10 Fascinating Tales From WWE WrestleMania History
Fascinating facts about WWE WrestleMania
9. Hands Off The Merchandise
Shawn Michaels was not in the best place mentally or physically rolling into WrestleMania 14.
The WWE Champion was ravaged by life-altering back injuries, and he knew that his days inside the ring were likely numbered. Facing an uncertain future at age 32, Michaels prepared to drop the belt to Stone Cold Steve Austin in the event's final match.
That weekend, Michaels angrily walked out of a company-sanctioned rally after being hit with something thrown by a fan, and, prior to the match, was reportedly menaced by Undertaker into making sure he did the honours the way it was written.
Upsetting the apple cart was the post-match scene, in which Mike Tyson, after double-crossing HBK, KO'ed the now-former champ with a solid right hand.
Michaels objected to a pre-match idea to have Tyson drape an Austin 3:16 shirt over his swollen face, believing it was overkill.
But "Iron Mike" carried through with that plan, and once backstage, a livid Michaels made a small scene on his way out of the building. Per Michaels' own recollections, he angrily chewed out Shane McMahon with a fiery promo before storming off into the night like an angry Sexy Boy.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
