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Former WWE talent Mike Halac, better known as Mantaur, has recalled how Shawn Michaels once asked if he was related to ex-WCW wrestler P.N. News.
Mantaur, who worked for WWE between 1994 and 1996, was rumored to be P.N. News' brother or cousin. At the time, News had a bad reputation after being accused of stealing money from other wrestlers during his WCW stint between 1991 and 1992.
In an interview on The Hannibal TV, Mantaur said Michaels did not want News anywhere near WWE:
"He [Shawn Michaels] says, 'I need to just come out and ask you. Are you related to P.N. News?' and I said, 'No, why?' He said, 'Well, people say you guys are brothers or cousins, and he's not wanted around here. We don't want people like him around,' because I guess somebody said that he stole somebody's money or something when he was in WCW. I don't know, I wasn't there." [From 0:22 to 0:46]
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P.N. News clarified in a 2015 interview on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast (H/T 411mania) that he did not steal from anyone. According to the former WCW wrestler, it later emerged that a referee was responsible for the theft.
How Shawn Michaels responded to Mantaur
Although Shawn Michaels was notoriously difficult to deal with behind the scenes, Mantaur had no problem with The Heartbreak Kid.
The 54-year-old added that he was happy to ease Michaels' worries about incidents in the locker room:
"He was like, 'Okay, I'm glad I talked to you. I heard a lot of rumors,'" Mantaur continued. "I said, 'That's just what they are, buddy, rumors. If you ever wanna know something, just come and ask me and I'll tell you. I ain't got nothing to hide here. I'm just a squirrel trying to get a nut.'" [From 1:13 to 1:27]
Although Mantaur only appeared sporadically on WWE television, he still wrestled several high-profile names during his short time with the company. One of his most notable matches came on the May 7, 1995, episode of WWF Action Zone when he lost to Bret Hart.
Are you a Shawn Michaels fan? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit The Hannibal TV and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
