After charming crowds as a Rocker in the 90s, HBK infamously severed his partnership with Marty Jannetty by smashing his friends head through a window. [30] Michaels was also unable to win the Intercontinental Championship from Bret Hart in the WWF's first ladder match at a Wrestling Challenge taping on July 21, which was subsequently made available on multiple Coliseum/WWE Home Video releases. [182] Michaels was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 2 by Triple H. They were also joined by fellow Kliq members Kevin Nash (who had returned to WWE for the Royal Rumble) and Sean Waltman. On the March 2 episode of Raw, Michaels became the first person to defeat Vladimir Kozlov, and so earned a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXV on April 5,[164] which he lost thus extending The Undertaker's WrestleMania winning streak to 170. Trained by the legendary Jose Lothario, Shawn Michaels wrestled in Kansas, where he met fellow wrestler, Marty Jannetty. [130] On the January 15 episode of Raw, Michaels lived up to his word of "dealing" with Rated-RKO, from his comments the previous week before,[131][132] when he took out Randy Orton with a con-chair-to after a handicap match against Edge and Orton. DX prevailed in their previous meeting at SummerSlam, but Legacy flipped the script in Montreal. He wrote a lengthy caption on his post and stated that the former WWE Champion must have walked off immediately after taking . Instead, it only added to the allure of one of sports-entertainments most captivatingly flawed figures. [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. Cena put Triple H away with the AA to pick up the win for himself and the Phenom. [86], Michaels then began a rivalry with Chris Jericho, after Jericho claimed that he was the next Shawn Michaels. Name: Michael Shawn Hickenbottom. Sweet Chin Music. Both men were going out on television and frequently making personal, true to heart remarks about one another. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. At the Royal Rumble on January 19, Jericho, with the help of Christian, eliminated Michaels. HBK was a man on a mission, and he eliminated Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes, John Morrison, Carlito, and Drew McIntyre. Virgil shared the photo on his official Instagram account soon after. "He'd work with me the same way [Chris]. [171][172] DX lost the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship in a triple threat match to the team of The Miz and Big Show on the February 8 episode of Raw; the match also included The Straight Edge Society (CM Punk and Luke Gallows). [13] He was a stand-out linebacker at Randolph High School on Randolph Air Force Base and eventually became captain of the football team. [99] Three days later on SmackDown!, Angle defeated Jannetty, after Angle made Jannetty submit to the ankle lock. This injury was used to keep Michaels out of action, as he required surgery for his knee. Nevertheless, Michaels picked up right where he left off when he returned and he didn't lose a step in the squared circle. Hair colour Blonde. This match was off the charts, and it was another classic between the two. [169] At TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 13, DX defeated Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and Big Show) to win the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match (TLC). Shawn Michaels is one of the greatest superstars in the history of WWE's Monday Night Raw, with him being associated with the brand ever since the show began, all the way up to his retirement. Michaels said he was only being loyal to his company, he had moved on, and McMahon should move on as well. [4] It also received a five-star rating from Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer, the first of nine WWF/E matches to do so. [8], Michael Shawn Hickenbottom was born in Chandler, Arizona, on July 22, 1965. Perfect (Curt Hennig) in the tag team match that involved Randy Savage against the team of Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. Michaels continued to make non-wrestling appearances on WWF programming and on November 23 he replaced Sgt. Even this level of weight loss can help lower your risk of chronic health problems, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. By the spring of 1997, the real-life backstage conflict between Michaels and Hart was reaching its height. [10][12] He was a keen athlete while growing up, and his sporting career began at the age of six when he played football. The match barely got going with Triple H pushing the referee who fell over Michaels. Additionally, Hickenbottom moved around frequently since his father was in the military. Later that night, when Diamond Dallas Page's special appearance was interrupted by Drew McIntyre, he superkicked McIntyre. [223] He was raised a Catholic, but became a non-denominational Christian because of his wife. [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. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the, Ranked No. A buckle had indeed broken, but not to a noticeable or dangerous extent during the match. This bout only lasted 15 minutes, and it was a decent match between the two teams. Mistake #3: You're not working out. [133] At the Royal Rumble on January 28, Michaels was the last man eliminated in the Royal Rumble match by the winner of the match, The Undertaker. Regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is known by the nicknames "The Heartbreak Kid" (often abbreviated as HBK), "The Showstopper", and "Mr. Michaels made his televised debut on October 20, 1984 teaming with Jim Hornet in a losing effort against the tag team of Hercules Harnendez and "Dr.Death" Steve Williams. Michaels's performance in his debut match impressed many veterans, including Terry Taylor. [1], After teasing retirement, Michaels returned to the WWF at the Royal Rumble match on January 21, 1996, winning for the second year in a row to receive a WWF Championship match in the main event at WrestleMania XII. Shawn Michael's last defense of the Intercontinental Championship before his suspension was at SummerSlam 1993. Micheal has spent decades with WWE and won several accolades with the company. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event, your favorite shows, new movies, live sports, and more. How tall is Shawn Michaels - Page 4. At WWF One Night Only, held in Birmingham, England on September 20, Michaels defeated The British Bulldog to capture the WWF European Championship. In seeking revenge, Angle re-entered the ring and eliminated Michaels, and thus placed him in an ankle lock submission hold, outside the ring. being heard during his match at Backlash. Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965), better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American retired professional wrestler. However, something was missing from Shawn Michaels and Triple H's resume and that was a Tag Team Championship victory together. As a child, he disliked the name "Michael" and convinced his family and friends to address him by his middle name. [78], Believing that his wrestling career was over, Michaels was interested in training individuals who wanted to become professional wrestlers. Michaels won the Pro Wrestling Illustrated "Match of the Year" reader vote a record eleven times, and his match against John Cena on April 23, 2007 was ranked by WWE as the best match ever aired on the company's flagship Raw program. He was then confronted by Rusev, Lana and Jinder Mahal, before Enzo Amore and Big Cass came to Michaels's side, leading to a match between Big Cass and Mahal, which Cass won after Michaels superkicked Rusev at ringside, distracting Mahal. [145] Michaels lost the match, when Orton performed an RKO for the win, which ended their feud. He is also a two-time Royal Rumble winner (and the first man to win the match as the first entrant), the first WWF Grand Slam Champion and the fourth WWF Triple Crown Champion, as well as a two time WWE Hall of Fame inductee (2011 as a singles wrestler and 2019 as part of D-Generation X). His wife Rebecca observed, "There was something in him that he despised, and he was self-destructing." 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. The statement affected Michaels deeply; he did not want to be absent when his son left home, so he decided that year would be his last year as an active wrestler. [51] They continued the match, but Michaels collapsed in the ring, supposedly because he had suffered a concussion. After being ridiculed by Alberto Del Rio later that night, Michaels hit Del Rio with Sweet Chin Music. [15] His cousin Matt Bentley is also a wrestler. [104] At Backlash on May 1, Hogan and Michaels defeated Hassan and Daivari. Top editors give you the stories you want . In April 1985, Michaels went to work for another NWA territory in Kansas City called Central States Wrestling. [158] On October 5 at No Mercy, Michaels lost a ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship to Jericho. Shawn Michaels got his wish after he cost The Undertaker the World Heavyweight Championship at Elimination Chamber 2010. Slaughter as the WWF Commissioner, eventually joining Vince McMahon's group of wrestlers called The Corporation. The WWE's Shawn Michaels revamped his lifestyle and made an improbable and incredible return to the ring after a devastating back injury. [226] Pens' game-day staff would regularly play Michaels's theme "Sexy Boy" over the Consol Energy Center PA system after goals or excellent shifts by line members. [24], At the suggestion of Curt Hennig, Michaels adopted the nickname "The Heartbreak Kid". San Antonio, Texas. After the two reunited, McMahon offered Jannetty a contract if he "kissed his ass. Ultimately, Cena battled past Michaels and Triple H to remain as WWE Champion. [79] Michaels left the academy in 2002,[79] giving co-founder Rudy Boy Gonzalez sole responsibility due to Michaels's new contract with WWE. Other vital statistics like weight or shoe size measurements have been sourced from newspapers, books, resumes or social media. 1999 [3] Matthew James Bentley [2] (born December 10, 1979) [1] is an American professional wrestler best known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) by the ring name Michael Shane, later changed to "Maverick" Matt Bentley. [4][5] During his training, Hickenbottom adopted the ring name, "Shawn Michaels". [116] At Backlash on April 30, The McMahons (Vince and Shane) defeated Michaels and "God" with help from the Spirit Squad in a no disqualification tag team match. [40] The next day at SummerSlam, Diesel lost the Intercontinental Championship to Ramon when Michaels accidentally superkicked Diesel. Shawn Michaels was in the final stretch of his wrestling career before he retired at WrestleMania 26. [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]. He contemplated suicide in the late 1980s, and suggested that psychological intervention was "probably sorely needed" by the late 1990s. 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. [146] Afterwards, Batista confronted Michaels about his actions at WrestleMania, calling him selfish and egotistical. [217], Hickenbottom's first marriage, to Theresa Wood, soon ended in an amicably settled divorce. 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). [112] He was part of Team Raw at Survivor Series on November 27, but lost the match to Team SmackDown!. DX was looking to put that right, and they challenged Jeri-Show for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship at TLC 2009. 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 . [199] The match was poorly received by fans and critics alike, winning the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's "Worst Match of the Year" award, although PWTorch's Wade Keller considered that "Michaels shows glimpses and didn't embarrass himself". Shawn is 100% 6ft, he's an inch taller than Bret hart, u can see it everytime they stand w eachother, the 5ft 10 was a joke by Hhh . This bout was competitive with all three teams giving it their all. He was raised in a military family and briefly spent some of his early years in the English town of Reading, Berkshire,[9] but grew up primarily in San Antonio, Texas. [4] On May 19, Michaels and his fellow Kliq members were involved in the incident known as "Curtain Call". HBK entered his final Rumble match as the 18th participant, Unified WWE Tag Team Championship against ShoMiz, Michaels' career was on the line as Undertaker's unbeaten streak. This was solidified when Michaels pleaded Triple H to return to Raw. On last week's episode of NXT, Carmelo . [63] The match received a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer. RELATED: 10 Matches You Forgot Shawn Michaels Competed In. "It's one of the best forms of preventive medicine. [203], In late 2016, Michaels became a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. [167] After WrestleMania, Michaels took a hiatus from WWE. [90] On the December 29 episode of Raw, Michaels seemingly defeated Triple H after a Sweet Chin Music for the World Heavyweight Championship in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas with Eric Bischoff as the special guest referee (Earl Hebner originally refereed the match, only to be knocked out by Triple H in the middle of the match). [4] Along with his new name came a new gimmick as a vain, cocky villain. 33 and No. As the troublemaker behind DX, HBK made life a living hell for the McMahon family alongside his longtime running buddy Triple H. As a member of The Kliq, he did the same for the WWE locker room, carefully wielding his considerable influence to get the best treatment for himself and friends like Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. 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. Michaels contemplated thoughts of retirement and stated that he "had to find his smile again", which he had "lost" somewhere down the line. It was co-written by David Thomas.[229]. 24 hours later, Jeri-Show was looking to regain the titles against DX on Raw. [66] Michaels now held both the WWF and European championships at the same time. The Orient Express - WrestleMania 6 At WrestleMania 6, The Rockers collided with the Orient Express. 11 The Rockers Vs. American retired professional wrestler (born 1965), American Wrestling Association (19861987), World Wrestling Federation and return to AWA (19871988), Various feuds and championship pursuits (20072009), Final matches and second retirement (20092010), WWE Hall of Famer and sporadic appearances (2010present), World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment/WWE, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, "Shawn Michaels' WWE Hall of Fame Profile", "Shawn Michaels promoted to WWE senior vice president of talent development creative", "The 25 greatest nicknames in WWE history", "The 50 greatest matches in Raw history re-ranked", "Professional wrestler visits former base school, home", https://m.facebook.com/Davenportsportsnetwork/videos/on-october-20-1984-shawn-michaels-made-his-television-debut-in-a-match-with-mid-/3155843098075906/, Survivor Series 89 Chicago, IL Rosemont Horizon November 23, 1989, UK Rampage 92 Sheffield, England Arena April 19, 1992, WWF @ Portland, ME Civic Center July 21, 1992, "Stone Cold & Shawn Michaels first World Tag Team title reign", "Armageddon: WWF saves the worst for last", "Full WWE Backlash (Raw) PPV Results 4/18/04 from Edmonton, Alberta, CA", "Unforgiven marred by unfortunate ending", "RAW Results - 10/3/05 - Dallas, TX - (Homecoming to USA Network)", "Team SmackDown def. When the pair was about to perform their trademark "Suck It" taunt, Triple H turned on Michaels by performing a Pedigree on him. [91], As a part of an ongoing feud with Triple H, the two competed alongside Chris Benoit in the main event on March 14, 2004, at WrestleMania XX for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Benoit won. [79], On the June 3 episode of Raw, Michaels returned to WWE television after 18 months of absence when Kevin Nash announced him as a new member of the recently reformed New World Order (nWo). At Survivor Series on November 17, Michaels lost the WWF Championship to Sycho Sid[55] but recaptured the title on January 19, 1997 at Royal Rumble. WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels is one of the most decorated WWE Superstars of all time. [196], At Super Show-Down on October 6, Michaels assisted Triple H in defeating The Undertaker, after which, he was attacked by Undertaker and Kane. Representing SmackDown was Chris Jericho, Kane, Finlay, R-Truth, Matt Hardy, and the Hart Dynasty. The DVD, Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart: WWE's Greatest Rivalries, was released in November 2011. [11] Ever since, he has been referred to as Shawn. [39], On August 28, Michaels and Diesel won the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu). [81] Later on, they came down to the ring sporting their DX music and attire. After leaving Kansas City, he returned to Texas to wrestle for Texas All-Star Wrestling (TASW). He is currently retired from wrestling and makes . [178] Three days later, he announced a long-term deal with WWE, where he would serve in an ambassadorial role.
