[1995-12-04-WWF-Raw] Shawn Michaels update

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

This is a feature on Shawn's collapse ... what Todd Pettengill calls "the longest five seconds in World Wrestling Federation history." They speak with Shawn's physician, who announces that he has post-concussion syndrome. He walks through the side effects and says Shawn will be out longer than he expected. He says there are football players and boxers that never fully recover from these injuries, and since Shawn takes such huge risks in the ring, he won't be cleared until he's certain he can handle it. This is a very serious feature that I really dig.

 

This segues to Vince, who says, "In the theater of life, we tend to place public figures on a pedestal. For an elite few, we reserve the mantle of superstardom. By doing this, we separate these individuals from the rest of us, bestowing upon them superhuman qualities that may or may not even exist. We tend to think about our superstars as different from us. Superstars are bigger than we are. They're faster. They're stronger. Why, they don't even think the way we think. They don't talk the way we talk. And they certainly don't feel pain the way we feel pain. Well, Shawn Michaels has unquestionably always been the very embodiment of what superstardom is really all about. But two weeks ago on Raw, the facade of superstardom was smashed in an instant when Shawn Michaels collapsed to the canvas. In that frightening moment, we realized that a superstar is really just like the rest of us -- a human being. They do feel pain. They're not invincible. Unquestionably, these athletes are driven by their insatiable desire to be the very best they can be. Here in the World Wrestling Federation, we cheer wildly as these superstars risk their bodies time after time constantly taking one step closer to the edge in an effort to thrill the crowd. Well, Shawn Michaels has been living on the edge and thrilling the crowds for quite some time. Shawn Michaels wowed us into believing that he could do just about anything because we've seen him do it. But now we find ourselves in the uncomfortable position of hoping he'll just be all right, all the while knowing we helped push him over the edge in our unquenchable thirst for excitement. However, like anyone who totally loves what they do, Shawn Michaels can't wait to get back in the ring, and believe me, he's even more anxious to get back than we are to see him back. But unfortunately, now there's a question as to when or even if Shawn Michaels should return at all."

[Zenjo]

HBK has a storyline injury and we get all of this. Think of all the guys who've had actual serious injuries and they disappear without a word.

[PeteF3]

Dr. Unger recounts the symptoms of post-concussion syndrome, and they sound quite serious, lasting for a few weeks to a few months up to 3 years. Meanwhile the NFL at this very time was trying to proclaim that concussed players were good to return to games, but that's a soapbox rant for another time. This is an incredibly frank and serious-minded piece, with Unger rather bluntly stating that it doesn't matter how resilient Shawn is--his brain isn't resilient, and that his wrestling career isn't a concern to him right now. Shawn isn't progressing, neurologically, and may not be fit to return to the ring at all.

 

Best WWF segment of the year. Like I said earlier, it's the first emotionally charged angle that has registered in the WWF in God knows how long. Maybe the Savage-Jake feud, if not the Hogan-Earthquake feud. On another level, you kind of wish Vince & co. would actually have listened to themselves during this piece. 19 years later and it doesn't seem like they've learned much.