When he finally returned, Michaels displayed none of the flaws that plague many Superstars in their final years in the ring. [1] Due to not being able to compete, Michaels was forced to forfeit the Intercontinental Championship to his original opponent Dean Douglas on October 22 at In Your House: Great White North,[49] who in turn Douglas lost the championship to Razor Ramon, another member of the Kliq. A triple threat WrestleMania rematch for the title took place on April 18 at Backlash, where Benoit successfully retained it after forcing Michaels to submit to a Sharpshooter. [142] On October 28 at Cyber Sunday, Michaels was voted by the fans to face Orton for the WWE Championship, though he won via disqualification when Orton hit Michaels with a low blow, which resulted in Orton retaining the championship. He was trained by his cousin, Shawn Michaels, and he took the name Michael Shane, a play on his cousin's . Angered by this, Michaels attacked Ric Flair and Bischoff. [193] He appeared on the January 9, 2017 episode of Raw to promote his new film. He was once again teamed with Marty Jannetty, billed as The Midnight Rockers. . He is currently retired from wrestling and makes . Jeri-Show was the Slammy Award winner for the Tag Team of the Year. [203], In late 2016, Michaels became a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. Michaels and Austin were still WWF Tag Team Champions at the time during an ongoing feud with the Hart Foundation and a tournament was made to decide new tag team champions. Miz was going for the Skull Crushing Finale on Michaels but he fought out of it. It was every man for themselves, and HBK eliminated Triple H from proceedings. [141] Michaels made his return on the October 8 episode of Raw, performing Sweet Chin Music to newly crowned WWE Champion Randy Orton during his title ceremony at the end of the show and then celebrating over the knocked-out champion as Vince McMahon watched. The Brothers of Destruction", "WWE CROWN JEWEL RESULTS 11/2: Keller's report on Styles vs. Joe, Strowman vs. Lesnar, World Cup tournament, Michaels & Triple H vs. Kane & Undertaker", "D-Generation X to be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame", "WWE Survivor Series results: Powell's review of Undertaker's Final Farewell, Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns, Asuka vs. Sasha Banks, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods vs. [190], At Hell in a Cell on October 27, Michaels served as the special guest referee for the vacant WWE Championship Hell in a Cell match between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton, performing Sweet Chin Music on Bryan so Orton could win. Perfect (Curt Hennig) in the tag team match that involved Randy Savage against the team of Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. [24] Michaels superkicked Jannetty and threw him through a glass window on the set of Beefcake's talk show. Moreover, HBK was in cruise control but he was distracted by Undertaker who appeared on the titantron. Punk & 'No Mercy')", "Armageddon: Hardy finally breaks through", "WrestleMania 25: The Most Disappointing WrestleMania of All Time", "WrestleMania Classics: What Made Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker so Great", "Caldwell's WWE TLC PPV Report 12/13: Complete PPV report on Cena vs. Sheamus, DX vs. JeriShow, Taker vs. Batista", "Back in the Ring: Hart seeks closure in comeback", "Undertaker ends Shawn Michaels' career in thrilling rematch to cap off Wrestlemania XXVI", "Raw: HBK says farewell to the WWE Universe", "WWE News: Shawn Michaels explains why he retired and why he will not return for another match, comments on his relationship with Vince McMahon", "Shawn Michaels announces "long-term" deal with WWE", "Spoilers: WWE 2010 Tribute to the Troops results", "Raw results: Big Show KOs his foes; Shawn Michaels backs Triple H at SummerSlam", "Raw results: Brock Lesnar unleashes a world of pain on Shawn Michaels", "Raw results: The Rock vows victory, HBK returns, and CM Punk strikes the heart of The Undertaker", "Triple H def. [60] Michaels was then forced to award the championship to his nemesis, Bret Hart. "I don't know if it was pressure from Vince, Vince loved him," Ross said. [220][221], In 1996, Hickenbottom posed for a non-nude layout in Playgirl magazine. [37][38] This match was voted by fans as "Match of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Although it was one of the final times WWE fans would hear the crack of Sweet Chin Music, audiences did not mourn HBKs retirement. [218] He married Rebecca Curci, a former WCW Nitro Girl known as Whisper, at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas on March 31, 1999. [23], On October 30, 1990, The Rockers unofficially won the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart), as Neidhart, half of the championship team, was in the process of negotiating his release from the company. Michaels's performance in his debut match impressed many veterans, including Terry Taylor. Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965), better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American retired professional wrestler. 1inch. This bout only lasted 15 minutes, and it was a decent match between the two teams. [65] Michaels's feud with the Hart Foundation culminated in a championship match at Survivor Series on November 9 against Hart. Even just losing some mass can do it. [48] In October 1995, Michaels was the victim of a legit assault outside a bar in Syracuse, New York. [31][32] However, he won the title from The British Bulldog on Saturday Night's Main Event XXXI, which aired on November 14. After Michaels won a match against Diesel, Ramon and Hunter Hearst Helmsley came to the ring and joined Michaels and Diesel in a group-hug. Dave Meltzer gave him two 5 stars matches (the Ladder match against Razor Ramon at WrestleMania X and the first Hell in a Cell against The Undertaker at Bad Blood 1997). WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels is one of the most decorated WWE Superstars of all time. They began at WrestleMania 22, where both Michaels and Triple H performed the crotch chop during their matches. Now, at 41, the native Texan is stronger than ever with a solid training program, a no-frills diet and ProSource's potent testosterone-booster, AndroTest. [122], In 2006, a series of events took place which suggested a reunion of Michaels and Triple H as DX. 55 of the top 100 tag teams of the, TASW Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) with, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 10:30. [1] The Rockers continued their partnership, eventually splitting on December 2, 1991, aired January 11, 1992, on Wrestling Challenge, during an incident on Brutus Beefcake's televised Barber Shop talk show promotional segment. After turning down World Championship Wrestling (WCW)'s advances, Michaels returned to the WWF and made several appearances in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) during a WWF/USWA cross-promotion. Moreover, Michaels was desperate to face the Phenom at WrestleMania 26. Michaels disputes the perception, saying that McMahon pushed only deserving wrestlers. [206] In September 2021, Levesque stepped away from the brand after experiencing a "cardiac incident". [81] Later on, they came down to the ring sporting their DX music and attire. Afterwards, he challenged Angle to sudden-death overtime, but Angle refused and walked out. Place of Birth: Chandler, Arizona, United States. [1] After his training with Lothario, he debuted as Shawn Michaels with the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) Mid-South Wrestling territory on October 16, 1984, against Art Crews, losing to Crews via swinging neckbreaker. [22] The match was taped with The Rockers winning the title, but soon after Neidhart came to an agreement with management and was rehired. A rebel in leather chaps, Michaels bucked authority and surrounded himself with people who did the same. HBK entered his final Rumble match as the 18th participant. Michaels made his national-level debut, as Sean Michaels, at the age of 20 in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), in a victory over Buddhakhan on ESPN. [116] The following week, Michaels won a handicap match against the Spirit Squad (Kenny, Johnny, Mitch, Nicky and Mikey), after which Michaels's former partner, Marty Jannetty, saved him from the assault by the Spirit Squad. [177], On the December 14, 2010 episode of Raw, Michaels won the Slammy Award for Moment of the Year for his match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI and accepted it via satellite. However, the World's Largest Athlete cost his team as he helped out Jericho, who was his tag team championship partner, and Team SmackDown was triumphant. He got himself involved in the match when Gannosuke delivered a low blow on him and he responded later on with Sweet Chin Music. [108][109] Hogan defeated Michaels at SummerSlam on August 21, and after the match Michaels extended his hand to him, saying "I needed to know, and I found out" and he and Hogan shook hands. [200], In April 2019, Michaels was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for a second time as a member of D-Generation X. He is signed to WWE, where he is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative and oversees the creative aspects of the NXT brand. [116] On Raw, the two continued to deliver chops, as Michaels feuded with Vince McMahon and Triple H went to challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship, repeatedly butting heads with Vince McMahon in the process. [34] Originally the secondary main event, Michaels and Hart became the primary main event after The Ultimate Warrior was unable to compete and was replaced by Mr. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event, your favorite shows, new movies, live sports, and more. Both men were going out on television and frequently making personal, true to heart remarks about one another. Over the next few months, Michaels battled various injuries and launched the Heartbreak Hotel television talk show segment, mainly shown on Superstars. Sweet Chin Music. There were a unique Submissions Falls Count Anywhere match between DX and Legacy at Breaking Point 2009. [39], On August 28, Michaels and Diesel won the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu). Michaels returned to WWE programming in a series of segments that aired on the August 10, 2009 episode of Raw, where he had, in storyline, left the WWE. [41] Michaels won the Royal Rumble on January 2, 1995,[42] which set up a championship grudge match on March 20 at WrestleMania XI against Diesel (who had gone on to win the WWF Championship from Bob Backlund). [92] Four months later, he lost a World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H, after Edge interfered on October 19 at Taboo Tuesday, when the fans voted for him ahead of Edge and Chris Benoit to face Triple H one more time. [84] At Survivor Series on November 17, Michaels won the World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H in the first Elimination Chamber match. [173] On February 21 at Elimination Chamber, Michaels cost The Undertaker the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event. At the Royal Rumble on January 19, Jericho, with the help of Christian, eliminated Michaels. Even this level of weight loss can help lower your risk of chronic health problems, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. On February 10, 2015, Hickenbottom published an autobiography entitled Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar. [165][166] Their match was highly acclaimed by critics and audiences alike and is now considered by many to be one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time. Bolded items represent title victories while italicized items represent title losses. "[176], In an interview with Bill Simmons of ESPN.com shortly after his retirement, Michaels stated that his decision to retire came a month before WrestleMania 25, when a backstage employee asked about his son Cameron, and, in response to Shawn telling the employee that he'd just turned nine, the employee said that he was "halfway gone"; meaning that he was halfway to his eighteenth birthday, and after that, he'd be "gone". [138], Michaels then entered a feud with Randy Orton when Orton claimed that he could beat Michaels. [36] On WWF programs, his suspension was explained by his having neglected to defend the title often enough. The WWE's Shawn Michaels revamped his lifestyle and made an improbable and incredible return to the ring after a devastating back injury. [152] The following week, it was revealed that, within the context of the storyline, Michaels had suffered a detached retina. Shawn Michaels. In seeking revenge, Angle re-entered the ring and eliminated Michaels, and thus placed him in an ankle lock submission hold, outside the ring. "[117] The following week, Jannetty refused McMahon's offer and instead took Chris Masters's "Masterlock challenge. In the fall, Michaels joined forces with real-life friend Hunter Hearst Helmsley (later known as Triple H), Helmsley's then real-life girlfriend Chyna, and Rick Rude to form the stable D-Generation X (DX). Eye colour Brown. [54] As WCW gained momentum due to the signings of Hall and Nash, Michaels held the championship for most of the year. [60] The match ended controversially, with Michaels hitting Undertaker with a chair (unintentionally, as he was aiming for Hart after he spat in his face). Diesel and Razor Ramon were about to leave WWF to company rival WCW. There was firepower on show on the November 16, 2009 episode of Raw. During Shawn's HoF induction speech H gave away his real height/weight at like 5'10" 185 lbs. [70] Throughout late 1998 and early 1999, Michaels made regular television appearances on Raw, in which he scheduled matches, throwing around his authority, and sometimes even deciding the outcome of matches. Home; . Hometown. Orton and Michaels were no strangers to each other, and the Viper got the upper hand early on.HBK had some offense but Orton prevailed with a roll-up out of nowhere leaving Michaels' plans for WrestleMania up in the air. the WWE roster who the most gifted sports-entertainer of all time is and nearly everyone will have the same answer Shawn Michaels. [44] After this, Michaels took time off[44] because Vince McMahon wanted Michaels to become a fan favorite. He wrote a lengthy caption on his post and stated that the former WWE Champion must have walked off immediately after taking . [77] He appeared briefly on television to make a speech at WWF New York during Armageddon on December 10, 2000. After weeks of having fun with Penguins fans on Twitter, the team officially invited Michaels for their Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning (whose fanbase contains a sizable number of pro wrestlers, including Hulk Hogan and Titus O'Neil, due to Tampa long being a home base for many wrestlers), upon which Michaels accepted. From an ego which got him involved in the Syracuse brawl - he hit on the girlfriend of a Marine stating he was taking her back to his hotel - to getting whatever he wanted from management because of the power of his name, Shawn . He had trouble differentiating between right and left, which affected his football games as a child. Top editors give you the stories you want . Nevertheless, Jericho took Michaels out with the codebreaker. [76] One month later, Michaels briefly reappeared on Raw Is War to hand over the role of Commissioner to Mick Foley, and after another appearance in October did not make any in-arena appearances until mid-2002. [8], Michael Shawn Hickenbottom was born in Chandler, Arizona, on July 22, 1965. Oh, he has lost some with age too - so there you go. [81] Continuing the angle, a week later, Triple H attacked Michaels from behind in a parking lot and put his head through a car window, in storyline. Keisel also gave Michaels a tour of the city including at the Steelers headquarters and having lunch at Primanti Brothers in the city's Strip District. [47] Michaels's fan base was later nicknamed "The Kliq" as an inside reference to the real "Kliq". [71][72][73] On the January 4, 1999 episode of Raw Is War, Michaels re-joined DX as a face, but disappeared from WWF television for a few weeks to have back surgery[74] and by the time he returned DX was on the way of dissolving within the next couple of months. Title Match)", "WWE RAW Results 3/13/17 (Tag Title No. [106] On the July 4 episode of Raw, after defeating Carlito and Kurt Angle, Michaels hit Hogan with his Sweet Chin Music, knocking Hogan to the ground and turning heel for the first time since 1998. [4] Michaels was also a sportscaster for San Antonio's local news for a short period during his retirement. The match was fantastic with three of the all-time greats functioning at the top of their games. Six former World Champions were featured with DX going head-to-head with the reigning WWE Champion John Cena and the World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker, and the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Jeri-Show in a triple threat tag team match. [60] The next night on Raw Is War, signs of a heel turn started to show as Michaels told the WWF fans what happened at SummerSlam was an accident and that he dealt with the Undertaker when the time came. [92] The night before this, Michaels inducted Tito Santana in the WWE Hall of Fame. [160] After failing to help JBL win the World Heavyweight Championship from John Cena on January 25, 2009 at the Royal Rumble,[161] and being derided for it, Michaels agreed to face JBL in "All or Nothing" match at No Way Out on February 15,[162] which Michaels won thus letting him out of his contract early while still receiving full payment.[163]. Title, The Usos vs. Dominik Mysterio and Damian Priest for the Raw Tag Team Titles, Becky Lynch vs. Bayley in a cage match, Sami Zay goes to Tribal Court, legends return, the brand's final push for the Royal Rumble", "Shawn Michaels teaching class at WWE Performance Center", "Update on newly signed former ROH talent at WWE's Performance Center", "Shawn Michaels Reveals That He Helps Write NXT TV, Talks Getting Advice From Triple H For Talent", "Shawn Michaels Steps Up for Best Friend Triple H After Health Scare", "5 WWE dream matches that never happened", "From the Bowery: WWE Top 50 Superstars of All Time (Disc 1)", "MAGIC, MEMORIES AND MANIA: A.J. This match took place in Madison Square Garden. After being away for nearly four months, Michaels made a surprise return to the WWF as a guest commentator on the July 13 episode of Raw Is War. [156][157] He was medically cleared to compete at Unforgiven, and beat Jericho so severely that the referee called the match, making Michaels the winner.