Remember Shawn Michaels- RAW Announcer?

[Unocal 76]

Watching the old RAWS on WWE Network, there were some occasional 1994 and 1995 RAW broadcasts when HBK would call the action alongside Vinnie Mac.

Most famously, I remember he was pretty hilarious during the infamous Fink/Wippleman Tuxedo Match at the RAW in the Houston Summit (The first and only time RAW of the 1-hour era really ventured into a big arena)

And I also remember for one night in July 1998 (The RAW in East Rutherford one week after DX Impersonated the Nation) and was prett funny during the Brawl for All match

EDIT: Mods, can this be moved to 'Rest of Wrestling'? I accidentally posted this in the wrong section

[Paco]

Yup. That's pretty much all he did between Survivor Series '94 & Royal Rumble '95.

Why was HBK so inactive for a year (Mania 10 till Rumble '95)?
...and he still got a Tag Title reign in there!

[lws]

he failed a drug test around that time so they punished him by keeping him in the announce booth

raw had a lot of wrestlers guest as announcers during the time and it was actually a really cool idea that would be neat if they brought back

the whole announce team right now is horrible, but i imagine a team of a regular play-by-play, a regular former wrestler, and then one rotating current wrestler, would be a pretty neat idea to float around again

[Deleted]

I recall Shawn "helping" push the hair vs. hair match between X-Pac and Jeff Jarrett by saying, "Someone is gonna leave looking bald and uncool."

(Wade Keller responded in his Raw review: "Somebody tell Steve Austin he's uncool.")

[Amazing Kitsune]

One night he and Vince were commentating during the mid 90s, they start talking about Christmas as they're going off of the air. Michaels ad-libs about having stockings put up, 'But when he tries to put candy in them, it just keeps falling out." implying that they were fishnet stockings. Kind of a risque joke, I guess. A millisecond before it fades to black, Vince looks at him with the meanest, angriest scowl you've ever seen from "Aw shucks" face McMahon.

[willyjakes]

I still remember one incident during that period where they panned to Michaels during some commentary and he had some "sugar" in his beard so they quickly cut away.

Not sure what RAW it was but I've been scouring youtube trying to find the incident.

[hassanchop]

Here's one of his commentaries:

youtu.be/QVJgaJPP93A?t=1m3s

[The Dark Order Inferno]

Mar 26, 2015 5:06:29 GMT -5 lws said:

he failed a drug test around that time so they punished him by keeping him in the announce booth

raw had a lot of wrestlers guest as announcers during the time and it was actually a really cool idea that would be neat if they brought back

the whole announce team right now is horrible, but i imagine a team of a regular play-by-play, a regular former wrestler, and then one rotating current wrestler, would be a pretty neat idea to float around again

And that's why Shawn became an uncontrollable jackass, he got suspended but they kept his push going, leading him to believe he was utterly bulletproof, which he probably was.

[cjh]

When did Shawn fail a drug test in 1994?

In September 1993, Vince informed him that he had failed a steroid test, and Shawn refused to admit guilt, deciding to take a longer suspension and being stripped of the IC title instead of the lesser punishment he was offered if he would admit that he had taken something.

However, I've heard nothing about a 1994 drug suspension. After Savage left, Raw didn't have a full-time color man for months, and Shawn was just one guy who filled the spot, along with Lawler and Cornette. Plus, he clearly wasn't suspended when he won the Royal Rumble and did commentary on all 3 Raw episodes that were taped the next night.