Brooklyn Brawler Reveals Why He Received WWE Championship Shot Against Shawn Michaels
The Brooklyn Brawler gathered a ton of amazing stories and memories during his impressive career as an enhancement talent for WWE. His passion for the business later translated into a backstage role which was a position he held for years as well.
Memories that remain extremely vivid for Brawler include every time he was able to work Madison Square Garden, but one match inside the World's Most Famous Arena might stand out above the rest when got a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The situation surrounding Brawler's big MSG title shot was also a pretty interesting happenstance.
"Okay so we're wrestling in Madison Square Garden and we're having a battle royal. I'm in the battle royal but I'm just a guy to get thrown out, this and that. All of a sudden Ken Shamrock who was scheduled to win the battle royal got injured in his sternum, his chest he got injured," Brooklyn Brawler said on Prime Time with Sean Mooney.
After Shamrock experienced his injury, Brawler said producers of the battle royal went to Vince McMahon and told him Shamrock couldn't win the battle royal because he was hurt.
"Put Brooklyn Brawler over, he's local," Vince McMahon replied without realizing he had promised a WWF World Heavyweight Championship shot to the winner of the match.
When Brooklyn Brawler reminded Vince McMahon he promised a World Title shot at the next Madison Square Garden show, Vince McMahon looked at him and said: "You got your match."
The next MSG show was two months away when Brooklyn Brawler was supposed to face Bret Hart for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, but in that span of time, another monumental event in pro wrestling took place. The Montreal Screwjob turned the pro wrestling world upside down and crowned a new champion in the process. When Shawn Michaels became part of the situation things changed in Brawler's mind.
Brooklyn Brawler said the Shawn Michaels back then was much different than the one we know today. He assumed Michaels would reject the idea of working a match against him, especially at MSG. To his surprise, HBK was accepting of the idea asking Brooklyn Brawler what moves he could do and putting the match together right from the start.
"His finish is the Superkick if I Superkicked him people would come unglued," Brooklyn Brawler said. "What a match we had. It was the first Garden show with DX with Chyna and Triple H on the apron on the outside of the ring. Me and Shawn Michaels in Madison Square Garden."
"I remember The Undertaker walking into the room, into the dressing room and looking at the line-up and it shows me in the main event, he's underneath me and he goes, 'what the f–k is this?' That's what he said. I just said, 'it's not me I didn't do it!' Because nobody wants heat with The Undertaker. But I tell ya, my career, you couldn't even write this the way it happened."
"He's kicking out at two-and-a-half and he's selling and doing all these crazy moves," Brawler said remembering his MSG match against HBK. "I mean he made me look like a million bucks. I'm telling ya and then Triple H jumps on the apron and I pop him, nail him then Chyna comes in and gives me a Frankensteiner. I mean, it was great."
If you use any portion of the quotes in this article please credit Prime Time Wrestling with Sean Mooney with a H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcription
Source: Prime Time With Sean Mooney