In 1996, Shawn Michaels watched in horror as two of his biggest friends in the business, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, made the leap of faith from the WWF to WCW. Securing themselves bumper, guaranteed contracts, both Nash and Hall instantly became the talk of the town, going on to form the nWo with Hulk Hogan at the 1996 Bash At The Beach show. For HBK, this all became too much to take, and he started to enter into talks with Vince McMahon about approaching WCW. Some felt this was little more than a power play from Michaels, who was trying to squeeze more money from McMahon, but it was clear that he also missed his buddies. In 1998, Michaels suffered a nasty back injury at the Royal Rumble during a match opposite The Undertaker. It's a minor miracle that the man was able to see out his WWF Title bout against Steve Austin at WrestleMania just a few months later, but there was also a chance that match could have never taken place. Looking for a lighter schedule than ever before, Michaels again explored the option of moving sideways to WCW and hooking up with his friends. Speaking during an interview a few years ago, Kevin Nash hinted at several conversations between he and Shawn in early-1998, and it seems there was a good chance of Michaels being intrigued by working for WCW. Wrestling history could have been so different had this happened! What other facts do you know from WCW in 1998? Did you know about any of the ones featured on this list? Let us know down in the comments section below!
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
