Shawn Michaels' four year absence from the ring.

[agent817]

Okay, the Attitude Era booking thread had me thinking. What was Shawn's real reason from having a four year hiatus from the ring? People can say that it was his back, but other people say it was because of his drug problems. I mean, sure, his back injury was serious and he did end up having surgery on his back. However, he did recover after a while, but he didn't make his return until 2002.

However, I am certain that Shawn didn't initially plan on returning full-time like he ended up doing. What was it really? His back injury or his drug problem?

[Big L]

Probably both

[kamero00]

During his hiatus Daniel Bryan said he was in the ring with them at the wrestling school. He also said he would have his good days and bad days.

[Mayonnaise]

Oct 7, 2012 21:53:27 GMT -5 Big L said:

Probably both

Yeah this is most likely it. He did have horrible back problems but masked it/made it worse with his drug issues. He had a few matches and did work in his school but that was also ignoring his back issues as well.

[hitch]

His back could never have been as bad a shape as they insisted as if it was they would never have risked given him the bumps he took upon his initial return. Even if it was injured and completely healed, a bad back that keeps you off for 4 years isn't something you screw with.

So it was drugs and probably attitude as well. He would not have enjoyed being in the same company with Austin and Rock at their peak and with Taker, HHH and Foley there as well.

[kingoftheindies]

little from column A little from column B from column C

Initially they really thought his back was messed up badly. They had him do a lot of different therapy to just get him in shape for Wrestlemania. After the match the doctors wanted him to try different rehabs for his back as they were amazed with what he did in the ring and wanted him to try and get back full time. Shawn was just in such a bad place mentally that he half assed the rehab.

His drug use was awful as there were several times that they had to cancel his appearances on tv as he was so messed up. When WWF bought WCW, Taker had to be restrained because he was so disgusted with how messed up Shawn was from pills when he showed up backstage to watch the announcement.

Shawn also battled severe depression after Hall/Nash/Pac went to WCW and really didn't start to get over it until he met opened his school as it allowed him to be around wrestling most of the time, and then really improved once he met his wife.

[cabbageboy]

Yeah, and to be honest...who really missed him? He was toast by early 1998 and needed to go away for a long, long time. One of the most damning things about Shawn is that the WWF almost immediately jumped past WCW in the ratings once Austin beat him for the title. Oh and the locker room was much more harmonious without HBK's political presence. But think about that again:

--Shawn wins title at WM 12. WCW starts trouncing WWF in the ratings within 2 months due to guys like Hall and Nash leaving, but in part as well due to fans rejecting Shawn as champ.

--Once he lost the belt to Austin Raw beat Nitro in the ratings the next week.

[hitch]

Oct 7, 2012 22:17:04 GMT -5 cabbageboy said:

Yeah, and to be honest...who really missed him? He was toast by early 1998 and needed to go away for a long, long time. One of the most damning things about Shawn is that the WWF almost immediately jumped past WCW in the ratings once Austin beat him for the title. Oh and the locker room was much more harmonious without HBK's political presence. But think about that again:

--Shawn wins title at WM 12. WCW starts trouncing WWF in the ratings within 2 months due to guys like Hall and Nash leaving, but in part as well due to fans rejecting Shawn as champ.

--Once he lost the belt to Austin Raw beat Nitro in the ratings the next week.

The WWE did suck during those times, however. I think part of it also was that younger men would feel uncomfortable cheering the 'Boy Toy' character. He wasn't really a superstar with whom you could have any street cred buying into.

Male One: What does that say on your t-shirt
Male Two: Shawn Michaels - Sexy Boy
Male One: Um...so you like this guy?
Male Two: Yeah he's the Heart Break Kid. The Boy Toy!
Male One: Uh-huh...*moves away*

[Deleted]

Oct 7, 2012 22:05:42 GMT -5 kingoftheindies said:

little from column A little from column B from column C

Initially they really thought his back was messed up badly. They had him do a lot of different therapy to just get him in shape for Wrestlemania. After the match the doctors wanted him to try different rehabs for his back as they were amazed with what he did in the ring and wanted him to try and get back full time. Shawn was just in such a bad place mentally that he half assed the rehab.

His drug use was awful as there were several times that they had to cancel his appearances on tv as he was so messed up. When WWF bought WCW, Taker had to be restrained because he was so disgusted with how messed up Shawn was from pills when he showed up backstage to watch the announcement.

Shawn also battled severe depression after Hall/Nash/Pac went to WCW and really didn't start to get over it until he met opened his school as it allowed him to be around wrestling most of the time, and then really improved once he met his wife.

Shawn was married long before his problems peaked. They got married in the spring of 1999, and his drug problems lasted well into 2001.

His return at SummerSlam 2002 aganist HHH was apparently supposed to be a one-off at first. He was on Byte This a few days prior to the show, saying that it would probably be his last singles match and that, depending on how he felt afterwards, he might consider a tag match or something later.

[hitch]

Oct 7, 2012 22:22:20 GMT -5 @chrisc said:

Oct 7, 2012 22:05:42 GMT -5 kingoftheindies said:

little from column A little from column B from column C

Initially they really thought his back was messed up badly. They had him do a lot of different therapy to just get him in shape for Wrestlemania. After the match the doctors wanted him to try different rehabs for his back as they were amazed with what he did in the ring and wanted him to try and get back full time. Shawn was just in such a bad place mentally that he half assed the rehab.

His drug use was awful as there were several times that they had to cancel his appearances on tv as he was so messed up. When WWF bought WCW, Taker had to be restrained because he was so disgusted with how messed up Shawn was from pills when he showed up backstage to watch the announcement.

Shawn also battled severe depression after Hall/Nash/Pac went to WCW and really didn't start to get over it until he met opened his school as it allowed him to be around wrestling most of the time, and then really improved once he met his wife.

Shawn was married long before his problems peaked. They got married in the spring of 1999, and his drug problems lasted well into 2001.

His return at SummerSlam 2002 aganist HHH was apparently supposed to be a one-off at first. He was on Byte This a few days prior to the show, saying that it would probably be his last singles match and that, depending on how he felt afterwards, he might consider a tag match or something later.

I doubt the authenticity of his Byte This comments. I wouldn't be surprised if this 'one off' thing was a ruse to build up the importance of the match. Same as his 'back injury' was built up to illicit gasps whenever he took a bump.

I honestly wouldn't see the point bringing him back for just one match and I doubt WWE would have really either have entertained it.

[kingoftheindies]

Oct 7, 2012 22:22:20 GMT -5 @chrisc said:

Oct 7, 2012 22:05:42 GMT -5 kingoftheindies said:

little from column A little from column B from column C

Initially they really thought his back was messed up badly. They had him do a lot of different therapy to just get him in shape for Wrestlemania. After the match the doctors wanted him to try different rehabs for his back as they were amazed with what he did in the ring and wanted him to try and get back full time. Shawn was just in such a bad place mentally that he half assed the rehab.

His drug use was awful as there were several times that they had to cancel his appearances on tv as he was so messed up. When WWF bought WCW, Taker had to be restrained because he was so disgusted with how messed up Shawn was from pills when he showed up backstage to watch the announcement.

Shawn also battled severe depression after Hall/Nash/Pac went to WCW and really didn't start to get over it until he met opened his school as it allowed him to be around wrestling most of the time, and then really improved once he met his wife.

Shawn was married long before his problems peaked. They got married in the spring of 1999, and his drug problems lasted well into 2001.

His return at SummerSlam 2002 aganist HHH was apparently supposed to be a one-off at first. He was on Byte This a few days prior to the show, saying that it would probably be his last singles match and that, depending on how he felt afterwards, he might consider a tag match or something later.

I was talking more about depression

[Deleted]

Oct 7, 2012 22:24:51 GMT -5 hitch said:

Oct 7, 2012 22:22:20 GMT -5 @chrisc said:

Shawn was married long before his problems peaked. They got married in the spring of 1999, and his drug problems lasted well into 2001.

His return at SummerSlam 2002 aganist HHH was apparently supposed to be a one-off at first. He was on Byte This a few days prior to the show, saying that it would probably be his last singles match and that, depending on how he felt afterwards, he might consider a tag match or something later.

I doubt the authenticity of his Byte This comments. I wouldn't be surprised if this 'one off' thing was a ruse to build up the importance of the match. Same as his 'back injury' was built up to illicit gasps whenever he took a bump.

I honestly wouldn't see the point bringing him back for just one match and I doubt WWE would have really either have entertained it.

He basically said he wanted to do the SummerSlam and see how his body would hold up before he committed to anything else, but figured that it would be his last one-on-one match.

The interview was done as a complete shoot, as he talked about how he didn't sell when he was supposed to during the previous Monday's Raw due to getting so pumped up by the crowd reaction.

[Deleted]

Oct 7, 2012 22:27:30 GMT -5 kingoftheindies said:

Oct 7, 2012 22:22:20 GMT -5 @chrisc said:

Shawn was married long before his problems peaked. They got married in the spring of 1999, and his drug problems lasted well into 2001.

His return at SummerSlam 2002 aganist HHH was apparently supposed to be a one-off at first. He was on Byte This a few days prior to the show, saying that it would probably be his last singles match and that, depending on how he felt afterwards, he might consider a tag match or something later.

I was talking more about depression

I figured he was just a complete wreck that whole time, from 1995 (maybe earlier) to 2001.

[agent817]

Oct 7, 2012 22:21:22 GMT -5 hitch said:

Oct 7, 2012 22:17:04 GMT -5 cabbageboy said:

Yeah, and to be honest...who really missed him? He was toast by early 1998 and needed to go away for a long, long time. One of the most damning things about Shawn is that the WWF almost immediately jumped past WCW in the ratings once Austin beat him for the title. Oh and the locker room was much more harmonious without HBK's political presence. But think about that again:

--Shawn wins title at WM 12. WCW starts trouncing WWF in the ratings within 2 months due to guys like Hall and Nash leaving, but in part as well due to fans rejecting Shawn as champ.

--Once he lost the belt to Austin Raw beat Nitro in the ratings the next week.

The WWE did suck during those times, however. I think part of it also was that younger men would feel uncomfortable cheering the 'Boy Toy' character. He wasn't really a superstar with whom you could have any street cred buying into.

Male One: What does that say on your t-shirt
Male Two: Shawn Michaels - Sexy Boy
Male One: Um...so you like this guy?
Male Two: Yeah he's the Heart Break Kid. The Boy Toy!
Male One: Uh-huh...*moves away*

I remember watching Bret Hart's DVD a long time ago and there was a clip during the documentary about advertisement and this guy shilling Shawn Michaels' merchandise. Sunglasses, poster, a t-shirt, I think to myself, if a boy were to have all of that, I bet he would be picked on. The T-shirt and poster look like something girls would use.

I would have to say his shirts from after his comeback were a lot better.

[Throwback]

^A buddy of mine had a bunch of Shawn Merch. He had the red zebra gloves, the red zebra hat, the heart shaped glasses and a black Shawn t-shirt. He used to wear them to school in elementary and nobody made fun of him. But he did stop wearing all his Shawn stuff by the time we got to Jr High so you may have a point.

[kingoftheindies]

Oct 7, 2012 22:46:53 GMT -5 @chrisc said:

Oct 7, 2012 22:27:30 GMT -5 kingoftheindies said:

I was talking more about depression

I figured he was just a complete wreck that whole time, from 1995 (maybe earlier) to 2001.

oh he was even before that. He had drug problems for a long time, but he also battled bouts of depression.

1.He openly admitted that after the Rockers got fired during their first WWF run, that there were days he wish he had a gun so he could kill himself as he hated everything about touring the deep south after being released.

2.During or around the time of when he started his single run he got divorced and a lot of people turned on him because they felt he should've helped Marty Jannetty through his problems, and Marty also hated him.

3.WHen the Outsiders left for WCW, they wouldn't let Shawn travel or room with Hunter on the road.

4. He was hated by so many people. He admits that it was his fault, but his attitude back then wasn't to fix problems, but instead to show people how good he was in the ring.

[Deleted]

Oct 8, 2012 10:14:00 GMT -5 kingoftheindies said:

Oct 7, 2012 22:46:53 GMT -5 @chrisc said:

I figured he was just a complete wreck that whole time, from 1995 (maybe earlier) to 2001.

oh he was even before that. He had drug problems for a long time, but he also battled bouts of depression.

1.He openly admitted that after the Rockers got fired during their first WWF run, that there were days he wish he had a gun so he could kill himself as he hated everything about touring the deep south after being released.

2.During or around the time of when he started his single run he got divorced and a lot of people turned on him because they felt he should've helped Marty Jannetty through his problems, and Marty also hated him.

3.WHen the Outsiders left for WCW, they wouldn't let Shawn travel or room with Hunter on the road.

4. He was hated by so many people. He admits that it was his fault, but his attitude back then wasn't to fix problems, but instead to show people how good he was in the ring.

Yeah, I know. That's why I was saying that things didn't improve "when he met his wife". He was getting pulled from TV for drug issues and getting mad at Triple H over it in 2001, two years after he got married. Depression or whatever it was that caused the bad attitude and drug issues for all those years was still there well after he got married. He even had a kid by then who was over a year old, so becoming a father hadn't snapped him out it, either.

[The Ichi]

Didn't he almost get in a fight backstage with HHH at Wrestlemania 17?

[Deleted]

Shawn diddnt want to put Austin over, he got forced to, then he went off in a huff, then decided to stop wrestling to a) heal up nagging injuries (that probably wernt as bad as they made out) and b) because Austin was the face of the company now and Shawn diddnt want to share no spotlight. he would have returned earlier but then The Rock became the face of the company, funny how Shawn Returned around the time The Rock and Austin pretty much quit being full time isnt it?

but i wasnt there, Im not Shawn, I dont know the real reason, but this is how I always thought of it

[Sephiroth]

Like everyone else has said, it was a combo of healing injuries and cleaning up his life. No one else has noted that during his absence he became a Born Again Christian and suddenly seemed to mature a great deal in his attitude. I imagine that if it weren't for that absence he probably never would have been able to bury the hatchet with Bret.