WWE's Shawn Michaels & The Rock's Real Life Animosity, Explained

02/07/2024

Quick Links

When you think of generational dream matches in WWE, there are a few prominent ones that spring to mind. Cena versus Hogan. Jake Roberts versus Randy Orton. Rowdy Piper versus CM Punk. The majority of these matches never had a prayer of materializing in the first place, as the superstars were decades apart, but one dream match in particular rarely gets mentioned, despite the fact that at one point in time, it was a very real possibility and, had it happened, we'd be talking about it to this day. The Rock, The Great One versus Shawn Michaels, Mr. WrestleMania. But why exactly do these two WWE legends not get along?

UPDATE: 2023/02/23 09:00 EST BY ANDREW KELLY

The Heat Between The Rock & Shawn Michaels Was Referenced On NBC's "Young Rock" Show

The professional wrestling industry is one which houses plenty of huge personalities, and this can lead to very real heat behind the scenes between those who hold the most influence. For years, Bret Hart and Vince McMahon were sworn enemies of one another, Triple H and CM Punk held a lot of contempt for each other, and even those without proper feuds have had backstage fights due to emotions boiling over. Even though The Rock and Shawn Michaels are two of the biggest stars of all time, they were two men who just couldnt stand each other, and that hatred may very well still exist to this day.

Shawn Michaels Didn't Treat The Rock Well In His Rise To The Top Of WWE

HBK Was A Toxic Personality In The 1990s

The Rock's popularity rose after HBK retired.
Shawn Michaels wanted Bret Hart to beat The Rock for the Intercontinental Championship.
The Rock and Shawn Michaels had a backstage fight.

You take the greatest entertainer of all them in The Rock and put him up against the greatest in-ring performer, and you get a match made in heaven. Everything about this dream-match screams perfection as the Rock can carry a feud on the microphone like no one else and Michaels was on another level when it comes to in-ring prowess.

The Rock rose to prominence after the retirement of Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 14 and by the time HBK returned to the squared circle, Rocky was a part-time wrestler as most of his focus was on Hollywood. That being said, from mid-2002 to 2004, a match between these two was definitely feasible. Imagine them squaring off at WrestleMania 20. That was certainly doable, as both Michaels and Rock competed on the card and yet, we never got the match.

Vince McMahon himself was probably salivating as much as the fans at the prospect of these two GOATs going at it on the mic and inside the ring, but it turns out, the match never materialized as there was quite a bit of bad blood between the two. The Rock had a run-in with Michaels when he was a teenager and not even an active member of the WWE roster. According to reports, Michaels disrespected the maternal grandmother of Dwayne Johnson during a show in Hawaii. The Rock was incensed, and the comments nearly led to a clash. Years later, Rock made his debut in the WWE, and unfortunately, Michaels held quite a lot of influence backstage.

According to Bret Hart in his autobiography, both Michaels and Triple H held intense dislike towards The Rock. Despite being bogged down by an abysmal gimmick, Rocky Maivia was talented and Michaels felt that he would take the place intended for his best friend, Triple H. Michaels urged Vince McMahon to get the Intercontinental title off of a young Rocky and hilariously, he wanted Bret Hart to beat The Rock for the title. Hart refused to win the match and insisted on a DQ finish, thwarting the plans of HBK. The rest is history, as by 1999, The Rock was such a massive star in the industry that neither Michaels nor Triple H had any hope of stalling his domination of the industry. Despite this, Michaels tried once again and suggested that McMahon replace The Rock with Triple for WrestleMania 15, but McMahon said no.

Ric Flair's Real Life Rivalry With Eric Bischoff, Explored

The real-life rivalry and war of words between Ric Flair and Eric Bischoff has been ongoing for over two decades.

During an in-ring segment in 2000, Michaels did get a little bit of petty vengeance on The Rock when he caught the megastar on the jaw with sweet chin music, a little harder than usual. The Rock took issue with the stiff kick backstage after the show and Michaels told him to quit the industry if he could not handle the pain. This time, The Rock got his hands on Michaels and pinned him to the ground, but the nearby folks interfered and broke up the melee.

The Rock Turned Down A Match With Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels Vs. The Rock Is A Legit Dream Match

A feud between The Rock and Shawn Michaels would have been money.
The Rock did not want to work with HBK.
The Rock had earned the status to turn down programs.

More recently, AEW superstar Chris Jericho spoke on the matter when it was brought up to him. Jericho recalled the tense interaction between The Rock and Michaels during the show in Hawaii and mentioned that the company actually had plans to go through with The Rock and HBK storyline. This was when Michaels returned to the company after his temporary retirement, but The Rock turned down the storyline as he wanted nothing to do with Michaels. The bad blood was still present, and The Rock was a big enough star to say no and he did.

The Rock's Grandfather: The Death & Legacy Of Peter Maivia, Explored

Before there was ever The Rock, there was his grandfather, the true head of the Bloodline, "High Chief" Peter Maivia.

In recent times, The Rock and HBK are on friendly terms, and the same goes for Triple H and the Great One, but back in the 1990s and early 2000s, The Rock and HBK did not get along well. Unfortunately, this backstage animosity led to us missing out on perhaps the most entertaining dream match of all time, but then again, considering what had happened between the two, it is understandable that Rocky did not want to be in the spotlight with Shawn Michaels.

'Young Rock' Indicates That The Bad Blood Has Not Cooled Between The Rock And Shawn Michaels

The Rock Has Held A Grudge Against HBK

The Rock's early career was covered in a TV show, 'Young Rock'.
Shawn Michaels was not a character in 'Young Rock'.
It is believed that a fictional character was used to portray HBK.

When it comes to real-life wrestling rivalries, time has been known to heal wounds. Bret Hart made amends with Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels, for example, and that came after one of the biggest controversies in wrestling history. For The Rock and Shawn Michaels, this may not be the case. The Young Rock TV show was a decently popular project, and it saw many wrestlers from the past featured, including the likes of Steve Austin, The Nation of Domination, Andre the Giant, Randy Savage, and countless others.

Brock Lesnar Vs. Randy Orton: The Real Story Behind This Controversial SummerSlam Main Event

The ending of SummerSlam 2016 saw Brock Lesnar viciously bust Randy Orton open. Was it all planned or did The Beast Incarnate go off script?

Someone who hasn’t been portrayed is Shawn Michaels, even though he was in and around the various eras covered in the show. Instead, a completely new character was created to fill the shoes of The Heartbreak Kid. “Chad Frost” was an original character in the show who made life difficult for The Rock backstage, and talked badly about him to officials. His various outfits were all but clear proof that this was supposed to be Shawn Michaels. It is unclear whether or not it was a case of not wanting to defame Michaels, or simply due to the fact that the hatred between the pair runs so deep that The Rock didn't want him anywhere near his show.

OTHER NEWS

8 minutes ago