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He's one of the most charismatic showmen ever to grace a WWE ring. He was
WWE's most resilient champion. Pound-for-pound, he may have been the
company's toughest.
If a back injury hadn't cut Shawn Michaels' in-ring career short, there's
no telling what the "Heartbreak Kid" would have accomplished. As
it was, he accomplished more than anyone at the time. He was the first
Grand Slam Champion -- the only competitor to hold every title WWE had to
offer then. At 225 pounds, he somehow managed to win the WWE Championship
on three occasions, defeating men close to twice his size along the way.
One of the keys to his success was that Michaels would put his body on the
line. He participated in the first (and, many say, most exciting) Hell in
a Cell match, against the Undertaker. There were Ladder Matches. But even
in "regular matches" (if there was ever such a thing with
Shawn), HBK was intent on being "the Showstoppa, the main-eventer,
the icon." It took its toll on his long-term health. Still in his
early 30s, when most superstars are hitting their prime, Michaels had to
bow out of the spotlight after losing the title to Stone Cold Steve Austin
at WrestleMania XIV in March 1998. Soon he had surgery to take away the
pain, but officially end his in-ring career, or so it was thought.
But Michaels doesn't necessarily have to lace up the wrestling boots to be
an instrumental part of WWE programming. One of the most natural
"talkers" in history, he has the ability to rile up fans and
fellow superstars simply by grabbing a microphone. Remember, Michaels was
one of the founding members of D-Generation X, perhaps the most notorious
faction in sports-entertainment history. They had as many memorable
moments outside the ring as they did inside the ring. And Michaels
remained one of the most popular superstars when he returned on a regular
basis in November 1998, even though it was in a non-wrestling capacity as
commissioner off WWE. But for a variety of reasons, Michaels resigned as
commissioner in 2000, and has been rarely seen by WWE audiences since.
Perhaps the best indication of the impact that HBK made on the business
was the reaction he received on June 3, 2002, live on RAW, when he was
introduced as the newest members of another controversial faction, the nWo.
Fans at the American Airlines Arena cheered because they were happy to see
him, or jeered because they were shocked he was joining the nWo. But they
were all on their feet, as they seemingly always are when HBK's "Sexy
Boy" theme song hits. Now Michaels is back in WWE, again in a
non-wrestling capacity. Or is he? Michaels has indicated in interviews
that perhaps he has a few more matches left in him. His back is feeling
great, he has obviously kept himself in great shape, and he knows he can
do it. That's because, after he ceased being an in-ring competitor for WWE,
he opened the Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy in his hometown of San
Antonio. Often he would climb in the ring with his students to demonstrate
the moves for them; it made him learn that he could still "get it
done."
Will Michaels step back in the ring again? Or will he be content to act as
the nWo instigator, with his real-life best friends Kevin Nash and X-Pac
as his bodyguards? Only time will tell, but the fans will definitely
remain standing either way.
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