Ex-WWE Star Claims Shawn Michaels Offered Little Support During Addiction Struggle

Former NXT star Danny Burch claims that Shawn Michaels barely helped him during his darkest time after being released from WWE in 2022.

Speaking to Master Emir, the former NXT Tag Team Champion detailed how his post-release struggles in 2022 left him jobless, injured, and spiraling. With his shoulder still not healed and no clearance to wrestle or work a regular job, Burch said he was battling serious drinking problems and turned to Michaels for support, thinking the two had something in common.

“When I was let go the second time, I was in a really bad place. I wasn’t cleared to wrestle. I couldn’t work a real job. I had no income. My shoulder issues were still up in the air, and there was no end date—no ‘you’ll be cleared by this time. I reached out to him because I had developed a really bad problem with alcohol—a real bad problem. In my moment of need, I thought, Shawn went through this, maybe he’ll understand. I texted him and explained everything.”

But Shawn’s behavior left Burch shocked. The Heartbreak Kid gave him a very cold response and simply provided him with a phone number, adding that he’d have to pay for the service.

“His response was, ‘Well, I don’t deal with that. Here’s a phone number. Call them and tell them you worked for the company—but you’ll probably have to pay for it.’ That was Shawn Michaels. That was in 2022.”

The emotional letdown wasn’t Burch’s first disappointment when it came to Michaels. He explained that from the very beginning of his run at the WWE Performance Center, Shawn didn’t show him even basic respect. On his first day, Burch says he introduced himself, but Michaels brushed him off without so much as a handshake.

“My first day, I’m introducing myself to everyone. I go up to him and say, ‘Hey, Shawn.’ He pats me on the shoulder and says, ‘Hey, kid,’ and just walks off. Doesn’t even shake my hand,” he recalled.

Even after establishing himself with a TakeOver appearance, Burch said Michaels continued to act distant and dismissive. During another encounter, Burch greeted him again, only for Michaels to respond with a cold remark.

“There was another interaction later. I go, ‘Oh, hey, Shawn.’ He looks at me and goes, ‘Hey, guy.’ Guy. He knew who I was by then—I’d had the TakeOver match and all that. At that point, I was like, I’m not talking to you again. You’re not worth my time.”

Things only changed, Burch said, when he and Oney Lorcan won the NXT Tag Team Titles. Suddenly, Michaels was proud of him—but Burch didn’t buy the sentiment, believing it was more about office politics than genuine support. Burch suspects it was Triple H, not Shawn, who pushed for their title win—which might explain why Michaels only started acting friendly afterwards.

“That’s why it made me sick on the night we won the tag titles and he comes up to me, hugs me, and says, ‘Danny, I’m so proud of you.’ I’m like… yeah. You know what I mean? As far as I know, us winning the tag titles was a Triple H call. That’s as far as I know—I could be wrong—but that’s what I believe. Which is obviously why Shawn then liked me.”

He says the culture at the Performance Center was filled with what he described as “constant praise” for Shawn Michaels and that pushing back on any of his ideas wasn’t welcome. While Burch didn’t call Michaels outright malicious, he said the behavior reminded him of the more arrogant version of Shawn from the past.

“You had this class of guys where it was just constant praise—everything was about how wonderful Shawn was,” Burch said. “It became frustrating, because if you’re trying to put matches together and they suggest an idea, and you’re like, ‘I don’t know about that,’ it was tough.

One hundred percent,” Burch said when asked if “the old Shawn” still came through. “Even though he wasn’t vile or bad—you still saw a little bit of the old Shawn.”

From locker room politics to what he calls “Shawn Michaels worship,” Burch made it clear he always felt like an outsider—and that even in his lowest moment, the person he hoped would understand simply didn’t.

What do you think about Danny Burch’s experience with Shawn Michaels? Do stories like this change how you view WWE legends? Drop your thoughts in the comments—we want to hear from you.

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