10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About The Rock 2

2. He Refused A Feud With Shawn Michaels

One of the best feuds that never happened was The Rock vs. Shawn Michaels. With Rock a rising star in the late 1990s and Michaels established as a top guy, it could have happened. Instead, it never did.
Some reports over the years said that it was because Michaels disrespected somebody in Rock’s family many years ago with Rock’s grandmother (the wife of Peter Maivia) talking badly about Michaels. It could have simply been because Michaels was really difficult in those years due to the drugs and alcohol problems he had.
When Michaels was on Jim Ross’ podcast last month he spoke about how The Rock wasn’t interested in a feud. Here’s what Michaels said: “I can remember many, many years ago, as I came back. Pat Patterson asked about that and I said, ‘Sure, whoever you want.’ But he wasn’t interested, and that was it. But I liked anybody that I hadn’t been in the ring with.”
Bret Hart has mentioned many times that when The Rock was climbing the ladder in WWE, Michaels was there taking verbal shots at him. This would have been around 1997 and early 1998, which is when Michaels’ in-ring career came to an end for four years.
Rock vs. Michaels is one of the biggest feuds in wrestling history that never happened. Part of the reason is that Michaels wasn’t wrestling from 1998 to the summer of 2002 when The Rock was at his peak. Rock did wrestle after Michaels came back, but it wasn’t that often and they were doing other things.
These days they likely get along when they need to, but both are in their 40s and filthy rich, so the animosity that was once there 15 years ago is likely long gone now. That’s what usually happens in wrestling when men become older and wiser.