8 Times WWE Stars Couldn't Hide Their Boo-Boo Face

3. Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels British Bulldog
WWE

Is it any wonder WWE fell so far behind WCW right when Shawn Michaels happened to be the company's North Star?

Not that 'HBK' wasn't the best wrestler in the world in 1996 (he was) or that he couldn't back up his obnoxious hubris every time the bell rang (he could), but as the former market leader dropped behind a resurgent, New World Order-led opposition, Michaels' typically sour mood got even worse, threatening to destroy everything in his path.

This made a particularly bad night for WWE even worse when, following a catastrophic weather-based power outage at In Your House: Beware Of Dog, a match with the British Bulldog was on again/off again/back-on-again before limping to a lousy 50/50 finish that existed to set up the rematch rather than a brand new hot summer series. Most of the card had been viewed by the live crowd under emergency lighting as pay-per-view punters lost their feed and the building lost power, with things only getting back going again in time for Bulldog and Michaels to go out there under-prepared to try and salvage something from the night.

With goals, aims and time cues all over the shop with everything else, Michaels grew so furious with the referee and disillusioned ringsiders that he took to starting verbal spats with everybody. Even when he was selling. Michaels' backstage foibles been so out-front, and things were going to get a lot worse before they got better, for performer and promoter.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 70,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.