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Shawn Michaels could be notoriously difficult to deal with behind the scenes at the height of his WWE popularity in the 1990s. In a recent interview, Ahmed Johnson recalled how much power his former co-worker had backstage.
Johnson worked for WWE between 1995 and 1998. Although Michaels was one of the company's star attractions at the time, he often upset people due to his attitude problems and well-publicized drug use.
Speaking to Monte & The Pharaoh, Johnson claimed he would have lost his job had he complained about The Heartbreak Kid's antics:
"You would have been fired in a heartbeat. Shawn Michaels was back then what The Rock is to the WWF [WWE] now. He had the pull, he had the position, and you knew if you messed with him that he would have seen that you were fired." [25:40 – 25:58]
Johnson walked out of WWE after refusing to take part in a segment that would have resulted in him being "hung from a rope." WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon allegedly told The Pearl River Powerhouse he would be "erased him history" due to his sudden departure.
Ahmed Johnson makes another Shawn Michaels claim
In 1996, Ahmed Johnson defeated Goldust at King of the Ring 1996 to become the first African-American Intercontinental Champion. The 60-year-old was later due to work with then-WWE Champion Shawn Michaels, but the storyline never materialized.
Johnson also addressed whether Michaels had enough power to stop him from winning the WWE Championship:
"Yes, he could've. Well, he really did because I was supposed to take him on for the championship. What I heard, he told Vince that America wasn't ready for a black champion, so that never happened, but it was setting up for me and him to go at it." [26:06 – 26:26]
In the same interview, Johnson revealed that a racial slur was scratched into his car after he won the Intercontinental Championship.
What do you make of Ahmed Johnson's remarks? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Monte & The Pharaoh and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
