WWE Backlash 2008 - Results: Batista vs. Shawn Michaels (RAW/SmackDown!)

Results:
Play It Again, Shawn
By: Greg Adkins
April 27, 2008

BALTIMORE - Theirs was a grudge born of resentment. After years of deeply-held mutual respect, Batista and Shawn Michaels had found themselves at each other’s throats thanks to a single note of Sweet Chin Music. Tonight at Backlash, their quarrel finally reached a crescendo, with HBK silencing The Animal in the end.

It all began on the night of WrestleMania XXIV when a conflicted HBK defeated Hall of Famer Ric Flair with a single kick to the jaw, forcing the “Nature Boy” into retirement. From that point on, Batista, a longtime Flair acolyte, seethed for his friend and trained his substantial ire on Michaels.

The two traded barbs for weeks as a closure-seeking Michaels tried to explain that he gave Flair his A-game, just as “Naitch” had asked of him. Batista would hear none of it, insisting that The Showstopper could have—no, should have—held back to allow Flair to continue his epic career. Just days prior to Backlash, Michaels even sent a message, surprising Batista on SmackDown and leveling him with Sweet Chin Music of his own.

Any resentment Batista harbored toward Michaels, however, was simply not enough to drive him to victory. As special guest referee Chris Jericho looked on, he kept his distance after a couple of rough weeks dealing with the Backlash foes. The two opponents continued to trade blows and eventually took the action outside of the ring several times until HBK, despite suffering a leg injury, was able to tune up the band once again and lull The Animal to sleep with an encore of Sweet Chin Music.

With his victory over Batista at Backlash, Michaels silenced another critic and added yet one more track to his compilation of Greatest Hits.