The Night Shawn Michaels Found His Smile

Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Mike Tyson
WWE.com

It was a terrifically gutsy performance, but he couldn't help himself ahead of it. He intimated that he wouldn't do business so heavily that the Undertaker had to send a more stern message right back. Even when he had every intention of doing the job, an undying mischief - a weird need to be a complete sh*theel - consumed him.

Michaels retired after the 'Mania match, and made sporadic appearances for the WWF thereafter in various charitable roles: Commissioner, special guest referee - jobs nobody really needed him to do, but asked, really, out of kindness. Those appearances always felt a bit depressing. A slurring mess a lot of the time, Michaels dampened the carnival atmosphere that had erupted following - and perhaps in a small way as a result of - his retirement.

In one famous anecdote that about sums it up, Chris Jericho once recalled that Michaels was so out of it that he thought Jericho was the new Doink. He had only dressed as the clown to ambush William Regal on the March 26, 2001 RAW. Jericho tried to explain this, but Michaels couldn't comprehend. The on-the-nose, only-in-wrestling irony is that Michaels wasn't aware that he was looking into a mirror.

The reign of terror with which Michaels plagued the locker room was brought to an abrupt end by the lid of a casket. This almost extended to his private life, which a brush with premature death changed irrevocably.

CONT'D...(3 of 6)

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!