10 Biggest "What If?" Scenarios In WrestleMania History
8. What If Shawn Michaels Refused To Lose To Stone Cold?
Stone Cold Steve Austin was on top of the wrestling world in March 1998, but he was still to become WWE Champion. The 1996 King of the Ring had made himself a star with the “Austin 3:16” gimmick, and after executing the perfect face turn at WrestleMania 13, Austin was out for gold the following year.
His opponent? One of the most notorious backstage politicians in wrestling history.
Austin wound-up defeating Shawn Michaels for the belt that evening, but if rumours are to be believed, it almost didn’t happen. HBK reportedly didn’t want to drop the WWE Championship to Austin that night, and it took some serious convincing from The Undertaker before he came around. It turned out to be one of the defining moments of Stone Cold’s career, and while he’d have likely reached the top without it, losing at WrestleMania XIV would’ve been a severe setback.
Michaels’ refusal would have handed Vince a major quandary. If he let HBK have his way, he risked angering Austin and quashing the rise of one of the Attitude Era’s most important wrestlers. Michaels “lost his smile” and “retired” for four years in the aftermath anyway, so his victory would have been utterly pointless, but given the myriad of backstage horror stories surrounding Michaels at the time, it’s easy to believe him refusing to do the job.