Shawn Michaels has recalled Vince McMahon’s blunt reaction to the WWE Hall of Famer asking for his release from WWE.
Shawn Michaels was undoubtedly one of WWE’s biggest stars of the nineties but his run in the company during this time was not without controversy.
While the Montreal Screwjob is the most well-remembered situation at this time, the tension between HBK and Bret Hart had previously caused ructions when a backstage fight led to Michaels complaining of “unsafe working conditions” and walking out.
Many wondered at the time if Shawn Michaels would follow his close friends Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to WCW but speaking to The New York Post, Michaels says that despite the stories, that was never a serious consideration:
“I can’t say that I was ever offered a job by Eric Bischoff. Obviously, Scott and Kevin would say, ‘Hey buddy, you get out of your contract, you could come here.’ There was never any real serious offers or plans for me to go there. I remember asking Vince once to let me go. He said, ‘No,’ and that was the end of it.”
Despite taking time away from the ring following WrestleMania 14, Shawn Michaels was still featured as an on-screen character in WWE until he made his return to competition against Triple H in 2002.