Shawn Michaels Clears the Air on Rumors About the Rock’s Early Career

Wrestling fans are taught to never use the word "never."

CM Punk was never supposed to return to pro wrestling after his bitter departure from WWE in 2014. Edge was never supposed to return from fusion neck surgery before appearing at the Royal Rumble in 2020. Shawn Michaels was never supposed to wrestle again until Saudi Arabia offered him a one-show contract for Crown Jewel 2018 that was too good to refuse.

In the case of a mega dream match between the Heartbreak Kid and The Rock, that is something that will never happen.

Michaels retired from the business as soon as The Rock's rise as a singles star truly began. Then Shawn Michaels returned to face Triple H at SummerSlam 2002, the same card on which The Rock lost the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar.

The Rock wouldn't wrestle again until WrestleMania 19, and would wrestle sporadically thereafter. Despite time conflicts between the two, there were still opportunities to have the match. Now, Michaels let fans in on some context regarding the lost dream match.

Shawn Michaels denies bullying The Rock with Triple H

Michaels was asked outright why a match between him and The Rock didn't happen. He initially it was because The Rock didn't like him, but the four-time WWE World champion was actually joking about rumors that have swirled for years.

"In years there's been a big kerfuffle in the wrestling business about me and Hunter doing stuff to him and being mean, all of it blown way out of proportion and none of it even accurate, but when he was younger it was fed a lot."
Shawn Michaels on 7PM in Brooklyn

Michaels denied ever treating The Rock badly and explained the real culprit was the inconvenient nature of their timelines working in WWE.

The Rock and Shawn Michaels get along today

The Rock's rise to pro wrestling stardom paralleled Triple H's. Rocky Maivia's first match on the WWE main roster was against Hunter Hearst Helmsley in an eight-man Survivor Series tag team match. The pair would go on to have many battles for the WWE Intercontinental and World championships.

The Rock's prime in the pro wrestling business came and went during Michaels' absence in WWE. While The Rock and Michaels were with WWE at the same time multiple times, the timing was never right for the two to enter the ring together.

"To this day we get along and we talk about stuff...but by the time I came back he was well off into his Hollywood career and stuff like that."
Shawn Michaels

Michaels also spoke about the moment he knew The Rock was going to be a huge star in the entertainment industry, citing his first time hosting Saturday Night Live and recalling a funny skit he acted in on the show.