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I just watched the Heartbreak & Triumph DVD and I want to point out some errors in the DVD review Michael Moore posted on January 7.
The first one was Moore's account of how the Rockers said they did no wrong when they came to the WWF the first time but were admitted partiers. Jannetty and Michaels both said they had a reputation for being partiers in the AWA and they didn't want that reputation to ruin their WWF careers before it started so they tried to stay under their radar. However, their reputation had preceded them and Jimmy Jack Funk goaded them until Michaels broke a beer bottle over his own head and walked off. Then, as HBK's account goes, the story got blown up and they were released. They were partyers, but in that particular incident, according to Michaels, they did nothing wrong.
The second inconsistency in the recap comes when Michaels says he felt depressed. He mentioned feeling suicidal because he went from the WWF to wrestling in front of 50 people through no fault of his own. It had very little to do with the perception of the AWA or NWA, even though Michaels's recollection of how big the AWA was at that time was kind of off-base but people's memories are never perfect. However, he explicitly states that he wasn't even happy when he went back to the AWA because he felt the WWF was THE show.
The failed drug test is the next one. He freely admits to using drugs throughout his career, but the reason he failed the drug test he was suspended for was steroids, which is the one drug that Michaels vehemently denied ever using. Later on in the DVD, he and his wife do admit that he did use Somas. You can believe Michaels when he said he didn't use steroids or you can choose not to, but why be so open about using Somas and not steroids - especially when the alleged steroid offense was nearly 15 years ago and the Soma abuse was as recent as the turn of the millennium?
Contrary to the review, there is a small line about Shawn Michaels addressing the rumors that he didn't want to face Bret Hart WrestleMania 13. They even played the clip of Hart calling Michaels a "phony little faker" while Michaels was doing commentary during the WWF Title match at the event. Do I feel like him not wanting to do the job to Hart was part of the reason he wanted to have surgery instead of competing at WM13? Yes, especially since he made it to WM14 with a an even worse back the next year to drop the title to Steve Austin. But did he have a history of knee problems? Yes, he was even written out of storylines in 1990 after Power and Glory injured his knee. But the subject of him not wanting to job to Hart was not completely ignored.
The only real inconsistencies in the story are with the Montreal Screwjob, but that's only if you know the history or have heard the history elsewhere. WWE is really bad about having consistency when recapping how the whole plan hatched. The Montreal incident recap, like every Montreal recap produced by WWE, is filled with this DVD's version of revisionist history as I'm sure history will change about five more times when five more DVDs come out recapping the incident. That's not a reflection on Michaels telling his story as it is how WWE presents the screwjob differently almost every time.
However, the DVD did address the animosity between Hart and Michaels beyond Triple H's one line. Triple H stated that the animosity was so bad that he felt Michaels wanted to take credit for Montreal at that point in time.
I do agree that the DVD set is a must-see, especially for the matches and extras. The story of Michaels's life is better covered in the book. But I don't think it's fair for the DVD recap to be say it's filled with inconsistencies or outright lies when Montreal is the only real inconsistent thing discussed.
***
Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev.
Here's another thought on the "Heartbreak and Triumph" DVD review published by PWTorch. Excerpt:
"There are many points throughout the biography where Shawn does not come off well at all: Besides being a drug user, numerous wrestlers and friends describe him as being arrogant and selfish at different points in his life. For the most part, I thought the DVD was honest and fair even (sometimes) at the expense of Shawn's reputation."
In an interview somewhere, IGN I think, Shawn mentions about telling those who were interviewed to be honest, even if that meant they would say something negative. Even Shawn himself clearly shows regret for his actions, showing emotion you rarely see when talking about that breaking point moment, the realization that he was on a downward spiral that could be the point of no return if he didn't wake up and do something. To this day, even to this HBK fan, "lost my smile" always comes across as smarmy in the way it was delivered- - partly why some people have trouble believing it - but looking back, it may not have been such an out-of-reach statement considering what happens just one year later. Psychoanalyst I'm not, but when he does also hint at suicidal thoughts and needing professional help then, it does seem a little less about politics and a little more about humanity.
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