CREDIT: QUOIPOURQUOI & www.WrestlingForum.com
The Relationship Between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels
Hart and Michaels were on friendly terms until 1994. Shortly after SummerSlam 1992, the two even sat down together to watch a tape of Hart/Smith. Hart was slightly peeved when Michaels used Hart’s ladder match finish at WrestleMania X after Hart asked him not to, but after that, no conflicts arose until 1996, and most of those were a series of misunderstandings.
One that most people recall is the claim that Michaels kicked Hart out of the ring at WrestleMania XII. While it is true that Michaels wanted Hart to get "the fuck out of the ring," it was nothing personal. Michaels also wanted mentor and trainer Jose Lothario to keep out (you can see Earl Hebner telling Lothario to stay out while Michaels celebrated). It was Michaels’ defining moment, and he wanted to celebrate alone – just one of the many ways his personality contrasts with that of Hart.
Though Michaels was alone in the ring at WrestleMania XII, he was fiercely loyal to his friends and employer. To Hart, his loyalty was to the locker room, because the wrestlers had a shared responsibility for each other’s safety.
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