The Undertaker – “I Didn’t Always Care For Shawn Michaels As A Human Being”
WWE icon The Undertaker has admitted that WWE Hall Of Famer Shawm Michaels wasn’t always his favourite person when the two were part of the WWE roster.
Shawn Michaels was at the forefront of the New Generation era during the mid-nineties in the then-World Wrestling Federation. The Heartbreak Kid innovated the ladder match, achieved his boyhood dream, lost his smile, screwed Bret Hart, and was knocked out by Mike Tyson during a unique run that saw him go from clean-cut boy toy to abject degenerate.
Behind the scenes, Michaels had built a Kliq to preserve his place at the top of the company and his behaviour at this time as well as his issues with drugs are well documented.
However, HBK was always a top tier performer in the ring, having many classic matches that are still discussed to this day. One of those bouts was with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25. Speaking on WWE’s The Bump, The Undertaker has discussed the “magic” that the two men made that night:
“In my career, this is as close to perfect. I mean there is never perfect but this is as close to it as I ever was. And there was just magic that night. All I had to do was be The Undertaker that night because I knew Shawn was going to be Shawn. And for some reason, we have always had unbelievable chemistry.”
Despite the men’s chemistry in the ring, The Undertaker admits that at his worst, Shawn Michaels was by no means his favourite person:
“I mean, from the very get-go, and I’ve told people this several times through the course of my career, I didn’t always care for Shawn as a human being. But there’s nobody I’d rather work with.”
Long time WWE commentator Michael Cole also reflected on Shawn Michaels’ attitude during the vaunted Attitude Era, calling HBK a “d*ck.”