UNIONDALE, NY – Shawn Michaels will be the special guest referee in one of the most brutal matches in WWE history with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line. A lot of people would find a lot of pressure in a situation like that, but when the bell rings, and the Elimination Chamber match begins, the real pressure will be on the six competitors battling for the title. All of which, coincidentally, have had run-ins with Michaels in the past. WWE.com recently caught up with HBK to get his thoughts on each Superstar involved.
Michaels is just coming back from a knee injury that he suffered just before Taboo Tuesday. It was during his World Championship match against Triple H that Edge speared Michaels, tacking on an extra six weeks of recovery time, according to Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff. This is something that Michaels obviously hasn’t forgotten.
“Most of this is not my issue with Edge, it’s his issue with me,” said Michaels. “He feels that he’s been here a few years and has had a couple of injuries so he has the right to be champion. It’s a situation where I just come from a different era. To me, he hasn’t earned it.”
The Showstopper has also had his differences with Chris Jericho over the years. In fact, the two had a classic match at WrestleMania XIX. After Michaels defeated Jericho, it looked as the two had formed a respect for each other, but Jericho cheapshotted HBK. Michaels said that since then the two have more or less ironed out their issues, though.
“Chris Jericho and I have gone back and forth over the years and have had a lot of classic battles,” said Michaels. “He and I have been in every one of these chamber matches, and I think Chris will go in there and do what he always does and that’s give his best effort. I respect that about him.”
While Elimination Chamber matches are known for their brutality, the addition of Batista into the mix makes things that much more volatile.
“Obviously, Batista is a guy that you don’t want to provoke,” said Michaels. “Getting smacked around by Batista is not my lifelong dream, but I will take care of myself in a situation if I have to. I think every guy in here should be more concerned with the World Heavyweight Championship than with me. But especially with Batista, unless I’m really pushed into a corner, I’ll let him do just about whatever he wants.”
Then there’s Chris Benoit. Benoit enjoyed a remarkable year in 2004 and it was highlighted by his first World Heavyweight Championship win where he defeated Triple H and HBK in a Triple Threat match, making The Game tap out. He defended the title one month later at Backlash in a rematch and made HBK tap, so Michaels is no stranger to Benoit.
“I don’t have a problem admitting that someone is better than me on a given night,” said the Showstopper. “I respect Chris Benoit. Do I think he’s better than me, though? As a whole, no, but that’s irrelevant. I’m sure he doesn’t think I’m as good as he is. And that’s how you have to think. We as athletes and competitors have to believe in ourselves. That’s part of what drives you. Benoit is a guy that’s focused. He is a guy that’s disciplined. He’s sort of what I’d call a sleeper in this match. He’s all business and he’s ready to go all the time. If the other guys in this match aren’t focused, he’s the one you have to look out for because he will be.”
At Unforgiven in 2003, Randy Orton defeated Michaels in a Legend vs. Legend Killer match. Michaels hasn’t forgotten about what went down that night, but he also doesn’t think that it will affect the way he referees the match this Sunday.
“He got one over on me,” said HBK. “I admit, it happens. But I don’t think he’s better than me at all. When you’re beaten by somebody you don’t think is in your league, it doesn’t bother you that much. You know it’s something you that you did. The reason I got beat in that match was nobody’s fault but mine. That’s not to take anything away from Randy. I think he has a bright future. I think he’s a having a little trouble staying focused. He’s got Triple H on the mind and that’s understandable. I’ve been there and done that. He just needs to learn some discipline. This match will be a good growing process for him. It’s a brutal match and it’s a kind of match that can help you mature. It gives you a feeling of what being successful in the WWE will take.”
And lastly, the final participant in the Elimination Chamber at New Year’s Revolution will be HBK’s arch nemesis, Triple H. These two Superstars have gone through epic wars over the years, and after so many battles and with so much history, you never know what will happen when they are both in the same ring.
“The Triple H and Shawn Michaels story or saga or whatever you want to call it is pretty self explanatory,” he said. “Everybody’s seen it. Everybody understands it. And it will never go away. Underneath all of it, there is a certain amount of respect and admiration for one another, but what drives that respect and admiration is that both of us believe we’re the very best in this line of work. They say there’s a fine line between love and hate, and that’s where we’re at all the time. It’s not even an ego thing. It’s beyond that. It’s something that just is, and it’s something that will always be, and it will never go away.”
Michaels holds the very fate of the World Heavyweight Championship in his own two hands. With Michaels almost fully recovered from knee surgery, it would make sense for him to try and crown a champion that he would soon like to face to try and win the title for himself.
“Who I want to be champion is whoever is the best,” said Michaels. “That belt and this company needs to be represented by the best and the best at the complete package. In a match like this, sometimes the toughest guy will win. But being the toughest doesn’t mean you’re the best. Being tough is just part of it. I want the best guy to win and I think that will happen this Sunday.”
Regardless of who wins, it all comes back to pressure. But just as he said earlier, even though the fate of the World Heavyweight Championship lies in his hands, the Showstopper doesn’t feel any.
“Pressure just isn’t something that I feel anymore,” he said. “I’ve been in enough high-profile matches and situations that it doesn’t bother me. The fans give me a pass on a lot of stuff now that they wouldn’t allow others. Now other guys are under that pressure. I’ve delivered to them enough that they sometimes give me that pass. I’ve had nights where I felt it was an off night, but the fans sometimes think otherwise. It makes it a lot easier for me. I used to beat myself up over stuff like that. Since I’ve come back a couple years ago, the fans kind of say to themselves that anything he’s doing now is extra, fun and cool.”