Issues with HBK's 1996 run

[Perfect Timing]

It seems a lot of people had issues with babyface HBK during his 1996 run and his title reign aswell? what was so bad about it. 1996 was one of my favorite years. The previous year was pretty dull and HBK turning face was kind of interesting as he was still a cocky douchebag but targetted heels and stripped for the ladies. He was already the guy we couldn't help admire even when he was a top heel as his ability and charisma had him stand out above everyone. His matches in 1996 were very good with Bulldog,Jarrett,1-2-3 Kid,Mankind and anyone else who was decent. I enjoyed this HBK and didn't really "understand" the need for his turn and DX run, pretty much hated him then.

[Lance Uppercut]

As a young child, I loved hbk and didn’t understand the hate.

Though now, I can see older dudes being annoying by the cocky pretty boy dancing around in strip away gear to a sound about how sexy he is.

Though Shawn is Gay is one of the most direct and to the point chants I’ve heard in wrestling at the time.

[Pushed to the Moon]

Jan 14, 2021 15:05:16 GMT -5 Lance Uppercut said:

As a young child, I loved hbk and didn’t understand the hate.

Though now, I can see older dudes being annoying by the cocky pretty boy dancing around in strip away gear to a sound about how sexy he is.

Though Shawn is Gay is one of the most direct and to the point chants I’ve heard in wrestling at the time.

Yeah I'm the same. I loved it as an 11/12 year old kid and anyone who talks shit about it now seems to have been a bit older at the time and hated the "stripper" thing and how Vince jizzed his pants every time HBK walked out.

[Main Event Mark]

I liked him and was also 12 at the time. But, no lie, I LOVED when Sid beat him at Survivor Series '96.

[sungod2020]

While I didn't have a problem with it at the time(being 9 I was a mark who just went with it), the biggest complaint(at least by the IWC, and maybe older fans at the time) was a forced attempt to humanize by pairing him with trainer Jose Lothario. It was suppose to be like a Rocky/Mickey relationship, student learned by trainer. Unlike Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels wasn't the kind of babyface who embraced the values of whats being taught at wrestling school.

Plus, there's nothing sexy about a guy being accompanied to the ring by a senior citizen. Lothario came off looking like Shawn's pimp or gay older lover, it came off as forced and disenguous.

[Wardlow on Wardlow 54]

Personal problems aside, there was a huge issue with Shawn's run which was a general problem for the WWF as a whole and to an extent, WCW, prior to the formation of the nWo.

The biggest issue, imo, was that he was portrayed as an "aww shucks" white meat babyface in an era where that trope was becoming passé. As proven with Bret in early 1997, being a "good guy" was no longer black and white. Undertaker was a fan-favorite because even though he fought on the "right" side of the ring, he wasn't going out, kissing hands and slapping babies, or anything like that. He was a dark, tortured character with many dimensions to him. Stone Cold the same thing, he was popular because he didn't give a damn. Shawn was out there, getting his shoulders rubbed by some old geezer, while giving the fans a corny nickname and generally doing the right thing because he was a good guy.

It was the same issue Hogan was having in WCW, and that Sting likely would have had if they hadn't been ahead of the curve with him. The difference between Michaels and Hogan, though, is who's ear they had. Vince was stubborn and refused to admit his formula wasn't working, while Bischoff was the one who initially pitched the heel turn to Hogan, and had a big hand in Sting's drastic character change. If Vince had changed course sooner, I think HBK's title run would be looked back upon much more fondly.

[chronocross]

I wasn't crazy about it and was happy for either Vader or Sid to take the title off of him. I liked his matches but the post-match celebration put me off into watching WCW at the time.

I was a bit older around 15 at the time and marked huge for the Sid title win at Survivor Series.

[johnnyk9]

Him against the NWO storyline was a tough thing to go against

[angelofapocalypse]

Once Shawn Michaels turned heel in August of 1997, it did wonders for him. He was on top of the world.

[SmashTV]

Shawn is a natural heel and while his in ring ability is second to none, the face turn felt a bit awkward - especially with the addition of Jose Lothario. Most people didn’t know or care about him, so he seemed more of a hindrance than an asset. Also, you had a slightly darker tone in the product withMankind, Golddust, Stone Cold and Taker. All the nine, ten, eleven year olds from a decade ago had grown up and no doubt wanted an edgier product. 1996 Shawn didn’t provide that.

[fw91]

Again though, who the hell else do you put in that spot? It was his time even if he wasn’t the best person.

[Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story]

I may be wrong here, but I feel like he wasn't getting heel reactions until Survivor Series 96. I was in the second row for that and people lost their shit. It felt like after MSG it was over for the face run.

[Perfect Timing]

You are correct. He was treated like shit during that match and it seemed like the big cheap shot finish with the camera shot actually had people on Sid's side.

[The Rick Jericho]

1995 Shawn was much better. All swag and backed it up in the ring.

[J is Justice]

It was just cringe, in my opinion. He thinks he's a sexy boy and pulls his tights down after winning the Rumble. I even hated him as a kid, though that was mostly because he kept beating my favourites. He was just a natural heel. I mean, he had great matches, but that's not enough for me.

[Milkman Norm]

The issue was much like Diesel in 1995 they took nearly everything that got Shawn over away & turned him into a geek. Like I don't hate on Jose Lothario (don't) because they guy was over at a different time & place but man. In 1996 a balding 60 year-old who your audience doesn't know with your top babyface? That was never gonna work unless you were gonna educate the viewers on non-WWF territorial wrestling history and that's something Vince was never gonna do.

[Deleted]

He was a worse face than Rollins, Miz, and Orton combined.

Nothing he did felt genuine. Nothing was cool about him. When he came on it was embarrassing to be a wrestling fan. Like I was afraid my mom was going to walk into the room. He was sugar coated meat baby face. Had they let Shawn be Shawn instead of this Hogan / Luger babyface, he might have had a better run. The matches were fine but they didn’t have the best roster at the time. Plus the storyline with Diana Hart was really bad and he should have lost to Vader at Summerslam.

I say all of this and HBK is my favorite wrestler of all time.

[Nr1Humanoid]

Jan 14, 2021 15:05:16 GMT -5 Lance Uppercut said:

As a young child, I loved hbk and didn’t understand the hate.

Though now, I can see older dudes being annoying by the cocky pretty boy dancing around in strip away gear to a sound about how sexy he is.

Though Shawn is Gay is one of the most direct and to the point chants I’ve heard in wrestling at the time.

Ask your sisters and your mama how gay Shawn is.

[EvenBaldobombHasAJob]

older male fans were never going to cheer for a chippendales dancer, no matter how good he was in the ring.

[4real]

Jan 15, 2021 9:40:30 GMT -5 fw91 said:

Again though, who the hell else do you put in that spot? It was his time even if he wasn’t the best person.

The only person I think could have been ‘The guy’ in 96 is probably Vader. Have him win the Rumble in his first night in, destroy Bret at Mania then have a dominate run for the rest of the year.

Either that or Vader just beats HBK for the title at Summerslam or earlier (KOTR maybe). But I still think anything WWE had in 96 just isn’t troubling the nWo in terms of popularity.