What's the deal behind the...

[Guest pappajacks]

There was a period where I stopped following the product entirely, and that was between 1994-1997.

 

During the last few years, I have often read and heard about the time HBK "lost his smile".

 

What's that all about? Does it have anything to do with Hall and Nash jumping to WCW and Hunter being the one punished for what happened at MSG?

[Guest The Mighty Damaramu]

HBK was set to job the title to Bret Hart at WM13. He fabricated a story that he had a knee injury to get out of doing the job. He came on RAW and gave this big speech that he had "lost his smile" and said he had a knee injury, then he forfeited the title.

And then later when it became apparent that Austin was going to break out he was back for a piece of the action....not hurt at all.

[Guest pappajacks]

Thanks.

 

That reminds me of what HBK wanted to do at WM 14. He claimed he had a serious back injury (which was true because he hadn't wrestled on RAW for 4 months at that time although he was champion) and didn't want to job the title to Austin. Taker revealed in an interview that he physically threatened HBK if he didn't go to the ring and job to Austin.

[JasonX 0]

There was a period where I stopped following the product entirely, and that was between 1994-1997.

 

During the last few years, I have often read and heard about the time HBK "lost his smile".

 

What's that all about? Does it have anything to do with Hall and Nash jumping to WCW and Hunter being the one punished for what happened at MSG?

When Bret Hart jobbed the World Title to HBK at the 1996 WM, it was understood and expected that HBK would return the job at 1997's WM and let Bret beat him for the belt.

 

As the weeks went by before WM 97, HBK (who's credibility as champion was dying by the hour and pulling every political trick in the book to prevent Vince from jobbing him out to one of the WWE's hosses at the time) suddenly announced that he had a crippling knee injury/addiction to painkillers on live TV and would be unable to defend the title at the February 97 PPV. So he forfitted the belt and went on sabatical to "recover" from his injury/addiction and during the forfit interview, HBK describes his personal troubles to "losing his smile".

 

Unfortunately HBK showed no real sign of having a bum knee and thanks to the internet (which was fast becoming a place for fans to find out the newest backstage gossip about the behind the scenes goings on in wrestling), it was leaked that Shawn was faking in order to avoid having to lose the belt to Bret at WM 97. The fact that HBK ironically made his big returned to active duty with no sign or mention of his problems at the same time that Bret Hart/Steve Austin was becoming the "BIG" angle on WWE tv that everyone was talking about further ruined HBK's integrity in the eyes of the smarks and as a result "Losing My Smile" became a rallying cry towards the unprofessional manners of HBK...

[Guest Brian]

He also hinted there was painkiller addiction.

[Guest LatinoHeat]

Wasn't that interview broadcast on a special "Tuesday Raw" because of that dog show on the USA network being on the night before?

[Guest HartFan86]

Check out www.thesmarks.com and look for Scott Keith's "Thursday RAW Thursday" review. Pretty much tells about how much a fucking dick HBK is.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

It's funny how HBK's screw-jobs turn out best for Steve Austin. (KOTR 96, WM 13, SS97)