5 times WWE Superstars had real disputes during a match

#3 Shawn Michaels and Vader (WWE SummerSlam 1996)

Shawn Michaels had backstage disputes with several WWE Superstars in the 1990s. The Undertaker even became so tired of Michaels’ antics that he threatened to beat up his co-worker if he sabotaged the WrestleMania XIV main event.

One person who Michaels did not particularly like working with, Vader, challenged The Heartbreak Kid for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 1996. WWE director Bruce Prichard revealed on his Something to Wrestle With podcast that the two men were originally supposed to have three high-profile PPV matches.

The first of those three matches (SummerSlam 1996) was going to be won by Michaels. Vader would then become WWE Champion three months later (Survivor Series 1996) before dropping the title back to Michaels (Royal Rumble 1997).

Unfortunately, their SummerSlam match was full of miscommunication, leading WWE’s decision-makers to replace Vader in the WWE Championship storyline with Sid.

Michaels could not hide his frustration throughout the disappointing match. He even had a disagreement with Vader after the two men botched an elbow drop spot. Michaels thought his opponent was going to move out of the way, while Vader thought he was supposed to stay still.

When HBK landed the elbow drop and Vader did not move, the D-Generation X member legitimately kicked the challenger in the head.

Prichard said on his podcast that Michaels was “livid” after the match, which explains why plans for a rematch were scrapped.