AEW star says his car accident cost him the opportunity to be under Shawn Michaels’ wing
WWE legend Shawn Michaels currently spearheads NXT. He is the development brand's Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, which has helped him transform several young talents into rising stars. Interestingly, the Heartbreak Kid ran a wrestling school in San Antonio, Texas, from 1999 to 2001.
In 1998, Michaels was forced to retire from in-ring competition due to a severe back injury. This prompted him to open a wrestling school, one of whose trainees was AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson. In a recent episode of the "The Hawk's Nest" podcast, former IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Lance Archer revealed that, like many others, he wanted to train under Mr. WrestleMania. However, he couldn't because of a car accident.
The AEW star got accepted into Shawn Michaels' school; however, he could neither afford to travel there nor pay its $300 fee. Fortunately, the accident didn't cause him any bodily harm, and he went on to join another Texas-based wrestling school.
"I signed up for the school — and I would have been a part of the second class ever, which at that time Shawn was heavily involved in. Shawn was heavily involved in the first few classes, like the first, second, third, and maybe the fourth, I think he was involved in. Then he had his kid, and some stuff happened or whatever, and then he went back to wrestling, or he went back to WWF at the time. I would have been a part of the second class, but I just had a car accident." [H/T Wrestling Inc.]
Eventually, HBK came out of retirement and offered the academy to fellow trainer Rudy Boy Gonzalez.
After NXT No Mercy 2024's success, Triple H congratulated Shawn Michaels
Earlier this month, NXT No Mercy was held in Denver, Colorado. This event was immensely successful, with Ethan Page defending the NXT Championship in the main event.
WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H was impressed by the show, and after its conclusion, he congratulated every superstar involved in it, as well as his good friend, Shawn Michaels.
"Wow… #NXTNoMercy delivered on every level. Incredibly impressed by every single superstar that stepped into the ring tonight. Congrats to @ShawnMichaels and the entire @WWENXT crew on another blockbuster event" he wrote.
NXT No Mercy took place on September 1, 2024. The brand's next big event is Halloween Havoc 2024, which will take place on October 27.