[Godfather-]

It's a shame that Michaels was forced to miss almost all of the Attitude Era due to injury WM14 and I often think what he would of done had he not been forced to retire. I mean, the entire era would of taken a different course. Triple H wouldn't of had to recruit Billy Gunn and Road Dogg along with X-Pac to continue DX, the whole McMahon-Helmsley thing might not of happened, etc.

What would of Michaels done? I mean, he would of had the chance to feud with The Rock, he could of re-feuded with Austin, he could of feuded with Angle a hell of a lot earlier, same with Jericho. And DX breaking up would of been inevitable, so Triple H would of possibly became a lot bigger a lot faster.

What do you reckon the WWE would of done with him?

 

[Paul Rudd]

Knowing what Michaels was like back then, i think he would of hindered Rock, Foley, Angle and maybe even HHH's progress. I honestly think him stepping away for 4 years was the best thing that could've happened for WWE at the time.

 

[The Hardcore Show]

Most likely Shawn Michaels would of been another wrestling tragedy had he not walked away when he did in 1998. The coke & pain medication he was taking during those years would of led him to having a good chance of overdosing like so many others have.

 

[19NightLong]

HBK would have been dead too by the end of the Attitude Era. He was heavily addicted to painkillers and steriods use. HBK would have played part of the Attitude based on his DX antics but i bet he would not survive.

It's a well known he was on drugs during his WWF tenure in 1996-1998.

 

[RubyRed]

Ironically his back injury was probably the best thing that could've happened to him. It gave him a chance to clean up and get straight.

 

[Tronnik]

Interesting thought. He probably would have continued down the road to being the most hated man backstage in wrestling history. His injury gave him a chance to clean up and get a new perspective on life. It probably cost him alot of the friendships he has today if he didn't make that change.

 

[apokalypse]

HBK pretty much not important after WM14 anymore and he can't do anything because Austin is the man that going to be built around...agree, Shawn injuries force him to retired is best thing for him.

 

[dave 1981]

I've said it before and i'll say it again that Shawn Michaels was just as important if not more so than Stone Cold Steve Austin in ushering in The Attitude Era and whether your a fan of his or not no one can deny his on screen persona was suited perfectly to that era. I have heard Vince McMahon himself say it that he thought Shawn Michaels personified attitude and it has was very clear that Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels were the two men that era was to be built around for at least the first year or so.

If you look as far back as late 1996 then you can see that Vince McMahon was attempting to push Shawn Michaels as an edgy face who didn't care whether you liked him or not because he did what he wanted when he wanted and obviously at this stage Stone Cold Steve Austin hadn't caught on yet. Throughout 1997 during the feud Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels had with The Hart Foundation again you could see who Vince McMahon saw as his two top stars and there was a reason why Vince McMahon wanted Shawn Michaels as top heel ahead of Bret Hart once Stone Cold Steve Austin had fully caught on and this was before Vince McMahon knew he would have to let Bret Hart go.

Post SummerSlam when Stone Cold Steve Austin was injured and making sporadic appearances Shawn Michaels was the main focus and the one Raw was centred around once they fully began putting an edgier product. Shawn Michaels and D-Generation X had really caught on straight away and were anti authority which went hand in hand with the new era and they were the ones who were really ushering in the new era due to Stone Cold Steve Austin barely being around. Look through all of 1998 and you can see that the top heel was probably The Rock but he was a mid carder until the very end of the year which tells you WWE planned to have Shawn Michaels in that role for at the very least all of 1998 whilst they continued to build up The Rock and then later Triple H.

 

[Ph3n0m]

It would only have lead to bad things. That break away was obviously what the man needed in his life as he finally straightened himself out.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

He wouldn't had a chance to train Daniel Bryan

 

[19NightLong]

I've said it before and i'll say it again that Shawn Michaels was just as important if not more so than Stone Cold Steve Austin in ushering in The Attitude Era and whether your a fan of his or not no one can deny his on screen persona was suited perfectly to that era. I have heard Vince McMahon himself say it that he thought Shawn Michaels personified attitude and it has was very clear that Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels were the two men that era was to be built around for at least the first year or so.

If you look as far back as late 1996 then you can see that Vince McMahon was attempting to push Shawn Michaels as an edgy face who didn't care whether you liked him or not because he did what he wanted when he wanted and obviously at this stage Stone Cold Steve Austin hadn't caught on yet. Throughout 1997 during the feud Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels had with The Hart Foundation again you could see who Vince McMahon saw as his two top stars and there was a reason why Vince McMahon wanted Shawn Michaels as top heel ahead of Bret Hart once Stone Cold Steve Austin had fully caught on and this was before Vince McMahon knew he would have to let Bret Hart go.

Post SummerSlam when Stone Cold Steve Austin was injured and making sporadic appearances Shawn Michaels was the main focus and the one Raw was centred around once they fully began putting an edgier product. Shawn Michaels and D-Generation X had really caught on straight away and were anti authority which went hand in hand with the new era and they were the ones who were really ushering in the new era due to Stone Cold Steve Austin barely being around. Look through all of 1998 and you can see that the top heel was probably The Rock but he was a mid carder until the very end of the year which tells you WWE planned to have Shawn Michaels in that role for at the very least all of 1998 whilst they continued to build up The Rock and then later Triple H.

Well if only had he not play so much legit backstage politics and not taking as much drugs aka painkillers and meth so much, he would have been a perfect fit in the Attitude Era because of his DX antics. People don't recognized HBK as some boy toy from "New Generation" Era but as rebel leader of the stable.

But HBK did drugs a lot and play a lot of backstage politics. He would been still have been hated by most wrestlers and dead by now or ended up like Scott Hall is doing now.

So in a way, the back problems for him was very better for him.

 

[punx06]

He probably would have ended up like Scott Hall. The guy was a mess around that time, having to step away from the business changed his life for the better and allowed the WWE to create new stars to fill the gap left by HBK. I think Shawn would be the first to admit that had he not retired, he may not even be alive right now.