CLEVELAND – The bad blood flowing for months between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho came gushing to the surface Sunday night at Unforgiven.
In an emotional Unsanctioned Match, HBK overcame an injured triceps and interference by Jericho ally Lance Cade to unleash his considerable wrath on Jericho, punishing his opponent until referee Marty Elias was forced to intervene, stopping the bout before lethal damage could be inflicted. An enraged Michaels even lulled Elias to sleep with Sweet Chin Music.
The unrestrained brutality was a culmination of acrimonious events between these two fierce competitors. Their rivalry reached an ugly crescendo last month when, as Michaels addressed the crowd at SummerSlam, Jericho accidentally punched his wife Rebecca in the face.
In the wake of the incident, Michaels and Jericho agreed to an Unsanctioned Match, featuring no regulations and no liabilities. From the moment the match was set, thoughts of revenge flashed across Michaels’ furious eyes.
Tonight, inside the Quicken Loans Arena, he exacted that revenge.
Rather than quench his sense of vengeance, however, Michaels’ victory seemed only to fuel his competitive fire, a fire that shows no sign of extinguishing. As Michaels explained in an interview after the match: "The worst is yet to come."