Does anybody have...

[David Blazenwing 0]

I need it for something I'm working on... and I can't find it. Can anybody help a guy out?

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Its an extra on the HBK DVD.

[David Blazenwing 0]

No, no Deon... I need a TEXT transcript of it. I know it's on the HBK DVD... lol. Can someone find a typed version of what HBK said and post it here (or provide a link, or whatever?)

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Thursday Raw Thursday

The "I've Lost My Smile" Speech

February 13th, 1997

Vince: "And now would you please welcome, the most flamboyant, the most charismatic, WWF Champion, perhaps of all time. Here, ladies and gentlemen , to surrender the World wrestling Federation Championship; ladies and gentlemen the one...the only SHAWN MICHAELS!"

 

JR: "Shawn Michaels walking to the ring gingerly. He had an MRI done yesterday in San Antonio. Doctors recommending reconstructive surgery, as we, ah, told you. Whether you love him, or you hate him, if you're a wrestling fan you have to respect him."

 

Lawler: "I'll tell you this Jim Ross, I don't care for him at all, professionally. But I've got to admit this is a stand-up thing to do. As soon as he gets the word from the doctor...I think I would have hung on to the belt as long as I could."

 

JR: "Got to be gutwrenching; and heartbreaking."

 

Vince: "This comes obviously as a shock. It's a shock to WWF fans all over the world. Maybe it really shouldn't be, considering what you give. Obviously, Shawn Michaels, what you bring the the World Wrestling Federation has taken it's toll on you; specifically, your knee. And as you are facing a knee operation, I wonder if you would share, with the millions of your fans all over the world, what's going through your head."

 

HBK: "Well, it seems, uh, like we've done this before. And uh, this time, unfortunately for me, it's much more serious than last time. I've never had, um, a doctor look at me in the face and say, uh, that I may never be able to wrestle again. And I was, uh, I was told that the other day. Of course, you know I, it's not something that I believe. But the fact is it's something that I have to deal with. Time has taken it's toll on, on my body."

 

Vince: "I know you're just as disappointed, more so than anyone else, that you're not defending the WWF title against Sycho Sid, or for that matter whomever would have been stacked up against you. And no one has taken on more challengers, no one in the history, who has ever won this championship belt, has ever had the schedule, has ever had to endure the kind of schedule that you have so readily taken upon yourself."

 

HBK: "Well there's uh, one thing about me is I can't do anything halfway and I, and I come here and I hear the people and they chant uh, Sid's name or they chant Bret's name or they chant a lot of peoples' names, and one thing's for sure, you're going to have all of that in the future, um, and that's what I want for the World Wrestling Federation fans. In spite of, uh, what people may think about me, what I've always wanted for all these people is, is for them to have a good time and to enjoy themselves. I've always tried to be the one to provide it whether it was on the good side or the bad side. But what was always important to me was the performance, was the performance so that these people, each time they reached in their pocket, they paid to get a WWF ticket, they didn't regret it because they knew that if they saw my name on the card they could yell, they could come and they could cheer and they could boo and they could do whatever they wanted as long as they had a good time. Over the last couple of months, uh, there's been a lot of talk of people, uh, having bad attitudes and a lot revolving around this belt. Uh, all I know today is that one thing that's not going to revolve around this belt, for a long time, is going to be Shawn Michaels. I don't know where I'm at right now. I have to, uh, I have to have everything checked. I may have... I may be beyond reconstructive surgery. I may, or may not be able to fix it. But if I can't come back and perform at the level I performed at, before...I can't, I can't perform. I can't come out here and just go half-ass. I have to come out here and I have to romp and stomp and I have to get tossed around. I have to toss people around and I have to have fun. The schedule over the last year I took on because I didn't feel like I could say no. I wanted to do everything. I wanted to enjoy my life as the WWF Champion. I wanted to, I wanted to ride in lear jets and ride in limousines and I wanted to be on TV shows and I wanted to do autograph sessions and I got to do every bit of that. If nothing else, I have all of that to take with me. Again, and I know right now we're in the middle of a time where toughness is real big here in the World Wrestling Federation, and unfortunately all I've got right now for you is a lot of sorrow, a lot of tears, and a lot of emotion. I don't have any toughness for anybody, so I guess, here you go, here's your belt." (hands the belt to Vince)

"What I'm going to do is go back home and see what's left for me; whether it'll be in this ring...whether it'll be out of this ring. I know that over the, uh, the last several months I've lost a lot of things and one of them has been my smile. And, and I know it doesn't mean a whole lot to everbody else, but it means a lot to me. So I have to go back and fix myself, and take care of myself, and I have to go back and I have to find my smile because somewhere along the line I lost it and I don't care, really, I don't care if it's unpopular, and I don't care if, uh, people want to make fun of me because I'm an emotional guy. But, um, this is all I've ever wanted to do and uh, over the last year I got to do it and whether you like me or not, I just want to tell you that, uh, last year was the most wonderful year of my life. And, uh, if I never do get to do it again, it'll be okay because I got to live one full year as being the number one guy in this business and it was the single greatest year of my life."

"And I have you to thank, and I have everybody here to thank, and it means a lot to me and, uh, I'm gonna go home now. Okay?" (Shawn hugs Vince)

 

Vince: "Ladies and gentlemen, SHAWN MICHAELS!" (Shawn hugs Gorilla Monsoon and leaves the ring)

[JN News 0]

I should've known how much of a fucking pussy Shawn Michaels was to pull that shit prior to his ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED title match against Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13.

[pochorenella 0]

I should've known how much of a fucking pussy Shawn Michaels was to pull that shit prior to his ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED title match against Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13

 

Serves Bret right, since he didn't want to properly put over Shawn at WMXII and left the ring like a sore loser.

 

Also, I read that Sid was scheduled to win the Title again (??) on that thursday show, so at what point would Shawn have reclaimed the Title. At Final Four?

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

I should've known how much of a fucking pussy Shawn Michaels was to pull that shit prior to his ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED title match against Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13

 

Serves Bret right, since he didn't want to properly put over Shawn at WMXII and left the ring like a sore loser.

 

Also, I read that Sid was scheduled to win the Title again (??) on that thursday show, so at what point would Shawn have reclaimed the Title. At Final Four?

The only reason why Final Four was created is because of HBK giving up the title. So I doubt it would have been there if that was the case.

[pochorenella 0]

The only reason why Final Four was created is because of HBK giving up the title. So I doubt it would have been there if that was the case

 

Hmmm, I seem to remember an ad on WWF magazine advertising the IYH:Final Four PPV way before the "lost my smile" incident, but with Shawn, Bret, Sid, and Austin on it, not Vader. I might be wrong, though.

[Hektik 0]

Serves Bret right, since he didn't want to properly put over Shawn at WMXII and left the ring like a sore loser.

What are you talking about? Bret jobbed cleanly and left so he could let Shawn have his moment. He didn't try to steal the spotlight like Hogan did to Warrior at WM 6.

[Shanghai Kid 0]

It would of put over Shawn more if Bret stayed and shook his hands. How were Bret Hart fans not supposed to hate Shawn after Bret walked away pissed off?

[Papacita 0]

I should've known how much of a fucking pussy Shawn Michaels was to pull that shit prior to his ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED title match against Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13

 

Serves Bret right, since he didn't want to properly put over Shawn at WMXII and left the ring like a sore loser.

 

Also, I read that Sid was scheduled to win the Title again (??) on that thursday show, so at what point would Shawn have reclaimed the Title. At Final Four?

The only reason why Final Four was created is because of HBK giving up the title. So I doubt it would have been there if that was the case.

The event was originally scheduled to have the winner go on to face the champion at Wrestlemania as a result of Austin cheating to win the Rumble. Shawn giving up the title was kind of last minute thing (it happened just days before the PPV event, IIRC), so they decided to put the title on the line there. And yeah, there had been ads (both magazine and TV) for the Final Four event for a while featuring Sid, Michaels, Austin and Bret.

 

As for Shawn giving up the title...at the time, I was upset because I thought he was legit injured, but I always found it a little funny. I remember an episode of Raw where JR was spitting out some anti-WCW propaganda, and he says something like "No bait-and-switch tactics here (referring to a promised Hogan/Giant title match on Nitro a few weeks earlier). What we promise, we deliver, and WE PROMISE that Shawn Michaels will go into Thursday RAW Thursday to defend the title against Sycho Sid!"

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Stone Cold was supposed to win night of the Final Four, but he fucked up his knee during the match so they gave the title to Bret. Had Austin won, he was going to job to Sid the following night anyway.

[Hektik 0]

It would of put over Shawn more if Bret stayed and shook his hands.  How were Bret Hart fans not supposed to hate Shawn after Bret walked away pissed off?

No it wouldn't, it would be a self serving move by Bret. It would have put the focus on Bret and would have taken heat away from Shawn. Hogan did that at WM 6 as a way of putting himself over Warrior despite jobbing cleanly. It is those kind of subtle moves that HHH and HBK are doing to Benoit.

[1234-5678 0]

It would of put over Shawn more if Bret stayed and shook his hands. How were Bret Hart fans not supposed to hate Shawn after Bret walked away pissed off?

It's all a work guys.

[Guest krazykat72]

Michaels was in line to lose the title to Sid on the Thursday show and then lose to Hart at WM XIII. While I doubt Shawn was 100% (especially with the style he was working and his own 'personal demons', I have little doubt he could have worked both matches. I don't know if that Austin story is really true. I only remember reading about it in a Scott Keith rant, and when Meltzer was posed the question, he didn't confirm the story.

 

-Paul Jacobi-

[Si82 0]

I remember an episode of Raw where JR was spitting out some anti-WCW propaganda, and he says something like "No bait-and-switch tactics here (referring to a promised Hogan/Giant title match on Nitro a few weeks earlier).  What we promise, we deliver, and WE PROMISE that Shawn Michaels will go into Thursday RAW Thursday to defend the title against Sycho Sid!"

That is fucking gold!

 

By the way, did Vince Russo write Shawn's speech? I remember him going off on a rant about in the May/June 1997 issue of Raw Magazine saying stuff like:

"Shawn Michaels was trying to tell the fans something here in a very special way! IN MY OPINION, there was much more than just a knee injury. Shawn Michaels was coming across as a man who was about to experience a nervious breakdown!!!

First of all, Shawn Michaels does have a legitimate knee injury. This no doubt about that. It's been checked out by doctors, and it's serious. Hopefully rehabilitation will allow him to not only get back in the ring within in the next couple of months, but, more important to Shawn, allow him to perform at the level he's capable of. If that is not possible, then there is no question in my mind that Shawn may never return to the squared circle.

That Russo, what a joker.

[pochorenella 0]

It would of put over Shawn more if Bret stayed and shook his hands. How were Bret Hart fans not supposed to hate Shawn after Bret walked away pissed off?

That's exactly what I'm talking about. You can't mean to tell me that Bret shaking hands with Shawn after WMXII would've taken the focus off Shawn. If so, then why the hell did he HUG Davey Boy after SummerSlam? That's a heat killer for sure, right? Or what about after Bret beat Randy Savage on that Japanese tour in 93 or 94. He shook the Macho Man's hand there, so did he steal the spotlight from him?

 

All I'm saying is it would have been a huge sign of respect to the new champion. But instead he left bitter and saying that he never knew about overtimes or the like. He said that on an article in WWF magazine that was published in 1996, but I seem to recall he had a few OT wins over Owen when they had those marathon matches when Bret was champ.

 

The event was originally scheduled to have the winner go on to face the champion at Wrestlemania as a result of Austin cheating to win the Rumble. Shawn giving up the title was kind of last minute thing (it happened just days before the PPV event, IIRC), so they decided to put the title on the line there. And yeah, there had been ads (both magazine and TV) for the Final Four event for a while featuring Sid, Michaels, Austin and Bret

 

That's what I was talking about. Thanks for the info.

[1234-5678 0]

But instead he left bitter and saying that he never knew about overtimes or the like.

That OT must've been a shoot then!!!!!!!

[Hektik 0]

That's exactly what I'm talking about. You can't mean to tell me that Bret shaking hands with Shawn after WMXII would've taken the focus off Shawn. If so, then why the hell did he HUG Davey Boy after SummerSlam? That's a heat killer for sure, right? Or what about after Bret beat Randy Savage on that Japanese tour in 93 or 94. He shook the Macho Man's hand there, so did he steal the spotlight from him?

Your trying to compare Davey Boy winning the Intercontanental title to Shawn winning the World title. Shawn was going to be expected to carry the WWE, Davey was just going to be a lame duck IC champion. Bret was leaving after WM 12 and nobody was sure if he was going to come back, so he put Shawn over and let him have his moment.

 

All I'm saying is it would have been a huge sign of respect to the new champion. But instead he left bitter and saying that he never knew about overtimes or the like. He said that on an article in WWF magazine that was published in 1996, but I seem to recall he had a few OT wins over Owen when they had those marathon matches when Bret was champ.

As far as him being bitter and talking about overtimes, you have to remember one thing, it's a work. Your taking something written in WWF magazine as truth.

[pochorenella 0]

Your trying to compare Davey Boy winning the Intercontanental title to Shawn winning the World title. Shawn was going to be expected to carry the WWE, Davey was just going to be a lame duck IC champion. Bret was leaving after WM 12 and nobody was sure if he was going to come back, so he put Shawn over and let him have his moment

 

So basically you're saying that Bret storming out of the ring with an angry face and pulling down his straps was done only as a good-will gesture towards Shawn because he didn't want to hog the glory of the moment. Riiiight...

 

Well, that's your take on the matter, and I respect it, even though I don't accept it. For my money, both would have come out of the match extremely better if the had a handshake showing mutual respect. Remember it was face vs face, so that's not out of the question. And hey, of course I know it's all a work, but still, those are little things that either take away or give something extra to the matches.