Shawn Michaels’ ladder match with Scott Hall at WrestleMania X is one of the most iconic bouts in the history of wrestling. It was the first ever match of the stipulation to be featured on a WWE PPV, which would later become a staple of WWE programming.
The two stars were tasked with recreating the magic at SummerSlam 1995. Even though both the wrestling stars delivered what was asked of them in a big way, HBK believes the match doesn’t get the credit it deserves because of one reason.
Michaels was originally scheduled for a match against Sycho Sid at the Pittsburgh PPV. A late change was made when the feud failed to garner the interest of the audience. During a talk with Sports Illustrated, Shawn mentioned how it was a challenging task to build a face vs. face match in the limited time:
“This one was very different, the whole story going into it was different and very challenging. I will say this–Scott and I did everything we could to make it epic. I think it was.”
While the match ended up stealing the show, Shawn Michaels believes the bout doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, only because it was a rematch:
“Sequels are always tough, but this is one I think that doesn’t quite get the recognition it deserves, there’s a simple reason for why: it’s number two. Number one is always first. That’s when the moment shifts. There’s only one first time. I’m still proud of it, but it’s not as special because it’s not the first.”
Scott Hall had picked up the win in their WrestleMania encounter but the former DX member got his revenge in their SummerSlam rematch. This would end up being the final time the two legends faced each other in a singles match.
