10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE Raw From 2006

Shawn Michaels beat Vince McMahon in a thumping ‘No Holds Barred’ effort at WrestleMania 22, but...do you recall why their rivalry started? That 'Mania match was the culmination of a story that stretched back to the turn of the year when Vince promised to make HBK's life a living hell because he refused to revel in the 'Montreal Screwjob' of Bret Hart in 1997.

Suppose every feud has to start somewhere!

Shawn beating up McMahon and shutting his big mouth on the grandest stage should've been the end of it, but WWE had other plans. After WrestleMania, Vince bizarrely brought HBK's faith into things by booking Shane and himself vs. Michaels and “God” at Backlash on 30 April. The build towards this was bogus.

That PR stunt tag-team match just didn’t need to happen after the ‘Mania win for HBK. Worse, both guys kept their issues going once Shawn reunited with Triple H as D-Generation X too. It was like they'd run out of ideas and figured Michaels vs. McMahon should keep going somehow even though there was nothing really left for them to do as rivals.

Each ensuing entry into the story played before diminishing returns weekly when binging Raw. Characters as strong and defined as Vince and HBK were always going to get a reaction from audiences, especially back then, but it became abundantly clear that these men had nothing more to say to one another as soon as the 'Mania match was behind them.

So, WWE leaned on an age old trope.