18 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Shawn Michaels
12. He Wasn't A Particularly Beloved Babyface In 1996
Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart at WrestleMania XII, taking his place as the company's top babyface. He was the number one man in the promotion, ready to take on a string of heels en route to making money.
Unfortunately, not everyone was excited to see HBK on top. Sure, he was an incredible performer, but the nature of his "Sexy Boy" gimmick didn't really endear him to older male fans. Like John Cena and Roman Reigns after him, Michaels suffered some pushback.
Anti-Michaels sentiment was especially bad in hardcore wrestling cities in the Northeast, like Philadelphia and New York. Many of the WWE fans in those areas were also ECW fans, and compared to bad-asses like Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman, Michaels wasn't so cool.
At the 1996 Survivor Series, HBK took on Sycho Sid with the title on the line. Even though Sid was the monster heel, the fans rallied behind him. Sid ended up winning the championship after attacking Michaels's mentor, Jose Lothario, and seemingly inducing a heart attack in the older man. Sid took advantage of Michaels's concern to hit him with a powerbomb and win the belt.
All in all, it sounds like Sid was pretty dastardly, but the crowd at MSG was happy to see him take Michaels out.