Late 1996 was an interesting time for the wrestling world. WCW was dominating the Monday Night Wars with the help of Hulk Hogan's recent heel turn, while WWF was also starting to experiment with their programming more. A recently resurfaced interview of then-WWF Champion Shawn Michaels gives us an intriguing look at that era.
Below are some of the highlights from this interview where HBK is promoting his Survivor Series main event match against Sycho Sid:
If he will ever go to WCW: "Nah, I don't think so, of course, you're never supposed to say never, in this line of work. But I'm comfortable where I'm at. I mean, the outlook that the WWF has on our business today and mine are the same, and I can't say that's the same for the other group. So I'm happy where I'm at. I'd like to see this through. I'd like to be one of the few guys that you know sticks around, and gives back to the company that has given him so much. You know, I don't know a whole lot of guys that would do that in our line of work. I'd like to do it. Bret Hart has obviously made that choice, which I think is great, and I'd just like to follow in his footsteps. I think there's some of us that believe that WWF has been very kind to us and we'd like to someday be able to give something back."
Is the ticket-buying public buying the Hollywood Hulk Hogan persona: "Well, I don't know if in the last couple years, they were buying any persona he's been putting forward. With all due respect to him, it's just because our business, finally, you know, is starting to evolve. People are accepting the fact that, just like in every other line of work or sports franchise that you know, the younger athletes are going to come up and they're going to get better, and they will start to steal the spotlight. That's finally what's happened. A number of wrestlers from years ago have stuck around and have tried to hold on to what they once were, but time takes its toll on everybody. That's not to take away from those guys, doesn't mean they don't have something great to give to the business, but none of them seem to want to give back, they're still in position to where they want to take. They don't really have the ability to be taking anymore. I think it's probably time for them to make the decision to, if they're going to continue to be around this line of work, they should start to do it in a different capacity."
If he finds regular drug testing demeaning: "Given the past, and with everything that the WWF has been up against in the past, and who knows in the future? I don't, because it's just one of those things where you have to prove to people. Even though I don't think we're in a position where we should have to, because it wasn't my generation that got in trouble for all this. It was another generation. We're sort of paying the price for it. But if that's what it takes to get a clean slate with everybody, then that's fine. It doesn't really affect me anyway. I was never of that genre in the first place, and I'm obviously not now, so."
What if someone were to tell him that wrestlers were cartoon characters and not real athletes: "Well, I mean, it's something that you get used to hearing. But I'm certainly, I'm not a cartoon. I mean, I'm far from cartoon. I'm a working human being. But I would ask the guy, what exactly he'd like me to do to try to change his mind. I'll put myself, my schedule, my training regimen, anything that makes up who I am as an athlete, what I feel I am as an athlete. I will put up against any other athlete, doing anything else. I can pretty much guarantee anybody, I was, as in good a physical condition as any athlete they see on Sunday afternoon, easy."
Apart from this, Shawn Michaels also discussed the potential of Randy Savage making a WWF return, the Brian Pillman - Steve Austin gun angle and more. You can check out the full interview below:
