Eric Young: I Never Doubted Myself After Shawn Michaels Praised Me Following A Dark Match

Eric Young was touched by wrestling Jesus and his name was Shawn Michaels. 

During his time in NXT from 2016 to2018, Young worked alongside Michaels. But it was a meeting between the two in 2004 that Young looks back on fondly. 

“Shawn Michaels is the best in-ring, bell to bell, I don’t think he’ll ever be touched. Working closely with him in NXT and how often our lives crossed paths. I don’t know if he knew it, but I knew it, I actually wrote for ESPN for a bit and I wrote this article entitled ‘My love letter to The Heartbreak Kid’ and it was how I idolized him and wanted to be him. Then I realized I’m short, fat, ugly, and I was never going to be the Heartbreak Kid, I’m gonna have to do something else, but he just inspired me and how I move and sell and what I believe good wrestling and storytelling is. One of my very first times working for WWE, I worked a dark match in Michigan. I’m sitting in a dressing room and there’s a bad beside me. [Shawn] walks in. He was just coming back from back surgery and was about to do Hell in a Cell with Triple H. My heart drops. I’m so nervous, I said hi, and took off. He’s opening Raw and I’m the dark match before Raw. I came to the back and I’m thanking everybody. Shawn grabs my arm, looks at me, and goes, ‘Hey man, no lie, that’s one of the best dark matches I’ve ever seen.’ That would be  like Jesus Christ looking you in the face and being like, ‘Whatever you’re doing in life, you’re doing great.’ From that point on, I’ve never doubted myself,” Young said on The Wrestling Perspective podcast. 

Michaels and Triple H competed inside hell in a cell at Bad Blood 2004. 

Young is currently sidelined with a torn ACL, though he hopes to be back in six months. You can find his full comments on his injury by clicking here. 

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