lose to Vader because he regarded him as an unsafe worker, accusing him of practising an excessively stiff style in the ring (which, in fairness, is pretty believable to anyone who has watched the guy wrestle for, like, two minutes).
Of course, whether Shawn's reservations here were born from an uncharacteristic concern for the welfare of his colleagues, or simply the fact that he had it out for his opponent after perhaps taking a nasty bump in one of their dark matches is up to you to decide.