Kevin Nash Says Shawn Michaels Was A Different Person After Returning To WWE In 2002

Nowadays, Shawn Michaels is Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative for WWE as well as a WWE Hall of Famer. To some, he's one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots. Yet back in the day, arguably in the prime of his career, "The Heartbreak Kid" wasn't always the easiest person to be around — something he has himself admitted in the past. But after returning from a serious injury in 2002, things were different. This week on "Kliq This," Nash spoke to how much Michaels changed upon his return and even theorized as to why that could've been the case.

"It's not even the same human being that lives on the planet right now," Nash said in response to a clip of Rob Van Dam recalling a less-than-favorable encounter with Michaels. "I think that people think that that's who Shawn is now, and it couldn't be further from the truth. You can ask all that young talent he's working with in 'NXT.'"

In January 1998 at the Royal Rumble, Michaels suffered a serious back injury during his match with The Undertaker, which ultimately took years off his career. While he would return several years down the road, there was no getting that missed time back, and Nash believes Michaels took that as a second chance.

"I would say that Shawn doesn't have the greatest of track records before he got injured and left," he added. "I think when he came back, I think that that was a completely different Shawn Michaels ... I think that he thought that his dream had been basically cut short. And on top of all that, a lot of those years that he didn't participate were big money years in the industry."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Kliq This" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.