10 Things You Need To Know About WWE Bad Blood

6. 2003 Featured A Long-Forgotten Dream Match

Shawn Michaels Ric Flair
WWE

Nobody who witnessed it will ever forget the magic of Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXIV; in the Nature Boy's last ever WWE match, Michaels memorably apologised and told Flair he loved him before nailing a match-winning Sweet Chin Music that ended Ric's in-ring career with the company.

Five years earlier, the legendary pair met in a long-forgotten singles bout at Bad Blood 2003.

That's right, the cherished WrestleMania battle wasn't a pay-per-view original for Flair and Michaels, because they had already constructed a 14-minute clinic on the Bad Blood undercard long before they were stealing the show in 2008.

It would be inaccurate to claim the 2003 match comes anywhere close to eclipsing the drama of 'Mania XXIV, but Flair vs. Michaels from the reprised Bad Blood is still well worth seeking out; another quality performance from Shawn here marked another step in his recovery from a supposed career-ending injury in 1998, and it's obvious from watching the match that Michaels was having a ball against a childhood favourite.

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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.