A Forgotten Feud From HBK's WWE Career, Explained
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Looking back at WWE in the early 1990s, there were a number of young talent breaking out on the scene under Vince McMahon's leadership. Two of those names would be none other than Shawn Michaels and Davey Boy Smith. While both men are very recognizable names within the wrestling world, they are not two names that often are seen talked about together. Both men would find major success over the years under the leadership of McMahon, with Shawn Michaels becoming one of the biggest names in wrestling history, while Smith would go down as one of the most underrated. Together, they would have a forgotten feud that provided some great matches.
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Shawn Michaels And Davey Boy Smith Broke Out As Future Stars In WWE Together
While both men would be positioned as future stars in the early 90s, 1992 specifically would be the turning point for both men. For Michaels, he would famously turn on his longtime tag-team partner Marty Jannetty, in favor of becoming his own man. This would lead to Michaels having his first singles match at WrestleMania, a victory over Tito Santana. Davey Boy Smith would be featured at SummerSlam, wrestling Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship in one of the most famous title changes in the company's history. Smith would defeat Hart, winning his first and only Intercontinental Championship in a career-defining match.
Throughout the year, Shawn Michaels would also begin wrestling Bret Hart, a key opponent for him during his time wrestling in WWE. 1992 would also mark the first time that Davey Boy Smith and Shawn Michaels would face off in singles action.
RELATED: Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty Forgotten WWE Tag Team Title Win, Explained
Shawn Michaels And Davey Boy Smith Battled Many Times During The 1990s
Wrestling each other for the first time as singles stars in 1992, Davey Boy Smith and Shawn Michaels would face off in a marquee bout during an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event. This would be a huge match for their history, as over the next several years, the men would stay tied to each other despite some fans not remembering it. Following their first match, Smith would be gone from the company due to a steroid controversy, moving to WCW before eventually returning in 1994. At the 1995 Royal Rumble, the two men would enter the match as the two favorites to win, drawing number one and number two respectively. Michaels and Smith would last the entire match, with the Heartbreak Kid winning the Rumble in a very famous spot that saw him dangling on the ropes and teasing his feet touching the floor.
From 1995 until 1997, the two men would continue to wrestle one another, with an actual on-screen feud beginning the following year, while Shawn Michaels was in the midst of his reign as WWE World Champion.
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HBK And Davey Boy Smith Were Once Put In A Very Uncomfortable Storyline
Following Shawn Michaels' WWE World Championship victory over Bret Hart at WrestleMania 12, Davey Boy Smith would step up to bat as one of Shawn's first challengers. Kicking things off, Jim Cornette, Davey Boy Smith, and Davey Boy's wife, Diane Smith, would all confront Michaels, as it was revealed by Cornette that Shawn was trying to sleep with Diane. This would lead to a very tasteless, uncomfortable angle that saw Shawn be put over as an incredible womanizer, with an "ex-wife" of another WWF Superstar coming forward to say that she had slept with Shawn and that he was the best lover she had ever had. The basis for the Michaels vs Davey Boy Smith feud was not great, to put it lightly, but on the contrary, the two men would engage in some thrilling matches against one another.
The two men would face off at In Your House #8, wrestling to a 16 minute No Contest. A rematch would be set for that year's King of the Ring, with Earl Hebner serving as the referee for the bout and Mr. Perfect being brought in as the special guest enforcer. The match would be one of their best, clocking in at nearly 30 minutes with Michaels coming out on top again. Their final match, at One Night Only in 1997, would see Davey Boy dedicate the match to his sister who had been dealing with cancer. He would lose the match after interference from Rick Rude, Chyna, and Triple H, before leaving the company altogether following the Montreal Screwjob.
