Published: Oct 2, 2018 by Wrestle Talk | Last Updated: Oct 2, 2018 by Wrestle Talk
12. Shawn Michaels vs. Sycho Sid (Survivor Series 1996)
In late 1996 the WWF was beginning to learn towards an edgier product (‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin had recently emerged and the infamous Brian Pillman gun angle had just aired) but on the face of it the company was still presenting family-friendly entertainment in front of crowds that cheered babyfaces and booed heels.
Well, not the New York City crowd, as Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels found out to their peril during the main event of Survivor Series ’96 at Madison Square Garden.
From the get-go the New Yorkers turned on Shawn, booing his poses and moves and loudly supporting heel monster Sid in his quest to dethrone Michaels of the WWF Title.
The response was an outright rejection of the dated values that the WWF was trying to sell and of Shawn Michaels as the pretty boy babyface in particular.
When Sid clonked Shawn’s OAP manager Jose Lothario with a ringside camera then decked Shawn with a powerbomb to pin him and end his eight-month reign, the Garden erupted.
Practically overnight McMahon changed course and the Attitude Era was born. If only he was so quick to listen to what fans wanted in 2018.
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