12 Wrestlers Who Competed Under The Influence
5. Shawn Michaels
It all kicked off between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in 1997 after months and years of verbal sparring escalated into a fight that very nearly chased 'HBK' out of the organisation altogether. It was, unsurprisingly for the era, his chemically-loosened lips that triggered the kick-off.
Fuelling a King of the Ring clash between the pair that ultimately failed to materialise, the two were once again arguing in front of the public when Michaels delivered his infamous near-the-knuckle flurry that completely destroyed any shreds of trust remaining between the duo. Commenting that Bret had seen some 'Sunny Days' lately, Shawn inferred an extra-marital affair between Bret and Tammy 'Sunny' Sytch, which naturally caused problems in Hart's private life, and didn't belong anywhere near a live microphone. But on that night, neither did Shawn Michaels.
For not the first nor last time that year, Shawn had allegedly turned up to work so out of it on a cocktail of drugs and alcohol that he couldn't really be relied upon to go out in front of the live crowd. The promo was instead designed to prevent any embarrassing hazards, but the TitanTron turned out to be all 'HBK' needed to create one anyway.