8 WWE Superstars Forced to Vacate Their Title 6

6. Shawn Michaels — Vacated Due To Injury

                    

                                                       
Perhaps the most controversial forfeiture of the championship in WWE history. HBK had just regained his title from Sycho Sid and rumour has it the original plan was for Michaels to face Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 in a rematch of the prior year’s WrestleMania.

Shawn Michaels would suffer an untimely knee injury, seemingly jeopardizing his career.

On an edition of RAW, Michaels delivered a tear-filled speech explaining why he had to vacate the title. On top of his knee injury, he uttered the infamous words, that he had lost his smile and was going home to find it.

Michaels would be out with injury until later that spring, however the rumour was he didn’t want to drop the title to Hart.

We don’t know if that’s true or not, but given Michaels’ prima donna attitude back in the day, the rumour may have some merit.

In any event, the title was vacant and would be put on the line at In Your House: Final Four, with Undertaker, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vader competing for it. Hart would win that one. The controversy of 1997 had only just begun.