15 Biggest Political Power Plays By WWE Talents
2. Shawn Michaels Loses His Smile
Of all the backstage shenanigans that Shawn Michaels has been accused of over the years, there's perhaps no bigger case of Shawn getting his way than the circumstances surrounding WrestleMania 13.
Early plans called for Shawn to return the favor from WrestleMania XII and lose the WWF Championship to Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13. With each superstar holding one major victory apiece, this would setup a big-time rubber match either for SummerSlam '97 or perhaps even WrestleMania XIV.
As the time got closer for Shawn to do the job, tensions with Bret began to intensify. Despite the friction between the two babyfaces meant to be a work, the two greatest superstars of the New Generation had developed legitimate heat with each other, working themselves into a shoot.
Weeks prior to WrestleMania 13, Shawn sustained a knee injury that he claimed threatened his career. Instead of immediately seeking a second opinion or working through the injury, which many superstars have done before, Shawn forfeited his championship belt in February '97 and pulled out of WrestleMania 13.
Having seen a similar act previously (with the Intercontinental title), many of Shawn's peers questioned his sincerity, not to mention the legitimacy of his injury.
WrestleMania 13 came and went and Shawn/Bret II was not part of the card, but Shawn was back in the ring less than two months later.