10 Best Ways Wrestlers Responded To Crowd Signs

7. Shawn Michaels - Canada's Most Despised Wrestler

Jade Cargill Beer Break Fan Sign
WWE.com

The 1997 Survivor Series is an event that's gone down in wrestling infamy, with Bret Hart being screwed by the World Wrestling Federation in his home country on his way out of the company.

Before Shawn Michaels played his part in one of the most controversial finishes in wrestling history, the Heartbreak Kid did all that he could to rile up the already raucous Montreal crowd. In particular, with a bafflingly large amount of fan signs abusing Michaels with homophobic language, the Showstopper proceeded to start humping the Canadian flag.

Whether this was a direct response to those signs or merely a case of Shawn being Shawn, this action from HBK served perfectly in upping the anger of the nearly 21,000 packed into the Molson Center. In terms of heat, few in WWE history had as much heat as Michaels did at Survivor Series '97 - and that most unique of atmospheres would only intensify by the time this PPV wrapped up.

For his role in the Montreal Screwjob, Shawn Michaels continues to be questioned by a certain portion of wrestling fans. What cannot be questioned, though, is how great a job Michaels did of playing a truly vile heel to that Canadian crowd on that night.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.