Why The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels is the Best Ever

After his controversial win over Bret at Survivor Series, Shawn would go on to reign supreme as the undisputed man in WWF. His reign was short lived though, at the 1998 Royal Rumble, Michaels wrestled Undertaker in a Casket Match and severely injured his back. Michaels would go on to finish the match and would enter one last program with Stone Cold Steve Austin, which ended with Austin winning the WWF Championship at Wrestlemania XIV, and kicking off the “Austin Era.” The back injury would force Michaels into early retirement, and it seemed as though HBK was done for good. The next four years would feature an on screen run as commissioner of WWF and other appearances in non contact roles. Outside the ring, he opened the Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy, and more importantly became a born again christian and got sober. Then finally at Summer Slam 2002, Michaels made his triumphant return to the ring against Triple H, in a street fight of all matches, Shawn’s previously injured back held up and he looked like vintage HBK. The success of the match led to a full time return to wrestling at the 2002 Survivor Series, where his storybook comeback was capped off with a World Heavyweight Championship win inside the Elimination Chamber. Michaels had climbed all the way back from the bottom, he had kicked his addictions and was in a better place in life. Over the next seven plus years Shawn would be a mainstay atop the WWE food chain. He would again main event Wrestlemania and steal the show, but he no longer had an obsession with being the top guy, instead choosing to use his talent and knowledge of the business to help young talent get over. It was a far cry from the Shawn Michaels of the 90’s, but this older wiser Shawn was a arguably more valuable to WWE than the younger more erratic Michaels.