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Shawn Michaels and Diesel

9K views 42 replies 12 participants last post by  Mr.S 
#1 ·
As my fellow HBK fans are already aware of, the story between Shawn Michaels and Diesel starts with Shawn watching WCW, seeing the terrible acting of Kevin Nash portraying the "Vinnie Vegas" character. Shawn gives Vince a call, Nash gets his release from WCW, shows up in the WWF, and the rest is history.

Their chemistry was natural, and the body guard angle (when it wasn't overdone and poorly executed) helped establish Shawn Michaels as a top heel ready to break into the main event scene. However, we all know that it was actually Diesel who ended up winning the WWF Championship first, and holding it for a year. I'll admit, seeing Shawn fuck up one too many times and finally seeing Diesel snap and go after him was awesome at the time, and it still is watching now.

Really though, looking back, does it seem kind of weird to anyone that Nash was the first of the two to hold the WWF Championship? Shawn gets him a job, and less than two years later, he's holding the strap for an extended period. And I'm honestly surprised, knowing Shawn's ego, that someone has come public about Shawn throwing a bitch fit about the guy he got a job getting the Title first.

Who knows, maybe a heel Diesel winning the Title FOR Shawn, like an Andre - DiBiase type way would have been cool. Diesel continues doing the dirty work for Shawn, until he eventually gets fed up, turns face, and takes the Title from him at Wrestlemania XI? Or maybe I'm just getting ahead of myself. Thoughts on the situation and their partnership?
 
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#39 ·
Also of note, WWE's potentially biggest heel of 1995, Bam Bam Bigelow, was also turned face not too long after WM 11. IIRC, he said in a shoot that it was the Kliq's idea.

Even in 1996, they never had a clear cut credible top heel besides Vader, who HBK completely buried. Even Sid was getting a mixed reaction from the crowd, as well as Stone Cold, because they displayed more of an attitude. And the result of all this was the shitty IYH PPV's from April to July, as well as the failed Ultimate Warrior run. I feel Brian Pillman could have been the perfect heel opponent for HBK in 1996 but the ankle injury put a stop to that.

Everything worked in HBK's favor after Nash & Hall left. He was defending the belt in second rate feuds and would bury anybody who was a threat to him. The only reason he ever dropped the belt to Sid was to get his hometown crowd behind him and garner a sell out for Royal Rumble 1997. But even that didn't go as planned. Once everything started picking up, he loses his smile again.
 
#40 ·
Also of note, WWE's potentially biggest heel of 1995, Bam Bam Bigelow, was also turned face not too long after WM 11. IIRC, he said in a shoot that it was the Kliq's idea.

Even in 1996, they never had a clear cut credible top heel besides Vader, who HBK completely buried. Even Sid was getting a mixed reaction from the crowd, as well as Stone Cold, because they displayed more of an attitude. And the result of all this was the shitty IYH PPV's from April to July, as well as the failed Ultimate Warrior run. I feel Brian Pillman could have been the perfect heel opponent for HBK in 1996 but the ankle injury put a stop to that.

Everything worked in HBK's favor after Nash & Hall left. He was defending the belt in second rate feuds and would bury anybody who was a threat to him. The only reason he ever dropped the belt to Sid was to get his hometown crowd behind him and garner a sell out for Royal Rumble 1997. But even that didn't go as planned. Once everything started picking up, he loses his smile again.
Shawn Michaels was well on his way to being top guy when both Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were carrying the two singles titles and neither of them had even spoke to WCW when Shawn Michaels was winning The Royal Rumble and was planned to become top guy at WrestleMania 12. The fact that they left only hindered Shawn Michaels reign as it left him without any credible challengers as Bret Hart had gone on hiatus, The Undertaker was feuding with Mankind, Stone Cold Steve Austin wasn't ready and Vader was still being built up.

As for Shawn Michaels only winning the WWE title back at The Royal Rumble just to get the hometown crowd behind him WWE arrange their PPV venues a long time in advance so would have most likely had the venue set a year beforehand and it wasn't until late 1996 some fans turned on Shawn Michaels and that was why WWE began pushing him as an edgier babyface. Look at any promos from Shawn Michaels from when he lost the WWE title through til he turned heel later on in that year and he had the whole "i don't care if you like me or not" attitude who stated he wasn't a role model and was being pushed as the catalyst of the edgy top babyface until Stone Cold Steve Austin smashed through.
 
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