His path to success is very similar to that of his arch nemesis Bret "The Hitman" Hart. He is one of the most accomplished gladiators of the squared circle. That man is none other than "The Heartbreak Kid" himself, Mr. Shawn Michaels. Much like Bret, Shawn was one of my favorites growing up because of the excitement and flair that he brought to the ring. Bret was technique, Shawn had technique with flash and athleticism. Shawn was also part of Vince McMahon's vision to move from the Giant, Barbaric style of wrestling to a more fluid and faster pace of wrestling. Michaels has become synonymous with big matches as he has earned the moniker of "Mr. WrestleMania". He was a highlight waiting to happen. Shawn has been a lightning rod in the ring because of how he has been able to spark value in whatever match or storyline that he was involved in. Those that did not like Shawn's personality still had to respect how exceptional he was when he stepped through those ropes.
Shawn Michaels was not built like the traditional Vince McMahon prototype for a wrestler. He did not have the size of Hogan, Warrior, etc. Whatever Shawn lacked in size, he more than made up for in resilience and his ring skills.
Ladies and Gentleman, here is the Journey of an Icon:
Origins:
Born on July 22, 1965, Shawn Michaels grew up as a fan of professional wrestling in San Antonio, Texas. He was inspired by watching greats like Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, The Von Erichs and others. Shawn would wrestle in high school while also playing football. By the time he was 19, Shawn entered the world of wrestling as he made his start in World Class Championship Wrestling. He naturally started as a jobber (enhancement talent) for the top names of that time. Not long after that, he would join the American Wrestling Association (AWA) to team with his future tag team partner Marty Jannetty. From that point on, the rest was history.
Rockers Era (1986-91):
The Rockers were heavily inspired by The Rock & Roll Express and the Midnight Express with their high-flying and tag team chemistry. They were the heartbeat of the AWA during its twilight years. Their primary feud was with the team of "Playboy" Buddy Rose and Doug Sommers. During their time in the AWA, Shawn and Marty would win the AWA Tag Team Titles. Their success would open up doors for the move to Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1988.
The Rockers were involved in the main event of Survivor Series 1989 during the 4-on-4 elimination match as they teamed with Ultimate Warrior and Jim Neidhart. Warrior's team won the match.
From the outset, it seemed that Shawn had something special during his time in the tag division. The chemistry that he and Marty had was amazing for the world to see.
The Rockers wrestled a variety of teams from The Hart Foundation, The Brainbusters to the Twin Towers. In spite of their popularity, the Rockers could never capture the Tag Team Titles. The closest that they came to winning the gold was in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match with The Hart Foundation on the Main Event. The decision was reversed after the top rope came apart.
The Rockers continued their run until the end of 1991. Everyone knows about the most famous segment of the Barber Shop in January 1992. The Rockers had been going through some turmoil at this point, and Marty Jannetty wanted to make peace with Shawn.
HBK came to the Barber Shop wearing a black leather jacket, black sweatpants, and black boots. He carried himself like a heel, so you can see that the seeds were being planted for his upcoming Heartbreak Kid Character.
Even the look on Shawn's face says it all. Shawn superkicks Marty and threw him through a glass window on the set of Brutus Beefcake's talk show. HBK would rise to the top and have a remarkable singles career while Jannetty would flounder as the afterthought of the Rockers.
For years, it has become a running joke to call a sidekick "Marty Jannetty" because of how Marty fell into Shawn's shadow.
Intercontinental Title Era (1992-95):
Just as Vince McMahon was moving Bret Hart away from the Tag Team Division to become the face of the WWF, Shawn Michaels was also part of the plans to change the face of the promotion. It is no surprise that Shawn was separated from Jannetty after Bret was separated from Anvil. They would both be catalysts for a New Era/Generation of Wrestling, along with The Undertaker.
In January 1992, Shawn Michaels was paired with Sensational Sherri Martel. Sherri had been the valet for "Macho Man" Randy Savage and "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase respectively before managing Shawn.
Having Sherri at his side accelerated Shawn's growth as a singles star, because he was becoming famous by association.
Shawn was making a strong impact in the mid-card, with signs of main event potential written on him. He would battle veterans from Tito Santana, Rick Martel, Roddy Piper as well as Randy Savage. HBK would start his feud with Bret Hart for the second most prestigious prize in wrestling, the Intercontinental Championship.
FIRST EVER WWF LADDER MATCH.....
July 21, 1992
WWF Intercontinental Title Ladder: Bret Hart (c) defeats Shawn Michaels (13:46)
WWF House Show @ Civic Center in Portland, Maine, USA
In total, The Hitman defeated Shawn Michaels a total of 44 times during this particular run of matches.
The most notable match during that time was the first ever Ladder Match that took place on July 21, 1992. Bret emerged as the winner, as he continued to have Shawn's number. They would not see the last of each other.
By the end of the year, Shawn would start to transition away from Sherri. She would side with Marty Jannetty after Shawn pulled her in front of Marty to get hit with the mirror.
The Chapter with Sensation Sherri was closing, as Shawn was looking forward to another Chapter in his career to become Intercontinental Champion.
October 27, 1992
WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Shawn Michaels defeats Davey Boy Smith
Saturday Night's Main Event
Champion vs Champion:
Following his victory for the IC Title, HBK would become the next contender for Bret Hart's WWF Championship. This would prove to become the biggest threat to Bret's title by that point, because Papa Shango and Berzerker don't exactly scream "World Champion". Bret and Shawn wrestled each other multiple times during the year, but the stakes were higher this time around.
Survivor Series 1992 was set as a Champion vs Champion Match. There was only one catch: Shawn did not have to defend his title, but Bret did. The Hitman would win with The Sharpshooter. Even though Bret was poised to win, Shawn posed as a strong enough challenger to give The Hitman a run for his money.
Following his match with Bret, Shawn would transition into his feud with former tag partner Marty Jannetty. Michaels defeated Jannetty at the 1993 Royal Rumble to retain his title. Shawn would also feud with other contenders such as Tatanka. HBK would hold the title for seven months until he lost in a surprise match to Marty Jannetty on Monday Night Raw (5/17/93). It was the first Match of the Year Award of Shawn Michaels career. During this time, Shawn would enlist Diesel as his bodyguard.
HBK would win the title back from Marty in June 1993. However, Shawn would have to forfeit the title in September as a result of a suspension. During his time away, Razor Ramon wins a Battle Royal to become the new champion.
Real IC Champion:
Shawn returns with a counterfeit title as he claims that he was never defeated before leaving. This storyline culminated in the First Ladder Match in WrestleMania History at WM X. This match is what helped Shawn become the "Showstopper" because this match stole the show.
Michaels displayed his early flashes of WrestleMania brilliance in this match with the incredible feats that he made using the ladder. It was very innovative considering the time period. Razor would become the winner of the match, but Shawn would create waves following this match.
Dudes with Attitude:
Even though Shawn was still in the IC Title picture, he would team with Diesel to capture two out of a future five WWF World Tag Team Titles. Ironically, he won his first tag titles without Jannetty. Shawn and Diesel defeated the Headshrinkers to become champions. You could tell they had a chemistry because of their connection with the Kliq.
By late 1994, Shawn Michaels was moving away from the Intercontinental Title picture as he would start his feud with Diesel by giving him Sweet Chin Music at Survivor Series.
Main Event:
1995 would create a new Chapter in the Career of Shawn Michaels. HBK drew number 1 for the 1995 Royal Rumble. Michaels would become the first man to win the Rumble after becoming the first entrant. Shawn and The British Bulldog started as the first two wrestlers and ended as the final two. HBK maintained his balance so that only one foot would touch the ground. When Shawn got back in the ring, he attacked the Bulldog during the celebration and threw him over the top rope to win the Rumble.
Shawn Michaels would headline his first WrestleMania with Diesel at WM XI. Shawn lost the match but made Kevin Nash look better than he could ever look in a match with anyone else.
Following the loss to Diesel, HBK would have one last run as IC Champion. The highlight of Shawn's last run was his Ladder Match with Razor at Summerslam 1995. This time, HBK won.
Shawn would forfeit the belt following a fight at a bar in Syracuse. The Heartbreak Kid would return just in time for the 1996 Royal Rumble where he would win by eliminating Diesel with Sweet Chin Music.
Boyhood Dream (1996):
1996 became another flagship year for Shawn Michaels. In the Main Event of WrestleMania XII, The Heartbreak Kid would wage war in a 60-minute Ironman Match with Bret Hart for the WWF Championship. After a grueling test of endurance, HBK won his first WWF Heavyweight Championship. As Vince McMahon said "The Boyhood Dream has come true for Shawn Michaels".
Shawn's dream had been realized of becoming WWF Champion.
Most Notable Matches:
Iron Man Match
March 31, 1996
Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart to become WWF Champion
Good Friends, Better Enemies
Shawn Michaels defeated Diesel
Mind Games
Shawn Michaels defeated Mankind
Summerslam
Shawn Michaels defeated Vader
While Shawn Michaels delivered great matches in his first run as Champion, business was suffering as RAW started to lose the Monday Night War to WCW during the rise of the NWO. Shawn did his best to keep things afloat as he was the draw that they needed to stay as competitive as possible.
Bret Hart took time off. Stone Cold was just being built. There were no box office names like Hogan or Savage around at the time because they were in WCW. Undertaker was not built to be the face of the company, but rather as the backbone. Shawn was all that they had.
The first title run of HBK lasted for eight months from WM XII to Survivor Series where he lost the title to Sid Vicious. Some could say that Shawn's boyhood dream turned into a nightmare. This is one reason why there are many people who criticize his legacy as WWF Champion. That and the idea that he "lost his smile".
D-Generation X (1997-98):
HBK would display more color in his character as the founder of DX during his last WWF Title run. Shawn has always had charisma, but he was at his best as a heel whenever he was champion. During this timespan, Shawn would become the first ever Grand Slam Champion in WWF/E History. 1997 was another banner year for HBK, as he started the year winning the WWF Title and he would end the year as Champion.
The seeds were planted for DX as Shawn and Triple H feuded with the Hart Foundation. At the In Your House PPV in Manchester, HBK gained even more heat when he defeated Britain's biggest star Davey Boy Smith to become European Champion. (Shawn would later give the title to Triple H, making a mockery of that belt)
The Renegade attitude of Shawn Michaels and DX would grow even more during his feud with The Undertaker, which took place at the same time as his feud with Bret. Shawn and Taker made history with the first ever Hell In A Cell Match at Badd Blood in October 1997. The win made Shawn the number 1 contender for Bret Hart's WWF Championship.
The Montreal Controversy added even more fuel to the DX fire, as it enhanced Shawn's image as a villain.
HBK would continue his business with Undertaker going into the Royal Rumble, where he retained the WWF Title in a Casket match after interference from Kane.
Unfortunately, Shawn would injure his back during the match. However, he still marched into WrestleMania XIV to drop the title to Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Return:
After a 4-year hiatus, Shawn would return in a rejuvenated form. During his time away from the ring, Shawn became a Born-Again Christian as everyone knows. He would also start a family. Once HBK returned, his perspective was much sharper than ever before.
At Survivor Series 2002, Shawn Michaels would win the first Elimination Chamber to become World Heavyweight Champion.
Even though he did not win many titles during his second run (2002-2010), Shawn Michaels was a Champion who did not need a belt to validate him. He elevated the champions that he faced from John Cena to Randy Orton to Chris Jericho.
There have been many great and defining champions, but there is only one champion that could be a showstopper. That man is Shawn Michaels. HBK, I would like to wish you a Happy Birthday as you make 50 look fantastic.
Portrait by: Rob Schamberger (Twitter: @RobSchamberger)
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