On February 13, in Lowell, MA, WWF Champion Shawn Michaels made a startling announcement. After being the #1 man in the WWF and possibly the entire sport Shawn Michaels went on national television and said that he was relinquishing his title and giving his belt back to the WWF. Yes, the man who lived to be the WWF champion said that he needed immediate surgery on his knee and was no longer physically able to defend the the WWF championship with the honor and dignity that it deserved.
Shawn's announcement came at the beginning of a special Thursday night edition of Raw, and although his speech wasn't as poignant as Lou Gehrig's retirement speech at Yankee Stadium, it did bring tears to the eyes of many of his fans. As Shawn's "Sexy Boy" music blared over the PA system, a rather subdued Michaels walked down the aisle one last time as the WWF champion. Climbing into the ring and acknowledging the cheers of his adoring fans, Shawn grabbed the microphone from Vince McMahon and began his heart warming tale:
"Over the past couple of months there's been a lot of talk about people having bad attitudes and a lot revolving around this belt. The only thing I know today is that the one person that is not going to be revolving around this belt for a long time is Shawn Michaels. I don't know where I 'm at right now. I have to have everything checked. I may be beyond reconstructive knee surgery and I may not be able to fix it, but if I can't come back and perform at the level that I performed at before, I can't perfrom at all. I can't come out here and just go half assed. I have to come out here and I have to romp and stomp. I have to get tossed around. I have to toss people around, and I have to have fun. The schedule around here over the last year, I took on because I didn't feel like I could say no. I wanted to do everything and enjoy my life as WWF champion. I wanted to ride in Lear Jets; I wanted to ride in limousines and be on TV shows. I wanted to do autograph shows, and I got to do every bit of that. And if nothing else, I got all of that to take with me. I know right now we are in a middle of a time when toughness is really big in the World Wrestling Federation, and unfortunately, all I got for you right now is a lot of sorrow, a lot of tears and a lot of emotion. I don't have toughness for anybody so I guess here you go. Here's your belt and I'm going back home and see what's left for me, whether it be in this ring or out of this ring. I know that I lost a lot of things and one of them has been my smile. I know it doesn't mean a lot to everyone else, but it means a lot to me. So I have to go back and fix myself and I have to go back and find my smile. because somewhere along the line I lost it."
Realizing that his reign as WWF champion was over, Shawn said:
"I don't care if it's unpopular or people want to make fun of me because I'm an emotional guy, but this is all I ever wanted to do and over the last year I got to do it. And I just wanted to say that last year was the most wonderful year of my life. If I never get to do it again it will be Okay because I got to live one year as the #1 guy in this business. It was the greatest year in my life, and I got you to thank and I have everyone here to thank. It means a lot to me, and I'm going home now."
The the music played and Shawn Michaels climbed out of the ring for what would be the last time. As he walked around the ring, acknowledging the cheers and wishes of his many fans just like he did so many times before during his championship reign, Shawn must have been wondering what his next move was going to be.
Although no one is questioning the extent of Shawn's injury, it certainly took everyone by surprise. Shawn wrestled on Sunday, February 9, in the New Jersey Meadowlands Arena with Steve Austin as his partner against "Sycho" Sid and Bret Hart in a match that was aptly named, "United We Stand: Divided We Brawl" and he seemed fine. Although Shawn was pinned by Bret Hart after Steve Austin turned on him, Shawn left the ring under his own power and did not appear to limp or favor his knee. While it is not uncommon to have your knee go out on you at any time, no one can point to a specific incident that caused his injury and Shawn has not said when the injury actually occurred. With this one has to wonder what will become of Shawn Michaels. Under the terms of his WWF contract Shawn Michaels was committed to wrestling for the World Wrestling Federation for the next five years. However, with his injury, one has to wonder whether his contract will be declared null and void. If it is, then on his return, Shawn Michaels will become the #1 free agent in the sport and, as such, he will command a big money contract. With his friends, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash, in WCW/nWo, would it be inconceivable on Shawn's part to join the rival promotion? This makes for a very interesting scenario and one which the entire wrestling world will be following very closely.
We at WRESTLING SUPERSTARS wish Shawn Michaels nothing but the best in the future. As big and as tough as he is, Shawn will still need everyone's prayers and well wishes in the coming months.