God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference
Diesel had a prosthetic leg in his hand, and he brought it down over HBK's skull. It looked slightly ridiculous, but it hurt...and since Diesel had ripped the leg off a retired veteran only moments ago, it clearly showed who the bad guy was in this scanario. Not that Shawn Michaels was the cleanest player in the game...he sold his head for a moment, and when Diesel lifted up the weapon to hir Shawn again, Shawn brought his forearm up into Kevin's crotch, funnily enough in a strikingly similar manner to that of Chyna...only he did it from he front, and not from behind. Kevin Nash bent over, holding the offended area, and Shawn slowly started to make his way back to his feet, blonde hair matted, sweat covering his chest. He had the prosthetic leg in his hand now...and he walked to the corner of the ring. For whatever reason, he tapped the leg against his own feet a couple of times, whilst waiting for his opponent to get to his feet. He whirled it around like a baseball bat, and when Kevin got up, he certainly swung it like one, hitting Nash in the face with the plastic object. Nash was down again, and Shawn was stood closer to the other corner of the ring now. He stepped back into it, put his hands on the ropes, started to bang one foot monotonously against the mat, and everyone knew what was coming. Nash slowly got to his feet once more, and quick as a cat Shawn knocked him right back down again with the sweet chin music. Shawn let his body fall on top of Kevin's, and he hooked the leg...1...2...3. The referee counted. Shawn Michaels had beaten Diesel and succesfully defended his WWF Title. When Shawn got up, he celebrated like he had just won the belt for the first time, and the ring announcer called out his name, declaring him victorious.
*The camera zoomed out, slowly but surely, to reveal the man standing before the television screen. There was a remote control in his left hand. As the man’s own entrance music began to play on the recording, and as he watched himself hold up the WWF title proudly, he lifted his arm to point the remote at the television and the screen went black. The man wore a solemn expression on his face, which was clearly visible since his dark blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail. The camera zoomed in on his blue eyes, which gave away his seemingly conflicting emotions. Precisely what he was feeling couldn’t be read on his face or in his eyes, but whatever the emotions inside him were, they ran deep. As the camera slowly zoomed out again, Shawn Michaels turned his head to look directly into it, and he began to speak.*
Shawn Michaels: Good Friends…Better Enemies. I find it somewhat ironic that that was the title of the Pay Per View I just watched us main event, Kevin. It’s been said that the more things change, the more things stay the same. The match you just saw happened over a decade ago. Since then, many things have changed… all the people involved in this long and intricate story, they’re all different somehow. Some have got married, or had children, or both…some have grown up, learned to control their emotions and bad habits…some have given up drugs and alcohol…some have grown warmer…some have grown colder…some have found God…some have lost their grip on reality. Some have changed for the better, some have changed for the worse. Which one of those people are you, Kev? I knew a man once, who was funny, who was loyal, who would do anything to protect his friends. Actually, I knew four men like that. But these days, it seems like I only know two who match those descriptions...the other two, those are the two who have lost their grip on reality. Who can’t see further than the pay check they want or the three letters on their shirts, even if their short sightedness means that they have to hurt people they swore never to betray. Do you remember that WWF title match, Kev? I do. I used to watch it sometimes, not for research, but for fun…just to make me smile. I have a DVD at home, one of the special features is you and I doing commentary on this match, smiling and talking about the good times we had, talking about what that match meant to us. Now, when I watch it, where there once was joy, I find a dull ache in my chest, a burning anger that I can’t keep locked away. That match, Kevin, that was the last match you ever had in the WWF. You and I went out there, and we tore the house down. I remember how we fought with Vince to allow us to do it. Back then we wanted to fight not to hurt each other, but to say goodbye to each other. This week at Wrestlemania, we’re fighting again. And once again, we’re fighting to say goodbye… but like I said, things have changed. You have changed, I have changed. And just like those two people who said goodbye to each other almost eleven years ago are different…the farewell is going to be different also. This won’t be a goodbye where we wish each other good luck, where we hug and drink to each other’s success. This is going to be a hard goodbye. A goodbye filled with tears and with bloodshed, and most importantly with pain. Not just physical pain either, but the pain of loss. I wonder if you even feel that, Kev. Is there anything inside you that is still capable of sadness, or are you blinded by superficial things, things that have no real value unless you have people to share them with. Am I looking forward to this match? Not particularly. It’s Wrestlemania…the time where I shine, yet instead of focusing on tearing down the house, instead of thinking up interesting spots, I’ve been thinking about the match all week, for the wrong reasons…I’ve been thinking about what happened to my friend. The guy who would carry me to my room if I had a little too much of a good time indulging in my vices….the guy who would sit in a room with me when I would break down crying about how everyone I worked with wanted to see me thrown off a bridge…the guy who made me laugh just with a look in his eye or an inappropriate comment at an inappropriate time. That man wasn’t just a friend…he wasn’t even just a best friend…he was my brother. I look at you now, Kevin, and I know that my brother is dead. I admit it, I changed too…and for so long I blamed myself for the distance between us…I blamed myself for maybe not being so carefree and footloose as I used to be…for being more easily offended…for not drinking alcohol any more. But then I realised something. I realised that the people who were really my brothers never cared about those things. You and Hunter are a lot alike in many ways…you have a similar sense of humor, neither of you could care less what the world thinks about you, both of you get too involved in wrestling for your own good sometimes, and it takes a long time to get close to either of you but once you let someone in, they stay in. At least that’s how I thought it was for you, but I guess I was wrong. If everything is my fault, then why can Hunter wrestle by my side every week, drive from town to town with me, go out to the bar with me after we get done putting on a show and not complain about the fact that I order soft drinks, when you can’t? I’m not a man who likes to hand out blame…I can accept when I do things wrong. What I can’t accept is when I am blamed for things that are beyond my control. I won’t admit to things I never did. Vince McMahon found that out the hard way…I took a six week suspension and let him strip me of the IC title rather than lie and admit I used steroids. I’m flawed, Kev. I always have been… and you’ve always known that. But everyone’s flawed. Real friends accept the flaws in each other, and instead of attacking them for it, they try to help them. But you’re beyond help. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have arranged the attack on my good friend Joanie. I don’t know if you were the one swinging the chair, but I know you were behind it. If you weren’t, why would you parade Joanie out in front of the cameras after you found her unconscious rather than take her to get medical attention? And if you found her and had nothing to do with the attack, why did you leave Syxx unconscious on the floor? You did it to get to us. To pay Hunter and I back for leaving the nWo…and to warn Syxx not to do the same. Did you honestly think anyone would believe I would ever hurt that woman? Did you think anyone would believe that Hunter could hurt her, or that I would let him? Or that Hunter and I could attack Syxx out of nowhere? If you believed that, you must be even more delusional than I thought. Is this what it’s come down to, really? You and I fighting because we have different sets of letters on our shirts? We survived being in separate companies, but we can’t survive being in separate stables. I don the black and green and all of a sudden I’m an outcast, no longer worthy or your respect or friendship. Yes, I stopped speaking to you guys for a while because you did something that personally offended me…I shed my black and white shirt, but I never stopped thinking of you guys as my friends. And now I feel like an idiot because only now do I realize that the feeling wasn’t mutual. We were at the head of the two biggest factions on wrestling history, there was room for both of us at the top, but you couldn’t accept that. It didn’t have to be DX or nWo. It didn’t have to be one or the other, you didn’t have to look Jeff Hardy in the eyes and tell him he couldn’t defend a seven year old boy from being attacked by two men in their forties. If I had been there, I would have stopped you from hurting Blaine too…that boy didn’t need to be dragged into this war, especially by you, a man who has children of his own. Do you not remember that the reason you left the WWF in the first place was to earn money for your unborn child? You left because your wife was pregnant, Kev…you left because you wanted to provide for her. Now you’re acting like I’m the one who ended our friendship because I’ve started to care about the same things that you’ve forgotten to care about. How could any father even think of hurting someone else’s son? Would you have done that to Cameron? Would you have attacked the child who’s known you his entire life, the child who to this day still can’t shake the habit of calling you Uncle Kevin despite the fact that you haven’t seen him in a year? Somehow, I think you would. My friend Kevin would never hurt my child…but the man you are now, I have a feeling you’d sell Cameron down the river if you thought you might get some business advantage out of it, and the very thought of it makes me both sick and sad.
Shawn Michaels: *He paused for a second, looking down and raising his hand to his eyes in a somewhat helpless manner, then he regained his composure, looked up and continued* …You know, you can be ashamed of me for the cross I wear around my neck…you can be ashamed of Hunter and I for the green on our shirts and the wedding rings on our fingers…you can be ashamed of Syxx for helping Wes run UCW… but what makes you think that we’re not just as ashamed of you? Don’t blame me for the fact that you never grew up. Don’t blame me for the fact that you can’t see any life outside of what you do in a wrestling ring. Kev…old friendships may die hard, but old brotherhoods die even harder. I hope you know what you let yourself in for. The second you made the decision to hurt Joanie, you made this choice for me. I can tolerate a lot of things, but I can’t tolerate the man you’ve become. You made a lot of mistakes. Maybe I did too…but at least I can admit to mine. You’re like a seven foot tall child…everyone has to agree with everything you say or they’re suddenly not worth your time any more. You live in a fantasy world, a world that revolves around you…a world in which you are always right. At Wrestlemania I’m going to slap you back into reality. You’re so full of yourself, you can’t even see that the decisions you’re making to supposedly save the nWo, will only kill it in the long run. You alienated Syxx and Jeff Hardy, and for what? For a washed-up has-been who can barely execute his finishing move without breaking his hip? For some, this match is a dream match. Shawn Michaels versus Kevin Nash…in the D-Generation X versus the nWo era. The last stable clash didn’t quite live up to expectations, but I have a feeling this one will. And unlike last time, it won’t be the black and white who emerge victorious. I messed up. My heart really wasn’t in the tag team title match. I didn’t want to fight Sean, and Sean didn’t want to fight me…but luckily, or unluckily depending which perspective you look at it from, you and I won’t have that problem at Wrestlemania. The Philosophy is that nobody wants to see a match between two people who like each other…well congratulations, Kev…cause you’ve succeeded in making this a match between two people who don’t like each other any more. There’s nothing like an old friendship breaking up to get people interested, right? We should know…we’ve done that angle before. The match I just watched had that very same theme to it…even the Pay Per View was named “Good Friends, Better Enemies”. The concept is simple, and effective: Arrogant heel grows too big for his boots, and turns away from his loyal ally. That’s a psychology as old as wrestling itself. It worked ten years ago when you and I did it…and it worked five years ago when Hunter and I did it. The difference is that after our match tonight, when we go behind the curtain, we won’t hug and congratulate each other on how well the show turned out. One old friend will be waiting behind the curtain to do those things with me…the other will be standing ringside, but neither of their names will be Kevin Nash. You killed the Kliq. So now, you’ve left me with no choice but to make a new one…one that really doesn’t let anything come between them. It kills you, doesn’t it Kev…that I could choose Joanie over you? It kills you that Sean, Hunter and I would do anything to defend her, even if that means fighting a man we swore never to fight. And it’s not anything human or emotional inside of you that’s hurting over it…it’s simply your pride. You simply can’t deal with the fact that your brothers left you for a woman...and that’s all she is to you. “Some chick”. Well, she’s not some chick. She is my friend, my sister, my family. And instead of pride, it’s time to face an emotion called “acceptance” Kevin…because you left us long before we chose her over you. You killed our friendship and now I’m the one who’s going to bury it. And this time, when we say goodbye, you won’t get a farewell speech or a greetings card. The only swan song that awaits you at Wrestlemania is Sweet Chin Music…and Kev, the band is already tuned up.
*Shawn looked into the camera silently for a moment, then took a can of spray paint out of his pocket and spray painted “DX” over the lens in green before walking out of the shot. The screen slowly faded to black.*
***** *Hunter had been to Shawn’s house quite often really…so often that sometimes it felt more homely than his own. He rang the doorbell, but there was no answer. Strange, he thought, seeing as how he had been invited. Not that it mattered…he had a key, and he used it. Hunter slowly opened the door and as he stepped inside, a golden Labrador bounded towards him, tail wagging and tongue hanging out. Hunter softly stroked the dog’s head for a moment, but Homer quickly lost interest and walked away again, curling up on a rug in the living room. Hunter peered into the living room, and there was no sign of Shawn. He wondered if it was worth checking the gym, but before heading to the other end of the house, he called out his friend’s name. A distant echoed reply came. Shawn was upstairs. Hunter took the stairs two at a time and made his way towards Shawn’s bedroom. The door was open, so he walked in. It took Hunter a second to realise where Shawn was… he noticed the open door to the large walk-in closet. He was about to walk towards it, but Shawn stepped out. If Hunter had taken a moment to note the serious expression on his best friend’s face, he might not have opened up the conversation with a joke.*
Triple H: I’d make a comment about you finally coming out of the closet, but it’s far too obvious.
Shawn Michaels: *He managed a small smile.* Yeah…after our son was born, Rebecca used to sit in there for hours and pray for me to stop taking drugs. She sets a good example to follow, so I go in there to think sometimes.
Triple H: *Secretly, he found himself feeling somewhat jealous of the closeness Shawn and Rebecca shared, but the last thing he wanted to talk about was another failed Triple H relationship, so he just nodded in an understanding way and sat down on the edge of the bed* So are you looking for His forgiveness, or advice?
Shawn Michaels: Both, I guess.
Triple H: It’s the Wrestlemania thing, right?
Shawn Michaels: I’d deny it but you’d know I was lying. There’s a video tape on the bed behind you…pick it up. *Hunter did as he was instructed, and reached behind him to pick up the black plastic object. He surveyed it carefully…it wasn’t labelled.*
Triple H: So what is it?
Shawn Michaels: Security footage from the night Joanie and Sean were attacked. I bribed someone for it.
Triple H: *If almost anyone else had got the tape in that manner, Hunter wouldn’t have found it strange, but this was Shawn. Bribery wasn’t his usual style.* …Are you serious?
Shawn Michaels: *he nodded* That was the forgiveness part…the advice I was looking for was “what do I do with it?” Do I watch it, or do I throw it away?
Triple H: You mean you haven’t seen it yet?
Shawn Michaels: *he shook his head* I wanted us to watch it together, if we watch it at all. The only decision I’ve made for sure is that I’m sending a copy to Joanie and Sean. I figure they should know.
Triple H: I figure we should know. I’m putting it in. Shawn Michaels: Just…can we talk before we watch that thing?
Triple H: Yeah…sure. But you wanna know who it was, right? We promised Joanie we’d take care of this.
Shawn Michaels: I know. And I’ll keep my promise. But if I put that tape in and I see Kevin Nash or Scott Hall, I’m pretty sure I’ll blow a gasket.
Triple H: You’re not the only one.
Shawn Michaels: I filmed a promo for Wrestlemania yesterday, and I was so sure I wanted to fight Kevin, then I pulled some strings to get my hands on that tape, and I told myself I wasn’t doing anything wrong…that the ends justified the means. If I put that tape in, and I see Kev hurting Joanie, do I have any right to even be conflicted for one second about my match at Wrestlemania? If he did what I think he did, it’s like I’d be letting her down if I had doubts about wanting to hurt him.
Triple H: Bullshit. Joanie knows we have her back…she doesn’t expect this to be easy. You always have a right to be conflicted. We’ve both been friends with Kevin for a long, long time…it’s okay to have second thoughts.
Shawn Michaels: Are you having any?
Triple H: Hell No. But my conscience isn’t quite as developed as yours.
Shawn Michaels: I’m not having doubts about what needs to be done at Wrestlemania. I have no problem fighting Kevin, I’ve fought my friends before, but I always knew the fight wouldn’t matter in the long run…that we’d work it out. I don’t have that hope right now. I just can’t for the life of me figure out how everything became so… broken.
Triple H: We grew up…and the people we were friends with forgot to grow up with us.
Shawn Michaels: But why? It’s not like he forgot to develop…it’s like he just…devolved. Kev was a good guy once. He introduced me to my wife. I tuned into Nitro to see him and Scott one Monday night…and I saw Rebecca. Right then and there, I decided she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen…so I asked him if he knew her. A week later Kev was setting us up. I should tell that story and feel like the happiest man alive, that’s what used to happen. But now, I tell that story and I hate him for tainting it. Our friendship was supposed to be untouchable…nobody could come between us. All those years we put up with people being jealous of our relationships with each other, and it ends because he forgot how to tell the difference between Shawn Michaels and Shawn Hickenbottom.
Triple H: And between Kevin Nash and “Big Sexy”.
Shawn Michaels: Exactly…he’s like a cartoon. There doesn’t seem to be a human left in there. I’m going to kill him, Hunter. I’m going to kill him for touching her…and I’m telling you that because I want you to know that you don’t have to walk down that path with me. They’re your friends too. I won’t make you choose between me and them.
Triple H: It doesn’t matter Shawn…they already made the choice for us. *He put his hand on his friend’s shoulder* …I’ve got your back, and Joanie’s. No matter what.
Shawn Michaels: Are you sure? …Because this is going to get ugly. If we don’t make it ugly, they will. You’re either all in, or you’re out. They’re not going to leave us any middle ground.
Triple H: Then we’re in this together. I’m not going anywhere.
Shawn Michaels: *a small grateful smile crept across his face.* I was hoping you would say that. You can put the tape in now, if you want.
Triple H: About time…
*Hunter stood up, tape still in hand, and walked over to the VCR. Shawn watched intently as Hunter pushed the tape into the machine, turned on the TV and hit the play button. The footage was grainy, and in black and white, like any you’d expect from a security camera…and ironically, it looked the same as the effects on the nWo’s entrance video. The angle was perfect…Joanie and Sean were stood together backstage next to a long table with some coffee-makers on it. They were both facing the table, with their backs to the direction Shawn could only assume the would-be assailant was going to come from. They were speaking to each other, but pouring themselves each a coffee at the same time… that explained why neither of them had seen what happened, he thought. Shawn kept watching, and then someone stepped into the shot holding a chair. The man didn’t waste any time in taking the chair to the back of both Sean and Joanie’s heads…and he hit them both once more for good measure while they were down, using the chair to pound both their heads into the concrete, making sure they were knocked out. Shawn felt himself seething, but bit it back. Like he had expected, the figure was wearing a black shirt with white letters on the front…but the face was not the face Shawn had been expecting to see. He just eyed the screen, feeling slightly shocked but feeling like he shouldn’t be surprised. Hunter spoke first.*
Triple H: Well that son of a fucking bitch…
*Shawn couldn’t take any more. He hit the eject button on the machine, a little harder than he had meant to, then leaned against the wall, restlessly.*
Shawn Michaels: I should go back in the closet…do you think it’s possible to ask forgiveness for sins yet to be committed?
Triple H: *he stood up, and put his hand on Shawn’s shoulder* If it is, I should probably join you in there. Do you feel any differently about Kev now?
Shawn Michaels: No. The only difference between how I feel now and how I felt before I watched that tape is that now I have an extra person to take out my anger on.
Triple H: Then we’re still on the same page in a very depressing book.
Shawn Michaels: *he looked up and spoke with complete confidence* The story will brighten up on Sunday…I’m going to make sure that the good guys win for once.
***** *It was the Wrestlemania pre-show and the scene opened backstage with Shawn standing in front of the EBWF Back-drop, Todd Grisham at his side and DX Cross t-shirt covering his slender yet toned physique. Beneath the shirt he wore his ring attire, black and green baggy pants with an X pattern going down the sides, along with a few silver studs. He wore a thin gold hooped ear ring in each ear, a hint of thin stubble on his face, and his golden hair gleamed beautifully under the lights. Shawn Michaels stood still as a rock, looking focused as Grisham opened his mouth to speak.*
Todd Grisham: Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m joined presently by the Heart Break Kid Shawn Michaels. Shawn, just hours away from a match against one of your oldest and best friends, how are you feeling?
Shawn Michaels: One word, Todd: Confident. Do you know why? Because this is my stage. Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon may believe they created Wrestlemania themselves…and maybe they did, but it was yours truly the Heart Break Kid who stole their creation right out from under their noses and made it his own, just like I’m going to steal a victory out from under Kevin Nash and the nWo’s noses tonight. You see, on this stage, nobody out performs Mister Wrestlemania himself. IGN Recently produced a list of the “Top 20 Wrestlemania Matches”. Do you know how many of those matches I took part in? Todd Grisham: No…how many?
Shawn Michaels: Six. Out of 20, I was awarded recognition for Six of them…that’s over a quarter. Tonight I’m going to carry Kevin Nash to the only good match he’s had in a long time, and I’d like to remind him that uh… you and Hall didn’t win the Tag Team of the Year award, did ya? *He grinned for a moment, then let his humorous side fade away* Ever since I was a little boy I’ve been the kid who would do absolutely anything to steal the spotlight. I’d take chances, I’d take risks, and I’d take names. Now, I’m 41 years old…not exactly a kid any more, and most of my youthful personality has slipped away…but at this time of the year, that competitive side, that flair, that desire, that show stealing attitude, it all comes rushing back like a drug long since forgotten, and ever more potent when it hits you because it’s been gone so long. Kev…I may have changed a lot, but the Heart Break Kid still wants all eyes on him tonight, and just like the good old days, I’ll do whatever I have to do to earn that attention, and anything I have to do to earn a victory. The reason I’m going to win tonight is quite simple, Todd. The Show Stopper…is back. It may be for one night only, it may be for a month, it may be for a year…but right now, vintage HBK is standing right here in front of you ready to tear down the house, and ready to tear down anyone inside it who stands in his way. Tonight it is my job to show the world that no matter who you are, no matter how big you are, you don’t mess with DX.
Todd Grisham: You know, a lot of people believe this is a David versus Goliath situation. Do you feel outmatched?
Shawn Michaels: Outmatched? Outmatched?! Me? Okay… Physically, you’re right, I am out matched, but come on, is that anything new? I’m 6’1, Kevin Nash is seven feet tall…combine that with the fact that he has a greater force of allies behind him than I do, and it’s pretty obvious that I’m the under dog. However Kevin needs to recognise what I learned long long ago...in this business, despire what Vince McMahon and the apes in New York would have you believe, it's not about how big you are, it's about how good the match is. I was one of the athletes that made people recognize that rarely is the biggest man on the court the most talented player. I want to remind you of something, Todd…and you’d better listen too Kevin, because the worst big man does not beat the best little man. David beat Goliath. Just like I beat you ten years ago. Nobody believed I was going to beat you then…but I did. As soon as that bell rang they knew I had it in me to get the job done. Suspend your disbelief, and anything is possible. That’s what I do every time I wrestle. My knee has no ACL and the disks in my lower back had to be fused together by spinal surgeons…By all rights I should barely even be able to walk. Some say I even should be dead. I’ve been lucky. But luck isn’t all I possess. I’ve made a career out of getting beaten up, and I always come back for more. Maybe it’s because I’m stupid…or maybe it’s because I have more passion in my little finger than most people ever come into contact with in their entire lives. I’m going to beat Kevin because I believe in what I believe in far more devoutly than he believes what he believes in. That’s what gives me the edge. Mentally, I’m one of the toughest athletes you’ll ever find. And I won’t be going out there alone, either. Chyna’s going to be with me. And it never hurts to have a true friend at your side. And yes, she is a true friend. Unlike the person who supposedly “has your back”, Kevin, Chyna would do anything to protect the people she cares about, and I’d do anything to protect her. Do you think Hollywood Hogan would consider putting your well being before his own for one second? No. Definitely not… and besides, when it comes down to a choice between Chyna and Hollywood Hogan, well I know what I’d rather look at when I glance ringside during my matches….brother! Hollywood Hogan doesn’t do anything that doesn’t benefit Hollywood Hogan. Maybe that’s why he and Kevin Nash get along so well… Kevin, you must know he’d hand you to the wolves in a heart beat to save his own neck. That isn’t the case with DX. Here I stand, in the path of the giant, ready to get beaten to a bloody pulp for her if that’s what it takes to send the message I have in mind. And that message is simple really: You put your hands on Chyna, it will quite possibly be the last thing you ever do in this business.
Todd Grisham: She took quite a beating at the hands of what most assume was the nWo. Is she doing better? And is this the return of DX?
Shawn Michaels: DX never went anywhere, Todd. We just took a little step back while our girl was healing. We are however coming back in full force tonight. Vintage DX are going to make an appearance, and if the “other stable” wants to show up and try to get whimsical, DX are just going to have to clear the ring the old fashioned way. We were hurt by the injury of one of our own…Chyna had a concussion, a bad one. They hurt her…and not just physically but emotionally too. I couldn’t allow that to happen…because it hurt me to see her hurting. But now, she’s doing great. *He was talking about Chyna now, and not Joanie* …She knows who took her out, and like I’ve been telling everyone all along, it wasn’t me, and it wasn’t Hunter.
Todd Grisham: Was it Kevin Nash?
Shawn Michaels: I said earlier in the week that I wasn’t sure if he was the one swinging the chair, and after conducting a little investigation, I proved myself correct. No, it wasn’t him. But he gave the marching orders. I know it just by looking at him. He has a smug look on his face constantly…as if he’s untouchable because he’s big and because he’s bad...he’s wrong. Nobody is untouchable…you just have to find their weakness and tear them down. And after spending all the time with Kevin that I did…I probably know him better than he knows himself. I’ll never be as big as you, Kev, but when I want to be, I have it in me to be more “bad” than you can ever imagine. I guess you didn’t see what I did to Raven…or Taz…or Vampiro. I’m a nice guy, but Kev…you should know better than anyone what happens when you try to get personal with HBK. Raven insulted my religion…Vampiro threatened my family, and you hurt my best friend. You’re next in line, Kevin… you are the next man to fall victim to my temper, and I can guarantee you it won’t be pretty. If you kick too many of your friends aside, sooner or later all you’ll be left with is a lot of enemies. And Kevin…I think the last thing you want is the people you’ve put your hands on to band together and go against you. Think about who you’ve made an enemy of in the past several weeks…Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna, Jeff Hardy and Syxx. Four of us are a collection of the most successful men in the EBWF today, and Chyna is the toughest women to ever set foot in a wrestling ring. If we wanted to take you and the nWo out, then we could. Luckily for you, you haven’t brought out my really malicious side yet. Keep pushing though Kevin, and you will succeed…and if that happens, I promise you, the sins I commit then could turn this place to rubble…but for now, I’m just going to pin you, and hurt you a little bit before I do.
Todd Grisham: Fighting a man who used to be your best friend has got to be tough…are you feeling conflicted about it?
Shawn Michaels: *He just stared at Todd blankly for a moment* Did you not see the promo I filmed earlier this week? And are you not listening to me or something? *He laughed and shook his head* Turn your ear piece back on…Wes or Bischoff or someone will feed you the questions. *He winked* …All kidding aside, fighting Kev isn’t going to be hard… accepting that my best friend Kev doesn’t exist any more, that was hard. Losing a loved one is never easy, especially when that loved one helped make you who you are by introducing you to a life you thought you could never have. My good friend Kev is long gone…I’ve had to accept that. I can’t bring him back…only he can do that. And I need to learn to accept the things I can’t do. I couldn’t save Chyna from what happened to her…I couldn’t save Syxx from what happened to him, and if the same thing happened to Hunter, chances are I might not be able to save him either…but you get credit for trying. I can’t take back what Kevin and the nWo have done, but I can attempt to restore the equilibrium by giving their action an equal and opposite reaction. You know what that means Kev…get ready to experience one heck of a headache. And I-- *Shawn Michaels stopped talking suddenly and just stared at a spot ahead of him. The camera panned around to show what he was looking at. Chyna was standing there, dressed in a nice pair of jeans with a DX baby-tee. Shawn all but pushed Grisham aside as he made a bee-line for her, smiling and wrapping her in a loving hug*
Shawn Michaels: *he was speaking to her, not to the cameras, but they managed to pick up the sound anyway, because they’re nosey like that* I’m glad you came.
Chyna: For Mister Wrestlemania, where else would I be? *She smiled, released him from the hug then looked at the camera for the first time* Oh and Kev…he’s got 2 words for you. *She looked at the camera’s operator* You can turn that thing off now.
*Shawn put his arm around Chyna’s shoulder and started walking off down the hallway with her as the shot faded to black, followed by a lime spray painted DX symbol.*