Shawn Michael is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. A top tier performer who gave his all every match. Known for selling moves even more the Dolph Ziggler. Now, in his (semi) retirement, Michaels plays a senior role down in NXT.
Being the teacher is a role Shawn Michaels relishes, and there is one particular NXT superstar who catches his eye. Not only for their wrestling skills but also for the way their careers have been going.
Dakota Kai has been a phenomenal performer for the yellow and gold brand. It is not surprising to hear that she has been training extensively with Shawn Michaels, given the way she is selling her opponents moves. Taking bump after bump in order to make the match and her opponent look great.
“We have an incredibly talented roster, especially our women, but look at Dakota,” Michaels says. “She’s a special one,” Michaels said when talking to in his A&E Biography this week.
Shawn Michaels Was Full of Praise for Dakota Kai
“What you see Dakota doing, I always pictured myself in that role because I wanted to Ping-Pong around the ring for my opponent,” Michaels says. “That’s one of the reasons I became who I became in the business, so watching Dakota, I am so impressed.”
There is no denying that Shawn Michaels’s influence is paying off in Kai, but there are also deep parallels to the way their careers moved. Kai’s relationship with current champion Raquel Gonzales has been drawing comparisons to the famous Michaels vs Diesel storyline in recent weeks. In both instances, the smaller superstar saw their bodyguard claim singles gold before them.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CO3BgN7AoFJ/
It is surely only a matter of time before Kai and Gonzales come to blows in the ring. One thing is for sure. It will be an epic match. If Shawn Michaels is to be believed, the future is looking very bright for Dakota Kai.
Shawn Michaels stayed true to his promise of retirement for 8 years after he lost a career vs. streak match to the Undertaker at the WrestleMania 26 event in 2010.
However, the WWE Hall Of Famer came out of retirement for one more match in 2018 when he teamed up with Triple H to face the Brothers of Destruction Kane and The Undertaker at the Crown Jewel event.
During a recent interview with New York Post, Michaels opened up about the match and when asked about it, the wrestling veteran admitted having regret over the decision for the first time.
“I do, I had no idea that from Mark’s (Undertaker’s) standpoint he was looking at it as that might be the one he could walk away on. That’s something I think to myself now, oh my goodness, I wish I’d have known that.”
Shawn is referring to the comments made by the Undertaker during his Last Ride documentary where The Phenom had revealed that the bout could have been his last match if things had gone as planned.
Though later in the interview, the former world champion said that the Crown Jewel match was still fun for him and he explained that he is satisfied with his overall career.
There have been rumors of NXT moving to Tuesday nights after WrestleMania 37 and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels recently commented on the possibility.
The former world champion who has been one of the minds behind the success of the Black and Yellow brand and has mentored a number of NXT talents recently had an interview with Joseph Staszewski of The New York Post.
During the interview, Michaels was asked about the show possibly moving nights and how it might affect them. Replying to it, he said that nothing would change for them and they will still try to put the best show:
“It’s always clearly easier when your sort of destination programming, so to speak, Nothing would change certainly for us. We still try to put the best show out there that we can. Clearly, I know that’s everybody’s goal.
I think it would only be fair to say everyone knows that when you are not competing against another similar show that it makes it a little bit easier.” said Shawn Michaels, “It allows people to enjoy that. And then you think about the follow from Raw the next night. So, clearly, it certainly wouldn’t hurt.”
The former DX member also commented on the possibility of introducing women’s tag team titles for NXT. He said that they certainly have the depth for it.
This interview of Shawn Michaels was published before tonight’s episode of NXT where General Manager William Regal not only confirmed the creation of the new titles but he crowned the inaugural champions as well.
Kazuchika Okada and Shawn Michaels recently expressed respect for one another while discussing which matches first got them interested in pro-wrestling. SI.com ran an article where Okada mentioned that the Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho match from WrestleMania 19 taught him a lot about wrestling.
“There was one other match I used to watch a lot. It was on a DVD at my mentor Ultimo Dragon’s house, and that was Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 19. I learned so much from that match,” Okada said through a translator.
The comments were then brought to Shawn Michaels, who was also interviewed for the article. HBK then gave his opinion on how he feels Okada would do if he was in WWE.
“I’m so incredibly appreciative of that,” Michaels said “I’ve always admired the style in Japan, and here’s a guy that admires my style.
“Someone once asked me how Okada would adjust if he were ever in the WWE, and I know the answer to that—he’d adjust fantastically, because he’s a fantastic talent. It’s like me. People would say, ‘Well, you only wrestled in the WWE,’ but I could have wrestled anywhere. When a guy is talented, he’s talented. So I’m thankful that Okada, this unbelievably talented young man, gained one or two things from my match.”
Okada is scheduled to face EVIL tomorrow on night 1 of Castle Attack in Osaka, Japan.
We spoke with 12 wrestlers from across the industry about the matches that made the biggest impact on their careers https://t.co/QXZ5vRyKs8
43-year-old Tom Brady won his 7th Super Bowl last night. If there is one wrestler who knows about performing on the biggest stage in his industry at an older age, it is Shawn Michaels. HBK was asked by SI.com about his WrestleMania 25 match with The Undertaker recently. At the time, Michaels was 43-years-old too, just like Brady is now.
“Your age, that number, it drives you,” said Michaels. “Before that match, Undertaker and I acknowledged that people on the card were younger, faster and even better, so we tapped into our strength. We harnessed experience, 20 years of a backstory, and focused on what we did best.”
“I know the two worlds are very different, but we knew how to tell the story and Brady knows how to win the game,” HBK continued. “If Brady is great on Sunday, it’s not going to be because of his scrambling ability or long runs. He’s going to have to play to the best of his ability, doing what he does best. That was the same premise behind what I did, which wasn’t X’s and O’s like football. I knew, in order to be great, I had to play into the storytelling aspect of wrestling.”
Shawn Michaels On Deciding To Retire
HBK would later say he made the decision to retire in the build-up to his match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25. The following year, HBK would wrestle the Undertaker at WrestleMania 26 again, but this time with his career on the line. HBK would lose and not wrestle again until Crown Jewel in 2018.
“I can’t even remember who it was, but like a month before WrestleMania 25 asked how old my boy was. I said he was nine and the guy said, ‘Wow, halfway gone.’ He said he was halfway to 18 and when he’s 18 he’s gone. That blew me away… He’s halfway gone and I’m not going to miss that,” Michaels said to ESPN.
After the infamous Montreal Screwjob in 1997, Owen Hart returned to the WWF and looked as though he was going to enter a long-term program with Shawn Michaels. It didn’t work out that way, however. Owen and Shawn’s feud never seemed to take off and eventually, Owen and Triple H began feuding over the European Championship leading to WrestleMania 14.
On a recent episode of Grillin Jr, the topic of Owen Hart and Shawn Michaels’ abbreviated program in 1998 was brought up. Conrad Thompson mentioned that some rumors hold that Triple H and HBK quashed the idea of Shawn working with Owen. JR believes that while that might be true, it’s also the case that Vince McMahon didn’t have full faith in Owen.
“Could it have happened? Of course, it could have happened,” JR responded when asked if Triple H and HBK quashed the idea of Owen feuding with Shawn. “Can I confirm that it definitely happened? No, I cannot. I don’t know the answer.”
“I don’t know if there was as much confidence in Vince’s eyes in Owen because of the perception that Owen didn’t have this animal magnetism that Bret possessed.”
“So maybe Vince’s lack of total confidence in Owen affected that decision making. Owen was another guy just like Shawn, you knew that bell-to-bell, nobody was going to be better. Owen Hart was a great worker but maybe he didn’t have that zest of charisma to the level that Bret had and that is what he was being compared to. That was obviously not that fair, but that’s the only thing I can think of, Conrad.”
“Maybe Shawn and Hunter just wanted to get away from the Hart thing. They rode that horse a long time. I don’t know, I don’t have the answer to that scenario, I wish I did.”
A clip of JR talking with Conrad Thompson about the Owen Hart vs Shawn Michaels feud in 1998 is below:
Shawn Michaels coming out of retirement in 2002 is one of the most unbelievable wrestling returns of all time. Broadcasting legend Jim Ross reveals that he was one of the people who convinced HBK to lace up the boots once again.
JR discussed Michaels’ comeback during a recent Royal Rumble themed episode of his Grilling JR podcast. Michaels had a Hall-of-Fame-worthy career up until WrestleMania 14. Sadly, he was forced out of the ring due to a debilitating back injury. Towards the end of his run, Michaels was admittedly difficult to deal with. According to Jim Ross, he told the Heartbreak Kid that his legacy deserved better than how he was remembered in 1998.
“My pitch to Shawn was always that you can’t allow your legacy to end this way,” said Ross. “You have put a bad taste in peoples mouth, whether inadvertently or premeditatedly. I don’t know and I don’t really care. Right now, the perception of you is not so positive.”
Jim Ross recalls telling Shawn Michaels that he was up there with Ric Flair as one of the greatest pro wrestlers ever. He owed it to himself and the fans to make things right.
“For a guy that’s considered to be, along with Ric Flair, the two greatest in ring performers of all time, that’s just not right,” Ross recalls telling Michaels. “It’s not right for you or your fans.”
Shawn Michaels’ back was in bad shape for some time, but was worsened at the 1998 Royal Rumble during a match with The Undertaker. After dropping the WWE Championship to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at WrestleMania, he closed the book on what was thankfully only the first half of his storied career.
Michaels made sporadic non-wrestling appearances for WWE over the next several years. He made a full-time return to the ring in 2002. He wrested a full-time schedule until 2010. That run included classic matches against the likes of Triple H, Kurt Angle, John Cena and of course, The Undertaker.
WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor was recently interviewed by Vicente Beltran of the ViBe & Wrestling podcast. The Irish Superstar would discuss a number of topics during his time on the show, including working with Triple H and Shawn Michaels in the ‘developmental’ brand.
“For me? I feel very fortunate that I’ve gotten to work very closely with some of my heroes in the wrestling business” Finn Balor began. “Shawn Michaels and Triple H being two. Obviously, I’ve worked very closely with Triple H for many years since I began at NXT. And of course William Regal.”
“Then more recently in the second run with NXT? Shawn Michaels is heavily involved behind the scenes” Finn Balor then continued. “So, getting to know him and learn from him and pick his brain on what he feels is a good direction to take the business? I’ve learned so much from.”
Balor finished by talking about how surreal it has been to work work with some of the wrestling legends he grew up idolizing.
“It’s always very surreal to be working with these guys that you idolized or you grew up watching and had their t-shirts or had their action figures. Now you’re having a discussion or debate on what you think is a good direction to go. I feel very fortunate to have that kind of environment in NXT.”
‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair recently spoke to WWE UK to promote the upcoming Raw Legends Night. During the interview, Flair was asked who he considers to be the greatest worker in the history of the wrestling business and the 16 time world champion took the name of Shawn Michaels:
“It’s not arguable anymore; Shawn is the greatest worker in the history of our business. I think everybody would give that to him. He carried me in my farewell retirement match, no matter how many people want to think I was holding up my end of it, I was trying to get through it.”
Talking about his WWE retirement match at WrestleMania XXIV some more, Ric Flair said that he did not have the self-confidence to rise to the occasion at the time but Shawn made it look like he did:
“At that point in my career I did not have the self-confidence that I needed to have to rise to the occasion and he made it look like I did. I’ve looked back and actually had time the past couple of years to watch some of Shawn’s matches that he had while I was at WCW and Shawn just is a class act.”
The former world champion also praised Ricky Steamboat during the interview and he said that he would put Shawn and Steamboat in a class of their own.
WWE will be celebrating Legends Night on the first Raw of 2021 on January 4 and the show will feature the return of many big names such as Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Mickie James and more.
The Undertaker has reflected on his initial thoughts on WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, revealing how he “didn’t care” for Michaels at first when they first met and eventually started working together.
“Early on in my career and when Shawn was there, I didn’t care for Shawn personally,” Taker told the New York Post. “I thought he was an arrogant little s**t.”
Regardless of his initial opinions on “The Heartbreak Kid,” The Undertaker couldn’t deny Michaels’ in-ring ability. He explained how there’s “[…] still no one I would rather get in the ring with it and work [with]. That’s just how good he is.”
“The Dead Man” then reflected on how problematic Michaels used to be. He recalled the night of WrestleMania XIV, where Michaels was headlining in a matchup against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. According to The Undertaker, he wasn’t sure Michaels would go through with dropping the WWF Championship to Austin. He recalled how he was ready to make sure “business was done that night” if not.
He confessed he didn’t tell Michaels the truth of what could have erupted between them for years. ‘Taker admitted he felt bad about being willing to go to those lengths as their “relationship had changed so much.”
After finally telling Michaels, the Undertaker shared how HBK later brought it up and asked him about it. He wanted to know if Undertaker would have really gone through with it. ‘Taker denied it, claiming it was all rumors, which placated Michaels.
“The whole time in my head I’m like, ‘I was gonna smash you if you didn’t drop that belt to Steve.’ But yeah, he’s a completely different person, I love him to death now. But, yeah, that’s the story. I was sitting there hands taped ready to do whatever I needed to be done.”
WWE hosts The Undertaker’s ‘Final Farewell‘ 30th Anniversary celebrations at this Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view.
Survivor Series takes place on November 22 from the Amway Center in Orlando, FL.
Bruce Prichard was part of the backstage WWE crew for over two decades and he was involved in the planning of many big angles and matches that took place over the years of his employment.
On the latest episode of his Something To Wrestle With podcast, Prichard revealed one such WrestleMania match they had planned involving the late great Eddie Guerrero which couldn’t take place.
Prichard revealed that the idea of a dream match between Guerrero and the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels was being kicked around for WrestleMania 22:
“It was kicked around as a possibility because they never worked together, and that was, at least in my head, a dream match,” said Prichard. “That was one of those that I definitely would love to have seen.”
However, the talks of a match between the two legends never came to fruition because Eddie Guerrero, unfortunately, passed away due to heart failure in November 2005, six months prior to the big event.
The changed direction for Shawn Michaels then saw the former DX member competing against the WWE chairman Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred match at the show. Michaels won this bout after delivering a diving elbow drop from the top of a ladder to McMahon, followed by the Sweet Chin Music.
Undisputed Era’s Kyle O’Reilly has commented on his momentous win from last night’s episode of NXT. O’Reilly bested Cameron Grimes, Timothy Thatcher, Bronson Reed, and Kushida to win the first-ever NXT Gauntlet Eliminator match. This victory has propelled O’Reilly into an NXT Championship match against Finn Balor at NXT TakeOver: 31.
Speaking with Sarah Schreiber backstage in a WWE Network Exclusive, O’Reilly reflected on his win calling his championship match the “biggest moment” of his life.
“[…] I came into this match on relatively short notice, but we make the most of these opportunities. TakeOver isn’t just the biggest match for Kyle O’Reilly’s career, which it is, it’s not just a huge match for The Undisputed Era as a whole, which it is, this is the biggest moment of my life.”
When asked if he was nervous about facing off against Finn Balor, O’Reilly confessed he has been experiencing some “butterflies.” He opened up, admitting how the idea of competing at TakeOver against Balor gives him “goosebumps” before stressing how this opportunity is “huge for me.”
“I thrive under high presser situations. I mean, it really drives me, Sarah. Can you think of a higher pressure situation than the main event of TakeOver for the NXT Championship? Please, tell me if there is one, because I don’t think there is. So, Finn Balor, NXT, the world, is gonna see just what Kyle O’Reilly can do when he’s under pressure.”
O’Reilly Praised by Hall of Famers
Following his main event win, both Triple H and Shawn Michaels commented on O’Reilly’s achievement.
Triple H stressed how O’Reilly’s success “shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone” before praising his dedication to pro wrestling. He noted how O’Reilly versus Balor “has the ability to steal the show.”
Shawn Michaels looked back on his retirement from pro wrestling while doing an interview with Bleacher Report.
The former WWE Champion retired following a second straight loss to The Undertaker back in 2010 at WrestleMania 26.
It turns out that the original plan for his retirement wouldn’t have happened at WrestleMania. Instead, they had an idea to do something similar to what many pro athletes like Kobe Bryant and Derek Jeter have had done.
Michaels would’ve had a final match in major cities. Ultimately, he decided against it the night of WrestleMania 26.
“After that match, myself and Taker and Michael Hayes were doing what we did the year before too, sitting in a room by ourselves with a shot of Jack Daniels,” Michaels said.
“I told them, ‘You know what? That might be the one to end it all. I don’t think I’m going to do that other thing.’ And Michael said, ‘I agree.’ And so I just sort of decided right there that was going to be it.”
He teamed up with Triple H to beat The Undertaker and Kane in a tag team match at WWE Crown Jewel on November 2, 2018, at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This match ended up being the main event of this show.
It marked the first time that Michaels had wrestled a match since 2010.
WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels was reportedly involved in a heated backstage argument before the NXT Takeover: In Your House event this past Sunday night.
According to FightFul, the Heartbreak Kid who is an important behind the scene figure of the Black And Yellow brand got into a heated debate with another WWE producer before the show went on air.
Though the debate did not have anything to do with the show and it was about the current events in the United States and the issues of racism in the country.
The other un-named producer reportedly claimed that everyone already gets treated the same in United States and these comments did not sit well with Shawn.
The DX member got upset over the remarks and he responded with an explanation on inequality and systemic racism in the country. Though he was professional in the debate.
It appears that things did not reach a breaking point as, despite his anger, Shawn Michaels and the other WWE official worked the Takeover event after the argument.
The WWE veteran has been working with the stars from the NXT brand for a while now and the current NXT Champion Adam Cole is among the names the former World Champion has worked closely with.
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Heartbreak Kid took part in an NXT Takeover: In Your House themed episode of the WWE Network show. HBK discussed a number of topics from his career both in and out of the ring.
One of the points that Shawn Michaels addressed was recently re-hired NXT Superstar Drake Maverick. The British Superstar was one of the unlucky talents who were released as part of Black Wednesday; and following his announced release by WWE he uploaded a video to Twitter that seemingly helped to save his job with the company.
Following his loss in the NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament final, Triple H appeared to give Drake Maverick a contract and confirm that the former Rockstar Spud was not going anywhere else in the pro wrestling world. There has been some backlash to the angle, as some have felt that it was in poor taste to play off a real world situation where a number of people lost their ‘dream’ jobs.
Shawn Michaels on Drake Maverick
“I gotta say, look I know it’s not a breakout star? But? I’m thrilled for Drake Maverick” Shawn Michaels said on The Bump. “I’m thrilled to have him, we’ve, you know, we’ve wanted to keep Drake for a long time. So I’m glad we got him.
HBK would go on to mention some more talent from the NXT roster who he sees could be ‘breakout’ stars. “Karrion Kross has made a huge impact in NXT. I think it’s obvious that there’s a lot more to come from him. I think Dexter Loomis does a great job. Fantastic. I think has been fantastic.”
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Heartbreak Kid took part in an NXT Takeover: In Your House themed episode of the WWE Network show. HBK discussed a number of topics from his career both in and out of the ring.
One of the points that Shawn Michaels addressed was NXT Champion Adam Cole. The leader of the Undisputed Era faction has had fans and critics alike drawing comparisons between NXT’s Champion and HBK.
Shawn Michaels on Adam Cole
“I certainly see what everybody is talking about” Shawn Michaels would say; discussing how alike he and Cole are/were as performers. “He’s unbelievably talented, he’s charismatic. And so yes, I do, I see…I certainly see the comparisons.”
Shawn Michaels would then talk about how ‘flattering’ it is being compared to a talent such as Adam Cole. “I’m always flattered by that, Adam is an absolutely fabulous dude. He’s an incredible champion, he has carried the banner of NXT and the NXT Championship in a way that is going to be tough to match.”
HBK elaborated further, saying “especially from just being a pro and being there for everything and doing everything as a Champion. It’s already been impressive how long he stayed there [on top] but you gotta wonder when that shoe is gonna drop and when that luck is gonna run out.”
Adam Cole would defend his NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream at the Takeover: In Your House event this past weekend. Cole was successful in the Backlot Brawl match, hitting a Panama Sunrise onto a huge stack of chairs to defeat Dream.
Do you see the comparisons between Shawn Michaels and Adam Cole? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famers Triple H and Shawn Michaels addressed social media’s impact on WWE during an interview with Inside the Ropes. The WWE Legends acknowledged how social media has impacted upon not only WWE’s creative process but how fans interact with the product and Superstars.
Triple H spoke about how everybody has an opinion. He pointed to how some characters are positioned to be a heel but end up being cheered. Conversely, they will position someone to be a babyface, only to have a large chunk of the crowd dislike them. He admitted how it’s tougher than it ever has been to create a character that is universally liked or disliked.
He stressed that this isn’t just isolated to pro wrestling, pointing to the music industry as a comparison. Triple H noted how artists will put out an album and how social media will display extreme opinions on both sides.
Using Triple H’s album analogy, Shawn Michaels added how “After you purchase the album we’re good. You know what I mean? Whatever decision you want to come up with after that, knock your socks off.”
Triple H & Shawn Michaels On Encouraging The WWE Universe
Triple H expressed how he loves the passion from the WWE Universe, regardless of whether it’s positive or negative. He called it “funny” how some people believe WWE manipulate crowd noise to try and convince them to cheer or boo a Superstar. It’s something he staunchly denies, adding how “It’s just what’s happening.”
“But they’re so passionate about it, but the fact that, we love the fact that they can express their opinion. We love the fact that they can go out there and say, ‘This is great,’ ‘This isn’t great,’ ‘This guy’s a good guy,’ ‘That person’s a bad guy,’ whatever that is, right, and yet, if they also, if they tell us they dislike something, if we’re smart, we listen to that. Might take a while but we can fix it.”
Michaels added how he believes it’s better to have fan engagement rather than total ambivalence. If nobody had an opinion on what they were doing, that would be the time he’d be concerned. “[…] what’s gonna really suck is the day when nobody cares, when nobody wants a picture, when nobody wants an autograph. So, no matter how much, better to have that ‘hassle’ than no hassle at all, and I think that’s how all of us in this line of work look at it.”
Shawn Michaels has taken a coaching position in NXT in recent times and the WWE Hall Of Famer has helped mentor many of the current generation NXT stars such as Adam Cole and Velveteen Dream.
The former World Champion recently appeared on WWE Backstage where he talked about things like working with Drew McIntyre, his work in the development territory and more.
When asked who he thinks is going to be the next big star in
the Black and Yellow brand, Shawn said that it’s a changing group of people
before naming stars such as Killer Kross and Dexter Lumis:
“As you know it’s sort of an always changing group, so
to speak, over the years, I started with Drew McIntyre, Aleister Black,
Ricochet, and The Revival. On to Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, and of
course, Adam Cole and Velveteen Dream.
“Killer Kross — or Karrion Kross — I should probably be better about saying that.” said Shawn Michaels. “Dexter Lumis, [Timothy] Thatcher, I think there’s a number of guys coming up that are going to be very interesting, and again, take NXT to that next level.”
The former DX member also talked about his friendship with Diesel and said that the current NXT stars Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez have the same kind of bonding.
Apart from this, Shawn Michaels talked about putting together the Triple H tribute segment from last Friday’s SmackDown and more. You can check out his full interview below:
It’s been a wild few days for the WWE roster as they’ve been in Orlando, Florida for the last week to tape various programs at the Performance Center.
PWinsider.com reported on Monday that WWE has talent in town and those stars in the city to work the tapings are locked down at one hotel.
In fact, the whole hotel is full of WWE people ranging from talent, creative, and production as they have completely taken over with morning production meetings in a conference room.
It was also noted that WWE has only brought in producers who already live in Florida and did not bring in producers who live in other parts of the country. Jamie Noble, Adam Pearce, Road Dogg, and Shawn Michaels have been at the tapings.
The multi-day marathon taping schedule at the training kicked off on Saturday with two episodes of SmackDown. Taping for future episodes of NXT took place on Sunday from Full Sail University.
Monday will see a live broadcast of Monday Night RAW on the USA Network while Tuesday will see the March 30th and April 6th RAW episodes be taped. Moving forward to Wednesday and Thursday, WWE will tape both nights of WrestleMania 36.
WWE is trying their best to prevent someone from possibly contracting coronavirus, which has seen an outbreak in the United States over the last two weeks.
Clearly, if someone would get the virus while working the tapings then it would not be good as it could spread to other people.
With WWE not having any fans in attendance and only essential people at the shows, the company is staying within the CDC recommendations.
Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair are widely considered to be two of the best professional wrestlers of all time. Arn Anderson was recently asked the question of who he feels is the better wrestler between the two.
“That’s impossible to say because they’re different. They are each incredible in their own right,” Anderson said on an episode of his podcast with Conrad Thompson. “Shawn Michaels is to me the consummate babyface. Talk about a guy that does have babyface skills, nobody sells better, nobody can tell a story better in the ring, his ability to make it a comeback that you believe in.”
Anderson would then continue to say that while HBK was the consummate babyface, Ric Flair was the consummate heel.
“Ric – consummate heel,” Anderson continued. “Even though he gets cheered, Ric is still a heel, Ric will always be a heel. He’s just one of those guys you love to hate.”
In terms of who is better between the two, however, Anderson said there is no way to tell.
“There is no way to say one is better than the other,” Anderson concluded.
Anderson’s comments can be heard in the player below:
WWE COO Triple H and trainer at the WWE Performance Center and Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels recently appeared on the After The Bell podcast with Corey Graves. During the show the former D-Generation X members discussed a variety of topics; notably NXT and where the brand is headed.
(HB)UK
Triple H made some interesting comments regarding NXT UK, saying that the ‘Heartbreak Kid’ has actually taken over the reigns of the project over in the United Kingdom. “The one thing that Shawn isn’t even mentioning on his end, everybody has so much going on, but as NXT was evolving to USA [Network] and picking up that pace it made me have to back out of some things,” Hunter explained. “Shawn picked up the ball on the UK and basically that got pushed his way. He was such an integral part of it anyway that he just kind of latched on more to it. He’s been heading over there, what is it? Every five or six weeks we do television. He’s kind of heading over there and spearheading that. Sort of taking on the ownership of that brand totally in and of himself.”
Jim Smallman Working Under Shawn Michaels
Triple H elaborated further, mentioning how there is still a team behind Michaels at NXT’s UK division. This includes former PROGRESS Wrestling co-owner Jim Smallman; who will be leaving the company at the end of this year to join NXT UK full time. “We still have other people that are involved in it and a team over there, Jim Smallman and everybody else. But Shawn’s really been the one that’s spearheaded that project. So on top of NXT becoming this weekly thing and everything else he has also been going over there and guiding that ship so to speak. So he’s been double busy and it’s been awesome because that brand is taking off as well.”
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently took part in an online Q&A session on Facebook. When asked about working with WWE Legends, and fellow Hall of Famers, Triple H and Shawn Michaels, Angle revealed how much the two helped him grow as a performer, thanks to their willingness to share their knowledge.
“HHH and Shawn were not only extremely talented in the ring, but they shared so much of their knowledge of the business. I took their advice on many occasions. DX will always be the hottest clique in sports entertainment.”
When a fan asked him if he would still be performing in the square circle given a chance, Angle replied: “No more wrestling for me.” He explained that he is now a WWE Producer and enjoys helping current Superstars structure their matches. However, Angle admitted that, if he had a preference, he would still choose to compete in the ring. He added how he is now 51 years old and that it’s time for him to “step aside and allow the young guys to do their thing.”
Angle wrestled his farewell match during this past April’s WrestleMania 35 event in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. Despite his best efforts, he eventually lost his final bout to Baron Corbin.
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels has spent the last few years coaching at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. His role has also seen him positioned as an instrumental part of the black-and-gold brand, helping to train up and coming NXT talent into true Superstars.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Michaels reflected on his role within WWE, stating how his time in the ring has come to an end. For him, it’s all about cultivating the next generation of stars.
“I’d rather stay behind the scenes and let the stars of tomorrow take their rightful place,” Michaels said. “My time has come and gone. This is all about them. NXT is wrestling at its best. We’re going to continue on that track, and that’s showing people the best talent in WWE, which is in NXT.”
Some of NXT’s most notable names include Adam Cole, Shayna Baszler and Keith Lee. To Michaels, they all deliver in every match he has seen them in.
“They deliver every single time they’re out there,” said Michaels. “All three of them all embrace and adapt to big situations. I’ve never seen one of them not look cool, calm or collected when they go out into high impact, highly visible matches. There hasn’t been a time for any of them where the situation was too big or got the better of them, and that gives us a great deal of confidence moving forward. These are all big-time performers.”
He noted how, when he first accepted the role in 2016, he wasn’t sure about what the job might entail. Once he began interacting with the Superstars, however, the role simply got a hold of him. Their hunger to prove themselves helped reinvigorate his passion and desire to be involved in the pro wrestling industry.
The Undisputed Era is at the top of its game in NXT. All four members are currently champions: Adam Cole is the NXT Champion, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly are the NXT Tag Team Champions, and Roderick Strong the NXT North American Champion.
With all the talented members making up this seemingly perfect stable, is there a place for another wrestler in the team?
Adam Cole answered this question recently in an interview. Cole thinks the only wrestler that can join the Undisputed Era is a legend – whose name is Shawn Michaels.
“I’m not just saying him because I think he’s the greatest to ever,” Cole told Digital Spy during a tour of the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. “But I feel like Shawn Michaels would be such a cool fit in the Undisputed Era.”
Fish and O’Reilly also share the same thought, but they believe Michaels could fit the assistant role more for the stable. “He could be someone to shine the belts for us,” Fish said. “Or help us carry our bags.”
The Undisputed Era debuted on August 19, 2017, at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III. Fish and O’Reilly first won the NXT Tag Team Championship in November 2017, and Cole became the inaugural North American Champion. The stable has since seen championship success, having captured the gold and black brand’s championships six times collectively.
Adam Cole is also one of the only two NXT Triple Crown winners – he has held the NXT Championship, NXT North American Championship, and the NXT Tag Team Championship in his career. He completed the NXT Triple Crown the fastest, doing so within 420 days, between April 2018 and June 2019.
During a recent episode of the State of Combat Podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels addressed his involvement with Dolph Ziggler’s recent feud with Goldberg. Ziggler and Goldberg would face each other one-on-one last month at WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.
The build-up to this match involved a tease that Michaels might feud with Ziggler. This led the WWE Universe to speculate that HBK could be coming back for one more match. When discussing whether there was ever a possibility he would be getting back in the ring, Michaels confessed there was “absolutely no thought of me and Dolph.”
“I never know when the phone call is going to come and I’m going to jump on a plane,” Shawn explained. “I was just sort of doing what I was asked to do. If nothing else, with all these years later, after 30 years, I’m a pretty good employee. I just do what I am told, so to speak. It was fun to do but there was absolutely no thought of me and Dolph or anything like that. It was always going to be Bill Goldberg, but perhaps they needed somebody to light the fuse for Dolph Ziggler in that respect and I was the guy to do it as best as I could.”
Ziggler went on to face off, and be decimated by, Goldberg in 1 minute and 50 seconds.
