WWE Legend Makes Surprise Appearance On SmackDown

Nobody tuning into SmackDown expected to see THIS celebrated WWE Hall Of Famer.

by Jamie Kennedy
Shawn Michaels Dominik Mysterio Butch
WWE.com

NXT leader Shawn Michaels stopped by to make a surprise appearance on this week's episode of SmackDown.

The WWE legend was there to suggest a North-American Title match between new champ Dominik Mysterio and Butch of The Brawling Brutes. That, obviously, didn't suit members of Judgment Day, but HBK said he'd speak to default GM Adam Pearce before making the bout official.

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Naturally, it happened, and Mysterio eventually retained his newly-won prize during a barmy match that had interference from Rhea Ripley, Ridge Holland and Pretty Deadly. There was a steel chain, a wheelchair - WWE wheeled (ahem) all sorts of gimmicks out for this one.

Shawn's appearance was totally unexpected. He wasn't advertised for SmackDown ahead of time, and didn't show up in front of the live crowd in Orlando. Nope, Michaels was exclusively there for this behind the scenes skit, and to push NXT as something main roster fans should care about.

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It remains to be seen if HBK will be making more showings on Friday nights, or if this was just a one-off thing. WWE has been putting more emphasis on NXT lately, so time will tell on that.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.