HBK does not have an injured back.

[TheBestThereEverWillBe]

Please forgive me if this has already been done. I'm very curious to know what u all think of this...

Lets go back to the 1998 Royal Rumble. Everything worked out the same way it did, HOWEVER, Shawn Michaels DOES NOT smash his back on the casket.
What kind of twist would this have put on Michaels career?
He doesn't need back surgery. Does he drop the title to Austin at WM 14? What happens to Michaels after WM 14? If the back injury didn't happen, how would it have changed Michaels' career?

I think his hiatus from the ring had a positive effect on his career and life. Everyone knows the life he led in the 90's wasn't one he was proud of, so the break gave him time to reflect, and come back a better person and give us 8 more years of HBK.
If he did not get injured, i think he still would have dropped the title to Austin just to be back in the title picture within the year. The Attitude era might have extended out maybe a year or so longer as DX wouldnt have broken up when it did. But the big twist i think it would have had, is that HBK would have retired/ended his career around the same time SC and The Rock did along with the attitude era and that'd be the end of HBK. no DX tag titles. no classic HBK vs Taker WM matches.

Thats my opinion, i'm curious to know what you all think would have happened....fire.

 

[gunnerg]

Sadly i think if HBK hadnt of injured his back and had those 4 years off during which he changed his life he would of gone the way of many other pill popping, drug abusing wrestlers and died young

 

[Cookie14]

An interesting idea, one that could have ended anywhere.
I still think his personal life would have ended up somewhere similar to where it is now, because it was the faith and beliefs of Rebecca thatinspired Shawn to change his own life, and they were together before he got injured (I believe, but I may be wrong)
With regards to his career, I think he would have gone on to win a lot more titles, maybe more than HHH.
It would have been great to see HBK during the end of the Monday Night Wars, or the invasion angle. I'm glad in a way that he got injured though, because I don't think that we would have seen the emergence of Chris Jericho if Shawn hadn't been out of action

 

[reddevil69]

An interesting idea, one that could have ended anywhere.
I still think his personal life would have ended up somewhere similar to where it is now, because it was the faith and beliefs of Rebecca thatinspired Shawn to change his own life, and they were together before he got injured (I believe, but I may be wrong)
With regards to his career, I think he would have gone on to win a lot more titles, maybe more than HHH.
It would have been great to see HBK during the end of the Monday Night Wars, or the invasion angle. I'm glad in a way that he got injured though, because I don't think that we would have seen the emergence of Chris Jericho if Shawn hadn't been out of action

You are wrong about Rebecca. Shawn says in his book that he met her after he was retired from wrestling. He was with her for nearly four years before he became born again. On his DVD he talks about how he already has his first born son and he was still popping pills by the time Cameron was almost two years old. Rebecca is the one responsible for bringing the Lord into Shawn's life and helping become a born again christian.

I agree with the earlier poster, that had Shawn continued the way he was going, he would have spiraled out of control and become another wrestling tragedy. The four year absence was definitely a blessing in disguise.

 

[Midgetmania619]

HBK was already booked to drop the title. He really didn't want to and threatened to win so then Taker threatened him that if he didn't, he'd be waiting for him backstage.
I think that it was good that he got injurd (for this reason-) because he had time off and found fortitude in God and changed his bad lifestyle.

 

[RCWchuckchronic]

i agree that many of these could have happend .....tho i deffenitely don't want to even imagine hbk passing from drugs shawn is the reason i got into this biz myself...the iron man match v.s. bret..........n e wayz ..........it would have been great to have seen shawn in dx with pac n the outlaws ......don't know that it would have been worth him getting burned and what not ....but it would have been great to see none the less............i still find it hard to believe we'll never see hbk back in the ring....ever.....never...ever...never......he'll prob be back one day....even if its jus here n there.......jus can't believe is for good............and what and the blue hell does hbk have anything what so ever to do with chris jericho coming to wwe that would have happend regardless has nothing to do with the icon the showstopper the main event..........





rcwonline.com

 

[theHeadliner]

There's no telling what could have happened, but I do believe he would have retired by now with a bad reputation because his time off helped him find his wife, who in turn helped him find God. He would have been a political machine still in his prime and being a cocky prick. He had a real bad drug problem, he was one of the worst in those days and used to have pass out at times, and sometimes had to be carried by HHH back to his room, so I shutter to think his drug problem could have resulted in another statistic of wrestlers who died young. Austin was going to be the champ at 14, but Michaels would have gotten a rematch and another run. Also, he had heat with Rock back then for being an asshole to him in booking, so when Rock was on the rise there would have been some animosity there.

 

[Cookie14]

Thanks for correcting me about his relationship with Rebecca, we can all be wrong sometimes lol.

and what and the blue hell does hbk have anything what so ever to do with chris jericho coming to wwe that would have happend regardless has nothing to do with the icon the showstopper the main event..........

Look at Chris Jericho when he made his debut, and compare it to Shawn before he injured his back...... The number of similarities are ENDLESS!!!!
Do you honestly believe that Jericho would have been as big right away if Shawn was there? Because I think he would have only been a mid-carder for a few years, instead of getting put straight into a fued with the Rock, the biggest name in the company, maybe all of wrestling at that time.
Jericho would not have been as involved in the Invasion angle, and certainley would not have been the first Undisputed Champion. Im not saying Shawn would have, but neither would Jericho if HBK was there.
When Shawn returned, they had their fued, the main angle being how Jericho idolised Michaels and always wanted to be just like him.

 

[Rulk25]

I think it would have been horrible for the WWF
Sure Shawn woudl have lost at WM but he woudl have kept himself in the title picture. First that means HHH either doesnt take the next step up or if he does it is much later. Also good chance the awesome Austin vs McMahon/Rock series never really hits as Shawn sticks his and Hunters nose in. Plus like people have said the drugs and partying was an accident waiting to happen.

 

[dxparza]

I think like many others that Shawn getting injured was a blessing in disguise, first we got almost 8 years outta Shawn when he returned for what was supposed to be 1 match. but most importantly, Shawn had a serious drug problem, if he didn't get injured he would of kept wrestling and kept putting his body thrugh so much and would of kept taking pills. As scary of a thought that this is, I feel that if Shawn didn't get hurt, sometime in the early 2000's we would see the beginning of Raw start with an 'In Loving Memory of Shawn Michaels' and the 10 bell salute.. Personlly I would of been crushed to see that.. so yeah, the injury wasa blessing in disguise definitely.

 

[Sparky]

Lulz, I love reading all of these rumours where Nobody could possibly know the truth. Any way...


If HBK had not of injured his back, I don't think he would of been as popular as he is now. when he took time off, and discovered his Smile, It woe him up and made him change his Attitude. damaging his back helped him in way more ways then if it didn't happen. I don't think he would of even still had a job up until this year if he hadn't hurt his back.

 

[The Idiot]

I'm pretty sure the plan was for HBK to drop the title to Austin, regardless of his bad back. It was Austin's time and the WWF knew it.

About HBK's fate if he didn't injure his back. Well...I think the question to ask is more about HHH. Would he have been as big of a star continuing to play second fiddle to Shawn? Of course he would eventually get to the top...but you could be looking at 3-4 years minimum for HHH to be kept in mid-card status. I think the HBK-HHH feud would have been much more interesting if Michaels and HHH had a falling out back when DX was in it's prime. Just my opinion.