- Michael Shawn Hickenbottom is a retired wrestler known to many wrestling fans as Shawn Michaels or Mr WrestleMania.
- There is no doubt that Shawn Michaels is one of the greatest professional wrestlers in history.
- The 57-year-old wrestling legend is currently the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative.
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom is a retired wrestler known to many wrestling fans as Shawn Michaels or Mr WrestleMania.
There is no doubt that Shawn Michaels is one of the greatest professional wrestlers in history. The legend spent most of his wrestling days in Vince McMahon’s promotion, WWF (later known as WWE).
The legacy of wrestler Shawn Michaels. Photo/ WWE.
Shawn Michaels feuded with several top wrestlers such as Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Sycho Kid, Bret Hart and Razor Ramon.
Shawn Michaels’ rivalry with Bret Hart has been named as one of the best rivalries in WWE. He is an inspiration to many wrestlers, such as Chris Jericho, Johnny Gargano and Seth Rollins.
The WWE Hall of Famer can boast several accomplishments, including 15 Match of the Year awards and Match of the Decade.
Shawn Michaels has won three WWF Championships, three WWF Intercontinental Championships and five World Tag Team Championships, among others.
Shawn Michaels and Triple H were the members of D-Generation X (DX), one of the best tag teams in WWE history.
Shawn Michaels Wrestling Journey
Shawn Michaels wanted to become a professional wrestler since he was 12. He used to perform a wrestling routine during talent shows in his high school.
The future WWE Hall of Famer opted to pursue a wrestling career after joining Southwest Texas State University. Jose Lothario, a Mexican professional wrestler, was his trainer.
Shawn Michaels made his wrestling debut in October 1984 at the Mid-South Wrestling territory of the National Wrestling Alliance. It was a losing attempt against Art Crews.
The following year, Shawn Michaels made his debut at World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). He moved to Central States Wrestling in April 1985 and formed a tag team with Marty Jannetty.
Michaels and his tag team partner won the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship and held it for a short while before losing it to the Batten Twins.
Shawn Michaels then had stints with Texas All-Star Wrestling and American Wrestling Association before joining WWF.
WWF signed Michaels alongside Marty Jannetty for the first time in 1987. However, the promotion sacked them two weeks later because of a misunderstanding, according to Shawn Michaels’ autobiography.
Marty and Michaels, popularly known as The Rockers, would find their way into WWF for the second time in 1988. They made their debut on July 7, using the ring name The Rockers.
The Rockers unofficially won the WWF Tag Team Championship on October 30, 1990, from The Hart Foundation.
The Rockers had feuds with other tag teams before they eventually split up in December 1991. Marty left WWF in 1994 after enjoying some success, while Shawn Michaels became known as a villain.
Shawn Michaels had a good relationship with Vince McMahon, and as a result, he became a dominant figure alongside Triple H, Diesel and Ramon.
Shawn Michaels was a dominant WWE figure in the early 2000s. Photo/ MySA.
During a casket match with The Undertaker in 1998, Shawn Michaels suffered severe back injuries. And as a result, he retired after WrestleMania XVI.
Shawn Michaels served as WWF’s commissioner between November 1998 and June 2000 and then returned to in-ring competition in 2002.
The American wrestler would establish his legacy for the next eight years as he performed alongside the likes of Triple H, John Cena and Kurt Angle.
Shawn Michaels announced his retirement from professional wrestling in 2010 after losing to The Undertaker at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
After Retirement
On January 10, 2011, Shawn Michaels became an inductee of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2011. The legendary wrestler, who has been making sporadic appearances at WWE, became a trainer in 2016.
In November 2018, it was reported that Shawn Michaels began working as a producer and a writer on NXT.
Shawn Michaels started running NXT shows in September 2021 after Paul Levesque suffered a cardiac arrest, thereby leaving NXT so as to recover.
One year later, the 57-year-old wrestling legend became the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative.
Shawn Michaels is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative. Photo/ Wrestling News.
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