WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard, and below are some interview highlights:
On why The Undertaker never joined The Kliq:
“’Taker has always been a calm, cool, and collected guy,” explained Shawn Michaels. “But the Kliq? We were loud and obnoxious.”
“’Taker was great friends with Kevin and Scott Hall,” said Michaels. “We’ve always got along, too, and clearly now we’re closer than ever, but ’Taker had his own crew. He ran with Yoko and the Godwins and some other guys, and we hung out with them a bunch.”
“The Undertaker wasn’t in the Kliq, and it’s the same with John Cena and me. We’ve always gotten along well, but we never rode up and down the road together. Scott and I have known each other since the ’80s in our days wrestling in Kansas City. I specifically asked to work with Kevin and wanted to have him on my side, so he comes in the door and started riding with me. Everyone knows the story with Hunter—he came in and knew that we weren’t well-liked, but he wanted to hang us with us anyway. Scott worked with Sean on his first night on Raw, and he sort of has that Curt Hennig gene in him. Curt always grabbed a young guy and said, ‘You’re jumping in the car with me,’ and that’s what Scott did with Sean.
“That’s how all of that happened, and we were all just running around, and then, one day, somebody called us a name, and it stuck. This faction of people turned into this ominous thing in the wrestling business, and that’s what is great about the wrestling business. You can become anything you want.”
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Why Samoa Joe would be an ideal opponent for him:
“I think everybody would like to see me against AJ Styles at WrestleMania,” said Michaels. “That’s one that people have talked about, but I also really like Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins. I saw Samoa Joe when he was down here at NXT and his stuff looked really good. It’s one of those things, from an older guy’s standpoint, you think, oh my god, it would be a piece of cake.
“The thing I do best is get beat up. Samoa Joe’s stuff looks so good and crisp, and he’s a pretty tough, rugged-looking dude, so that would work to my strengths. It’s a different kind of match than an AJ-Shawn match. An AJ-Shawn match would be something that you’d expect to be like what you saw with Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle. That’s a lot of fun to do, but it is also a lot of work. I guess I speak more of Samoa Joe because it is one of those things that can be good, like a Shawn and ’Taker, but it’s a heck of a lot easier to do physically. Of course, when you get up there in age, those are the things you think about. It’s more about the story you’ve got to tell and it’s a little less physical. That’s when I think, ‘That would be a piece of cake and be a lot of fun.’ But there are a number of talented guys out there, and the world of the WWE is in good hands with the talent at the top.”
On Kevin Owens vs Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 33:
“I’m looking forward to seeing Kevin Owens and Jericho,” said Michaels, who wrestled Jericho in an all-time classic at WrestleMania 19. “I don’t know who AJ is wrestling, but I always look forward to watching him. I don’t know if it’s been advertised, but I think there is going to be something between Triple H and Seth Rollins, and I think that will be pretty good. And I’m always interested in seeing what happens with The Undertaker. I’m always blown away that he is still out there doing it.”
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
