underjohngrohs
Main Eventer
"Do I Have Everybody's Attention Now?"
Joined on: May 19, 2012 17:48:25 GMT -5
Posts: 2,959
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Post by underjohngrohs on Oct 23, 2021 1:27:05 GMT -5
At the 1998 Royal Rumble in the Casket Match between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship. The Undertaker countered a move from Shawn Michaels with Taker backdropping Michaels into the wooden casket causing Michaels to have a temporary back injury and spent 4 years in retirement. Michaels would not wrestle at many PPVs and Monday Night RAWs to keep up his WrestleMania 14 storyline with Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship with Austin winning the WWF Title in Shawn's WWF first final run. But also after the match, Mike Tyson. The Special Guest Enforcer knocked out Michaels and then when Michaels left, Triple H was given power to D-Generation X. Michaels returned at the Summer of 1998 to become a color commentator and then would become the Commissioner of the WWF in 1998 appointed by Vince McMahon, a role he held at the end of 1998 and by all of 1999 until the Spring of 2000 with Michaels facing his personal problems until being let go from the company in 2001 until finding religion and wrestling again with the WWE in 2002 until finally retiring one more time in 2010 but not before coming out of retirement one more time in 2018 to team up with his friend Triple H to take on Undertaker and Kane at Crown Jewel in one of the worst matches ever.
But what if Michaels did not take the backdrop fall by The Undertaker and still continue to wrestle more matches before WrestleMania 14 and all the way through his wrestling career in 2010 and getting off drugs & addiction early before 2001. What if Michaels had continued to perform and win World Titles and help the young talent over in the Attitude Era, The Ruthless Aggression Era and the New Era before finally retiring in 2010.
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Post by Evil Abed on Oct 23, 2021 12:25:24 GMT -5
Not to take it to a dark place on what could have happened but the way that Michaels was using drugs during his in ring career, he likely hits rock bottom somewhere during his run in the early 2000’s. Who’s to say if the guys still tolerate him being one of the roster members where it was easier when he was only making appearances part time and not an integral part of storylines.
You have to wonder what happens to some of the younger guys in 1998 if Michaels continues on. Does someone like Kane have a career at all? Even admittedly by Undertaker himself, Kane was only supposed to be a short term storyline until the next monster came along. I feel like Kane got the sustained push he did after Mania because he was an easy star to need no build to slide into a main event spot that would have otherwise been filled by HBK.
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Oct 23, 2021 12:32:46 GMT -5
Shawn taking that bump saved his life. It may have lost him a few years in the wrestling business, but I also feel that the drug use is what cost him those years too.
If he was the HBK he was from 2002 - 2010 in the ring for not being on drugs, then he probably would have been the man from 1998 - 2002 as well. Probably been WWF Champion a few more times as well.
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Post by jason88cubs on Oct 23, 2021 16:24:58 GMT -5
Shawn loses Wrestlemania, next night gets removed as leader of DX getting jumped
Shawn surprise return at King of Ring cost HHH match vs The Rock
Gets in a feud with HHH which ends at SUmmerslam with Shawn winning
Stays in upper mid card, gets eliminated next to last at Rumble, takes Road Doggs place at Mania winning IC
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Post by The Brain on Oct 23, 2021 16:54:49 GMT -5
A feud with Trips leading into Mania XV wouldve been great.
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Post by Its Tiffy Time on Oct 23, 2021 17:19:29 GMT -5
He ends up dead in a short period of time I've always suspected his back wasnt in as bad a shape as claimed and that he was so drugged out they refused to book him anymore until he got his craptogether
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Post by MKSavage on Oct 23, 2021 17:47:30 GMT -5
I think the time off is what HBK needed. I think his drug use would have continued if he was on the road during this time, it was him being at home with his kids that he finally got the wake-up call. But, had he continued wrestling after 1998 I wonder if he would have continued to hold down younger talent. He was already jealous of Austin's success, and it is well known that he and HHH use to mess with the Rock. I wonder what he would have tried to do with younger guys with way less talent than he had. However, if he had gotten clean, I like jason88cubs' idea of him getting ousted by DX only to return later in the year to feud with them. A match with him and HHH at WM15 would have been great. |
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underjohngrohs
Main Eventer
"Do I Have Everybody's Attention Now?"
Joined on: May 19, 2012 17:48:25 GMT -5
Posts: 2,959
|
Post by underjohngrohs on Oct 23, 2021 23:30:16 GMT -5
I've always thought of Michaels after WrestleMania 14 and before WrestleMania 15,
Michaels has a few more matches with Austin and fails to win the title, gets kicked out of DX, remains a heel as DX stays face, Michaels costs Triple H a chance to become the 1998 King of The Ring again, then we see Michaels vs Triple H at Summerslam with Michaels winning to gain his retribution, Michaels will eventually join Vince McMahon's corporation and win the WWF Championship at Breakdown in a Fatal Four Way Match overcoming The Undertaker, Kane and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Michaels is a part of Vince McMahon's Corporation, cause after all who would've loved to see a heel champion. Michaels retains the title at Judgment Day against Undertaker and Kane in a Triple Threat Match proving he can beat them, you still have Austin as referee. Austin attacks Michaels, Undertaker and Kane and counts the fall by himself. Austin gets fired similar to real life. Michaels remains champion, but is jealous that Mankind is trying to hog the spotlight from him to have the attention of Vince McMahon. That of course leads to a match between the two at the 1998 Survivor Series with Michaels retaining the title over Mankind similar to the Montreal Screwjob again, then have Michaels face The Rock at Rock Bottom for the title with Rock winning by DQ thanks to McMahon's goons Bossman & Shamrock. Mankind helps The Rock and demands a title match with Shawn at the 1999 Royal Rumble but demands it a little early with Mankind taking the title over Michaels only for Michaels to beat him in a I Quit Match to win back the WWF Title for the fifth time, Mankind wins the title back at Halftime Heat but Michaels regains it back in a Steel Cage Match at St. Valentine's Day Massacre and takes on The 1999 Royal Rumble winner The Rock. Rock wins the title at WrestleMania 15 for the first time and Michaels takes time off to get over the drugs until he comes back off of the drugs in Early of 2001 and reforms DX with Triple H to take on the nWo and the rest is history. And as for Kane, his push still goes.
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Post by ¡Twist Of 45 and 47! on Oct 24, 2021 4:22:59 GMT -5
Provided he didn’t overdose or similar, we would have definitely seen a Triple H feud a lot sooner. Maybe 99, no later than 2000. At the same time though, I wonder if he didn’t find God, would he still wrestle as long as he did?
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