WWE In 1997 | Wrestling Timelines

30. February 13 | Smile Lost

Shawn Michaels vacates the WWF title less than a month after reclaiming it on the hilariously titled ‘Thursday Raw Thursday’. It would seem Vince McMahon really doesn’t trust his audience to remember that the show had been pre-empted. 

Michaels has convinced the WWF that a knee injury has ruled him out of WrestleMania 13. “The boys” in the locker room, particularly Bret Hart, do not buy this: for better or worse, in this era, a wrestler is expected to work through almost anything, especially during WrestleMania season. Also, since Shawn is booked to lose the title, all he has to do is go 25 minutes or so and then straight into surgery.  

Michaels publicly, infamously claims that he has lost his smile, and while he is a depressed wreck, his unimproved mental state and addiction struggles don’t prevent him from winning titles deeper in the year. When he has to give Bret the win back, he can’t. Or won’t. 

WrestleMania 13 is torn wide open. The biggest match the WWF has is off - but this change forces the company into a major reshuffle that makes superlative use of the new ‘shades of grey’ creative model driven by Steve Austin’s unexpected hit of an antihero character.