Jim Cornette Suggests Shawn Michaels EXAGGERATED His Back Injury? (A&E Biography Review) 

I don't blame Cornette. If you cry wolf enough people stop believing you. Remember Shawn lied about his knee in 97 because he didn't want to drop the belt to Bret at WM 13.

0:00 Shawn Michaels paid 15,000 per week while on injury 1:30 Shawn Michaels A&E Documentary 2:32 Marty Jennetty 3:12 Vince McMahon 4:39 Montreal 5:20 DX Nightly Routine 6:20 The Doink Run In story 8:32 A New Shawn Michaels 9:44 Jim Cornette 10:31 Natural Rehab, until 1999 Back Surgery 11:22 Doctors gave him the Ending message

My take is the back injury kept him out in 98/99 and his demons is what kept him out in 00/01,, plus his doubt he could be the performer he was before.

I’ve always believed Bret and Bischoff that they never planned to have Bret show up with the Championship in WCW. Even if Bischoff wanted to I believe Bret would have flat out refused to do it no matter what Bischoff said to him.

I think Shawn was legit hurt. But I don't think his back injury was bad enough to keep him out 4 years. I think it was mainly him cleaning up his act.

VKM remembers what he wants to remember...especially when it comes to people like shawn....And other wwe employees follow his lead on...remembering certain things..

For all we know, VKM may have an excellent memory, and just doesn't want to give away any real information.

Of course he did, nobody stays 4 years away from the business because of a back injury, especially if it's the same guy who lost his smile right before he had to give the title back to Bret at Wrestlemania 13. Shawn Michaels was always about protecting his spot and that of his buddies, ask Pierre Oulett for info

Remember That Promo B4 The Rumble in 04 Between HBK & HHH, Where Hunter Said “👁 Was More Like Ur Kickstand”... He Wasn’t Lying.

Hey Solomonster, I was interested in hearing your thoughts on the RVD Icons documentary. Have you touched on that yet?

There are old matches Shawn had in like 2000 for his independent promotion in Texas somewhere out there online. The back injury definitely hurt him but getting clean and finding god are the two things that kept him away from WWE for a while.

Even though he was completely trashed, it's kind of heartwarming that Shawn had such a high opinion of Jericho even in 2001 that he was offended that Jericho was dressed as Doink.

Or you could say Triple H was…. The Chaperone. 🎶Yeeeeaaaaaahhhhh!🎶

Cornette accusing someone of exaggerating something is like Scarface accusing someone of being a drug addict.

I always thought it wasn't as bad and that he used that time to get sober and be a better person and stuff.

I don't like jim cornette, but I believe HBK exaggerated his bad back. He faked his knee injury in 97 to get out of losing to Bret. And he wasn't happy about losing to Austin at Mania. It sounds right up his alley to throw a hissy fit and quit wrestling & use a minor injury as an excuse.

I remember a nash interview, I think going over 1995, where he said shawn took summers off like a teacher...even nash was like he never heard michaels talk about a hurt back on their travels

Dying from choking on your own vomit is scary.Crash Holly also died from that along with Spicoli.

I could definitely understand HBK trying to put off surgery. Two guys who had similar injuries: Rick Rude and Ricky Steamboat, didn't come back immediately after they had their surgeries.

I just go back to the WM14 match. Early on, Shawn got thrown out of the ring and HHH/Chyna didn't catch him properly and his lower back smacked the floor. If any of what we were told about his condition were true at that time he would've been done right there. Shawn was fine. Nothing about his body mechanics changed until for the first and only time in televised history, Shawn botched the Ric Flair spot in the corner and slammed his lower back into the turnbuckle. From there, it was nothing but dramatics and over-selling. My take; Shawn knew he was being taken out of the main event picture as the Austin era got rolling and he wanted to be in WCW with his buddies, but Vince wouldn't let him out of his contract. Perfect time to lose his smile and go home. I believe there were back problems, sure, but I don't buy the severity of it. Especially with the timing of his in-ring return in 2002. The only real question I have is why did Vince pay him to not go to WCW, as if losing him would've been some kind of death blow to the WWF. Austin was on fire and Rock would rise to main event level a year later. Shawn not being in the ring during the Attitude Era didn't hurt WWF at all. Vince could've easily let Shawn go down south (giggle) and milk some of that Turner money and Raw wouldn't have lost an inch in the ratings war at that point.

The fake part was that god fixed his back.

Michaels deserves a DSotR ep.

15k a week back then is insane!

Right, the guy missed the entire Attitude Era and was out of action for 5 years because he "exaggerated" his injury...

I think it might be from the same episode but Cornette also said that after WCW folded then miraculously his back healed. He had a few matches in 2000-01 but only in local promotions. As far I’m aware he tried to leave but Vince said no, it’s why he was GM for a while. I think it’s a combination of a few things, the back injury, Vince not letting him out of his contract, their not being any competitors so WWE was the only game in town. That’s not even acknowledging his well to summarize his “Issues”. I forget where he said it but Shawn said if he went to WCW he probably would have died. So maybe it’s for the best he came back at that point. I feel WCW would have given the behind the scenes state at the time, exacerbated his issues. Was he as injured as he claimed probably not but I can’t say it didn’t work out for the better. His second run was better than his first in my opinion.

Not sure if that picture of Shawn in the corner of this video is actually Shawn Michaels or Matt Riddle bro.

I'm always amazed that casket did so much damage, because it looked like Shawn barely touched it.

They never go into late 98. He was the commissioner & was completely wasted on TV. This was the tapings before Mick Foley won the WWE Title.

I mean to be fair, hbk had a history of fuckin wit ppl wit his injuries, remember his knee?

Why did they use old interview footage with his wife? Are they separated? Could be Covid thing? Maybe she’s not in Orlando. Just found it strange that they didn’t have a current interview with her.

I assumed that it was Vince following through on his threat to bench him. It was well known that he threatened to quit and go to WCW after the backstage fight with Bret and Vince basically told him I've got you in contract for 3 or 4 more years and I'll just bench you. Timing was right. By the time HBKs rumored contract expiry date rolled around it would of been around 2000, and more then clear WCW was dying and Turner broadcasting had put the kibosh on new big money deals so Shawn would of had no where to go. If he was still under contract explains why he kept popping up for a few weeks or months here and there only to disapper after being too wasted to work as they seemed to be trying to reintergrate him. Also explains why he kept getting paid since Vince would have to pay any downside guarntee or be in breech of contract. But we'll never know for sure.

3:44 I think The Undertaker was very disciplined. Yes he would drink Jack Daniels but you would never hear that he went overboard or he was drunk in the ring or backstage.

Never brought up Tammy Sytch either

Go herniate or rupture one of your discs and see if you can fake a back injury. The dude landed on the damn casket right on his lower back. For someone who has suffered with severe back problems for 12 years, I can say it’s not like faking a knee injury. It’s true pain.

He’s questioned it for years, why is this news now?

HHH is the realest friend you could ask for.

Just listened to Task Master Talks by Kevin Sullivan and he confirmed that they were actively pursuing HBK when Nash was booking to possibly be the guy who was driving the white hummer. TONY: Is that? Is That!!! That's....The Icon Micheal Shawn!!!!! MS: You shouldn't have turned your back on me Big Man.....Drives off after hitting nash with the white hummer...

I mean he had to go and get surgery 🤷‍♂️ I’d say he had a fairly bad back if he needed that, he could of came back earlier probably but it was his substance issues that’s made it say four years out rather than 2-3 but his back was definitely really bad. Daniel Bryan said when he went to hbks school he would show them a suplex a few times and be hunched over the next day in agony until the surgery

420 likes... 1998 Shawn would be proud

Shawn did have back surgery, but his back didn't heal naturally & it wasn't praying to have his back healed that got him back despite what Shawn says. Here's the real truth: In an April 2012 interview with WrestlingInc's Jay Calderon, Diamond Dallas Page reveals it was Shawn Michaels who was the first-ever wrestler to try his brand of yoga when he had his most recent back surgery in '99: "HBK--Shawn Michaels -- was the first guy to ever do DDP Yoga when he came back from that last back surgery. He told (Chris) Jericho about it when (Jericho) herniated his L-4, which is the lower part of your back. It's the center of the universe. He was done." Had it not been for DDP Yoga, we would not have enjoyed seeing much of Shawn Michaels compete during the 21st century.

I think his injury was real hbk said in a shoot interview he had back problems for years before the match with taker.

son-in-law on his daily routine? you mean his boring mundane wrestling matches?

The timing of Shawn's recovery has always been extremely suspect. 'Born again Christian' my ass.

Had let Shawn go , but Vince had keep away from WCW.

Corny wasn't exaggerating,he was telling the truth. When HBK's money stopped rolling in he had no choice but to come back. Also HBK's 1st wife is named Theresa. He said in his book that they got divorced in July 1995 & they used the same lawyer,which is fuckin' unheard of due to conflict of interest

I see Marty Jannetty has still not been brought up on Charges for dumping that Fella in the River?!... 👀

For what it’s worth (and I’m not sure it’s worth much) even Kevin Nash thinks Michaels was faking the injury.

Dude didn't wrestle for 4 years, that is committment to an "exaggeration".

Shawn was like , Shawn u are gonna win the Belt … Im fine … Shawn u have to drop the Belt … I lost my Smile … Shawn u have to lose to Austin … I am hurt…. Shawn WCW is out of Buisness, u can’t go there and we don’t pay u anymore … OK I am not Hurt anymore , Tnx to GOD

I don’t think it’s much of a secret that he exaggerated his injuries...

Thanks for updating on what cornette said, I stopped listening to his podcast cause his co-host was too annoying/negative, loved corny’s insight though

Cornette has personally hated HBK for years and yet he has always said that he has the utmost respect for his work and talent. Which really shows that his hatred for Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and the rest of AEW is more than personal bias.

Cerebral Caretaker. “and if you’re not down with that...”

When it happened of course it was serious, but after about a year or so he probably could of wrestled again at a high level...maybe he sat out for the free money he was getting, who knows.

Ok long time wrestling fan. Hbk is in my opinion the goat!! You are crazy if you think his back injury wasn't serious. Look at his body of work from his rocker days to when he left in 98. The types of bumps he took the way he sold for people had to take its toll on him. I remember being younger and asking myself like how is this man alive. I believe that what started his pill addiction. Pain! But as men we tend to do what we gotta do to keep on pushing forward and it ultimately was more damaged then he thought. You got to the doctor and let them tell you if you keep competing you could be paralyzed you would take extra precautions to.

Maybe the Shawn Michaels who came back from back injury wasn’t Shawn Michaels. Maybe it was his twin brother Wayne Hickenbottom. 😱 conspiracies 😱

I wouldn't have paid him let him sign with WCW he would only be in the mid card competing for the US title at best with all the roid heads in WCW at the time they wouldn't put Shawn over . Do you think Goldberg would lay down for Shawn in the 90s? I dont think so

Shawn reminds me when I entered high school. Shy and introverted until I met my boys and we started smoking weed and I became confident all throughout high school.

Maybe he "lost his smile" for real

Also Shawn was refereeing matches between HHH/Rock I think in 2000 and the way he was moving around made it seem like in hindsight that he did exaggerate his back injury. However Shawn still seemed to be a prick even afterwards just as Shane Helms

I wish more top guys would take a year or two off here and there, we wouldn't have gotten Austen v Rock if HBK were hanging around for 99/00.

I'm just sad his last world title reign he had to wear those hideous brown tights.

Of course he faked it. One of the fakest people imaginable