Shawn Michaels allegedly told former WWE IC Champion to stop doing high-flying moves

It is well known that WWE legend Shawn Michaels had no problem voicing his opinions backstage in the 1990s. According to Ahmed Johnson, The Heartbreak Kid once told him to stop performing acrobatic moves.

Billed at six-foot-two and 305 pounds, Johnson was one of the largest men in WWE during his time with the company between 1995 and 1998. Like Michaels, the former Intercontinental Champion occasionally showcased his athleticism by executing high-flying stunts during matches.

On a recent episode of the Pounding the Meat podcast, Johnson explained why Michaels had an issue with his move set:

"One day Shawn called me into a little office and he was like, 'Ahmed, you've gotta stop doing all this high-flying stuff because when you do it at 350 pounds and then I come out and do it, it doesn't look like I'm doing anything because you just did it.' So he didn't like me diving over the top rope and doing all that stuff. I kept doing it, but he didn't appreciate that at all." [0:47 – 1:13]

Ahmed Johnson was allegedly supposed to face Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship in 1996. However, the match was nixed after The Pearl River Powerhouse suffered a kidney injury.

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Ahmed Johnson on his relationship with Shawn Michaels' friends

Backstage WWE group The Kliq consisted of Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H. The five men were close friends behind the scenes in the 1990s.

Ahmed Johnson was grateful that Hall, aka Razor Ramon, often gave advice about his in-ring performances:

"The only person that really helped me out was Razor Ramon. Razor Ramon watched backstage my matches. When I got done, when I came out, he would critique my matches for me and tell me what looked good and what didn't look good." [0:29 – 0:44]

Johnson also revealed why he had heat with WWE Hall of Famer and current AEW star Jeff Jarrett after their match at the 1996 Royal Rumble.

Do you have any memories of Ahmed Johnson in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Please credit Pounding the Meat and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.