15 Biggest Political Power Plays By WWE Talents

8. Shawn Michaels Retains WWE Championship At SummerSlam '96

shawn michaels vader
WWE.com

At the same time that 2/5ths of the Kliq were considering leaving WWE for greener pastures in WCW, Shawn Michaels was on his way to becoming WWE's flagship performer and WWE Champion.

Shawn defeated Bret Hart at WrestleMania XII for the WWE Championship and would become the premier focal point of WWE television for the remainder of 1996. The second biggest show of the year, SummerSlam '96, was headlined by MIchaels vs. Vader for the WWE title.

Original plans called for Vader to defeat Shawn, winning the championship at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, OH and eventually drop the title back several months later. Shawn, extremely irritable and paranoid after seeing half his buddies defect to WCW, was able to convince Vince McMahon to keep the title on him. The match was adjusted to allow for Vader to defeat Shawn by countout, then again by disqualification after the match had been restarted, before finally getting pinned by the Heartbreak Kid.

Although Vince had still planned to put the title on Vader at the Survivor Series, the SummerSlam finish killed all Vader's momentum and Vince eventually decided to go with Sid for the role of heel champion.

It may have been Shawn's first major political move as WWE Champion but it sure wouldn't be his last.

Contributor
Contributor

A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling, technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible. Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.