18 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Shawn Michaels
9. He Was Beaten Up By Marines And Forfeited The Intercontinental Title
One of the more mysterious moments in Shawn Michaels's career came in Syracuse, New York in October 1995. According to lore, Michaels and Davey Boy Smith were out at a bar when "The Heartbreak Kid" ticked off a group of marines who ended up assaulting him. The number of assailants hasn't ever been confirmed, but while some men held Davey Boy at bay, the rest beat Michaels badly.
On October 22, Michaels was scheduled to defend the Intercontinental Title against Dean Douglas at an In Your House event. He couldn't compete (he was legitimately told by his doctor not to even travel to the show), so he had to forfeit the title to Douglas. The new champ was then forced to defend against Razor Ramon, and he immediately lost the title in what's considered one of The Kliq's most nefarious political maneuvers.
Making matter worse was the fact that, prior to the show, WWE kept Michaels's condition close to the vest. HBK couldn't wrestle, but they didn't confirm that he would be out of action until the PPV had started. Undoubtedly, there were fans who were disappointed by the lack of notice.