WWE: 8 Ways WrestleMania 30 Is A Modern Day WrestleMania 13
3. CM Punk Loses His Smile
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CM Punk has gone on record to say that Vince McMahon has likened him to the Shawn Michaels of the 90s, citing his stubbornness and moody temperament. This is a fitting statement by the head of the WWE, the similarities between the two none more obvious then when CM Punk walked out just mere months before this years Wrestlemania.
Heading in to Wrestlemania 13 Shawn Michaels was one of the WWE's main stars and one of its most reliable in ring performers. Having spent the majority of 1996 as the WWE Champion, the Heartbreak Kid lost the title to Psycho Sid at that years Survivor Series amid a host of fan backlash.
After retaining the companys premier championship at the 1997 Royal Rumble, the 'Heartbreak Kid' was scheduled to reignite his feud with Bret Hitman Hart. The culmination of this feud set to come to head at Wrestlemania 13 in a rematch of the previous years Iron Man Match.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz8xv3GmZfgRather controversially however this was never meant to be as on the February 13th episode of Monday Night Raw HBK forfeited his title and walked out on Wrestlemania. Holding back (crocodile) tears Michaels delivered a melodramatic promo where he infamously claimed he had Lost his Smile.
Many theories for why Michaels still at the top of his game and scheduled to main event decided to suddenly up and leave surfaced. He himself claimed a knee injury, whereas a lot of his peers felt the Showstopper just didnt want to drop the title to his off screen rival Bret Hart. Whatever the reason his walkout left the booking team and the main event of Wrestlemania in hysteria.
Step forward 17 years later and much like Shawn Michaels, CM Punk headed into Wrestlemania as one of the biggest stars in the company. Even though scheduled to take on Triple H in one of the main events, with less than 2 months to go CM Punk decided to walk out on the company.
His actions along with backlash towards everything not Daniel Bryan have left the booking plans and the main event of its premier show once again in a complete mess. The WWE's solution has been to turn to one man just like they did at Wrestlemania 13.