Shawn Michaels Once Slapped WWE Rookie In The Face During Heated Exchange

Shawn Michaels has worn many hats in WWE throughout his career, and now he holds a position of power as Vice President of Talent Development Creative. That being said, there was once a time when HBK was a full-fledged WWE Superstar, making some questionable decisions along the way.

It’s hard to break into the pro wrestling business, but everyone is a rookie when they start. Former WWE enhancement talent Duane Gill, better known as Gillberg, has revealed how Shawn Michaels once reacted angrily to an in-ring spot involving Mabel.

Gill revealed on Rene Dupree’s Cafe de Rene podcast how the WWE legend slapped Mabel when he was just a rookie during a heated backstage exchange. Gillberg detailed the entire experience for everyone’s understanding.

They walked in, Shawn Michaels slapped him right in his face. ‘What the frick is wrong with you, man? Do you not know who that is? That’s the best damn jobber [enhancement talent] we got up here. Be careful with that stuff. You can’t be doing stuff like that and killing people. You’re lucky if you get a job now, boy.’ He slapped him hard, brother.

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Mabel was one of the largest wrestlers of all time, weighing 487 pounds. In a WWE tryout match in 1993, the former King of the Ring winner teamed up with Mo to defeat Gill and Barry Hardy. That being said, stories of how careless Mabel was in the ring were also echoed by The Undertaker.

Michaels thought the giant superstar was dangerous and had no qualms about expressing his unfiltered thoughts later that night. Mabel, also known as Big Daddy V and Viscera, was a wrestler for WWE from 1993 to 1996, 1998 to 2000, and 2004 to 2008. Mabel once sat on top of Gillberg in a dangerous spot during the match, injuring his smaller opponent in the process.

Gill claimed that Mabel’s feet did not even make contact with the mat before he made contact, implying that he felt the full force of the large superstar’s weight. He talked about how this was a spot. Obviously, his rough pro wrestling style wasn’t easy on his opponents, and we have to wonder if that played into his longevity in the squared circle.

What do you think of this interaction? Sound off in the comments.