The Heartbreak Kid
April 10, 2005

Three hints………….

First ever WWE Grandslam Champion, Legendary, Greatest Performer to ever step inside a wrestling ring, who are we talking about?

We are talking about Michael Hickenbottom, better known to the wrestling world as “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels.

Being as every legend needs to start somewhere let’s go all the way back to the start of it all and see how this legend has given us some of the most entertaining and great matches we have seen from him over the years.

He was born July 22nd 1965.

His athletic career would start as a young age when he began to play football, he would become captain of his High School team and go on to attend Southwest Texas State University, he would quickly realize where his heart was truly in professional wrestling.

He began his training under his mentor Jose Lathario, and after months of training after Shawn’s 19th birthday he has his debut match in Mid South Atlantic Wrestling against Art Cruz, after losing that match, Shawn would have two more one a time limit, and he would win his third match before he headed back home to Texas, to join up with Texas All-Star Wrestling.

It was there were he would find his first ally in Paul Diamond, and they would form “The American Force” and they were able to capture the Tag team Titles, but a few months later Shawn again decided it was time to move to a new company with someone we are all familiar with to create one of WWF‘s most well known teams.

It was in the AWA were Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty would first meet and form the team of “The Midnight Rockers.”

Since they were one of AWA’s hottest attractions, WWE invited them for a tryout during a live event, but WWE officials felt they needed just a little more time to mature so they headed back to the AWA.

Oddly enough it was here were they would have a little more success on the tag team side of things they would capture the AWA Tag Team Titles two times, In a time span of over eleven months defeating the teams of Buddy Rose & Doug Somers and def. Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose. They were also able to capture the Southern Tag Team Titles during their stay in the AWA.

They would make their Pay-Per-View debut at Survivor Series 1988 instantly being put right in the heart and soul of WWE’s Tag tEam at the time with the likes of The Hart Foundation, The Birtish Bulldogs, Trhe Young Stallions, and The Powers of Pain, with their team coming out on top we had a few stars born.

A few short months later during the Royal Rumble in 1989 they would be put again two of WWE’s biggest men at that time, the Twin Towers, The Big Bossman, and Akeem. Being the smaller, younger, high flying stars that they were even though they didn’t come out on top they caught the eyes of everyone watching. With their moves, their heart, and their ability to keep both of the big men off balance for nearly the entire match.

In 1990 the Rockers would earn themselves a Tag Team Championship match against The Hart Foundation, they would come out victorious, but the top rope buckled during the match and it was decided days later that since the rope broke the match was declared invalid. This was the only time the Rockers would get close to championship gold.

In Survivor Series of 1991 is the start of the next chapter in the journey of Shawn Michaels. The Rockers teamed with the Bushwackers against the Nasty Bvoyzx and The Beverly Brothers. But during the match Shawn walked out on the team explaining he was fed up with carrying the team. A few months later during an interview on Brutus Beefcake’s Barber shop, Shawn Superkicked Marty and threw him through the barber shop window.

It is the birth of a great carrer for Shawn on October 27th of 1992 Shawn would gain his first WWE Singles title when he defeated The Brithish Bulldog to win the Intercontinetal Championship. Although Shawn only held this title a few times, he added great pristege to it in the few times he carried it. He was a fantastic heel when he had this title, and he had quite a few great matches with it. But we will get to a that a little later.

Shawn also gained the services of Sensationsal Sherri after the Rockers split.

After not defending his title for thirty days Shawn was then forced to vacate.

Then in the Royal Rumble of 1993 Marty Jannetty made his return with revenge of his mind challenging Shawn for the vaccated Intercontinetal Championship. During the match Marty was about to seek his revenge by smashing a mirror over Shawn’s head when Sherri tried to intervene Shawn pushed her into Marty and she took the full affect of the mirror. Even though Shawn Michaels would go on to win the match, he lost the services of Sherri due to what happened to Marty Jannetty.

It was here we would see Shawn do what he has proved to do over the years when he was one of the innvators in this next match. The first ever Ladder Match took place at Wrestlemania X between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. After the two ahd a classic and brutal matches most had not seen much of before Razor Ramon would eventually come out on top.

Shawn Michales gained the services of Diesel and the two would go on to win the WWE Tag Team Titles together, but after Diesel defeated Bob Backlund for the WWE Title they were forced to drop the Titles.

It was in the Royal Rumble of 1995 that The Showstopper again would prove his name worthy. He would enter the Royal Rumble at number one, The Bulldog at number two and both men outlasted everyone else, but in the end Shawn was able to win the match and move onto Wrestlemania to face the World Champion Diesel. Diesel would come out on top and the two would go at it for awhile but they would eventually patch up their problems.

They would even regain their Titles at In Your Hose 3. Shawn was the Intercontinetal Champion/Diesel was the World Champion, the stipulations were simple; if Shawn or Diesel were pinned they would lose their titles, if Shawn or Deisel pinned someone they would become the new Tag Team Champions. They defeated Yokozuna and The Britishbulldog who was replacing Owen Hart to win the Tag Team Titles.

Shawn would team up with bitter rival Steve Austin to win the Tag Team Titles, one more time.

HBK would then go on to defeat Jeff Jarret for his third Intercontinetal Championship. He wouldn’t celebrate long because Razor Ramon would be breathing down his neck for another Intercontinetal Title shot, and what better way to do it than another Ladder Match?

So the two would hook up at Summerslam and would have a brutal match, even more brutal than their first, but Shawn was able to learn from his past miastakes and come out on top.

Some have said the first two Ladder Matches are two of the greatest of all time, period.

Lighting was about to strike twice, in two separate places, Shawn was injured and after thirty days he was forced to vacate the Intercontinetal title after not defending in thirty days. But he would also win the Royal Rumble for the second straight year and would go on to face Bret “The Hitman” Hart in the first ever Sixty Minute Iron Man match at Wresltemania XII. The goal of course was to score the most wins in the sixty minute time limit.

By now Shawn Michaels had really been winning the fans over, and Jose Lathrio caught back up with Shawn to train him for battle.

After one of the most grueling, brutal, epic battles, there was no wins on either man’s scorecard. But Shawn ahd been locked in Bret’s Sharpshooter for minutes as the timer ran down, Bret figured since there was no scores it was a draw, WWE President Gorilla Monsoon however decided to restart the match under Sudden Death rules. Then out of nowhere Shawn tuned up the band and hit Sweet Chin Music the capture his First WWE Title.

Shawn was and still is one of the most fightingist champions in the history of the buisness. He defeneded against the likes of British Bulldog, Vader, Mankind, Diesel, Goldust, all failed trying to take Shawn’s belt. Itwasn’t until the Survivor Series of 1996 were Psycho Sid took advantage of the ref being knocked out and hit Shawn in the ehad with a television monitor and Powerbobmed him to take the title.

He would later use the same trick on Psycho Sid to get revenge and a win in a match.

He dropped the IC and World titles due to injuries.

He would also be defeating the British Bulldog for the European Championship dubbing him the Grandslam Champion.

One of the biggest reason the Attitude Era was so effective was about to be put in the scene, when Triple H, Chyna, and Shawn Michaels all got together, they were the first members of Degeneration X. A group who defied authority, defied the censors and gave the company part of the new edge is was looking for.

Then after Shawn basically handed to the European Title to Triple H, Shawn went back after the World Title. It was decided the winner of the first ever Hell In A Cell match between Shawn and The Undertaker would go on to face The World Champion Bret Hart. After being bloodied, and beaten is seemed as if Michaels was a loss but he kept fighting then Kane made his WWE debut and obliterated The Undertaker giving Shawn the win and another shot at the WWE title.

Shawn would go on to face Bret at the Survivor series, this of course in the famous Montreal Incident, one of the most contriversial matches in WWE history. After a back and forward match Shawn locked in Bret’s finishing moves, the Sharpshooter and Earl Hebner called for the bell by orders of Vince and Shawn was awarded the match, let’s just leave it at that.

Shawn would go from there to the Royal Rumble of 1998 the face the Undertaker in a Casket Match, again with the help of Kane Shawn would retain his WWE Title, but during the match he landed awkward on the casket injuring his back.

Shawn would still move into Wrestlemania XIV and face the number one contender Stone Cold Steve Austin, many thought this would be Shawn’s final match due to all of the injuries he had taken over the years. He brought Mike Tyson into D-X to try and get an upper hand on Steve, but Mike Tyson turned on him costing him the match and the Title. Many now thought now was the end of Shawn’s carrer.

He would have “career ending” back surgery.

But after years on the shelf, Shawn showed how much heart he really has when he rejoined the WWE ranks as a member of the New World order, Vicne quickly disbanded the group, and Shanw was on his own, that is until he convinced Triple H to join him on Raw.

Triple H thought it would be a good idea to re-form D-X and right as they were posing together Triple H hit Shawn with the Pedigree and Shawn was put through a car windsheild a week alter the man who we couldn’t see on the cameras was later revealed to be Triple H. His jealopusy of Shawn got the best of him and it led to a Streetfight at Summerslam a brutal bloody match, Shawn came out on top, but Triple H nailed him in the back with his sledgehammer.

A few months later however Shawn would again climb atop the WWE mountain when he won the first ever Elimination Chamber Match defeating Triple H vs. HBK vs. Booker T vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kane to re-capture the World Title.

The rivalry between the Shawn and Triple H wasn’t over they would have a Two out of Three Falls match, the first match a Streetfight, the next a Cage match, and the final a Ladder match.

Triple H won the Streetfight, Shawn won the cage Cage match, but Triple H was able to win the Ladder match the same match that is responsible for making HBK famous.

Wrestlemania XIX was another stage for Shawn to put his magic to work when he went at it with someone with a similar style to him, in Chris Jericho. It was a great match and Shawn was able to come out on top.

After turning his attention back to Triple H, Shawn first had to go through Evolution members and after series of matches and beatings on both sides, Shawn and Triple H met in a Last Man Standing Match at The Royal Rumble of 2004. After a bloody match, the two beat each other senseless and were both counted to the mat and the amtch was ruled a draw.

The next night on Raw Chris Benoit who won the Royal Rumble match appeared and claimed he was going to Wrestlemania 20 to face Triple H, but during his contract signing he was Superkicked by Shawn Michaels and Shawn signed his contract.

It was later decided that it would be a Triple Threat Match, and we would be treated to yet another bloody, great match at the hands of all three men, although it was Chris Benoit’s night as he won the World Title.

Shawn and Triple H would go at it again in a Bloody 45-minute Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood, a match that saw every kind of thing you can imagine. Everything from tables, ladders, ring steps, and chairs. Even after all of the brutality it still took three pedigrees to keep Shawn down.

The next night on Raw Jim Ross made an attempt to get Shawn Michaels and Triple H to call it quits and just when it seemed like it was about to happen Kane appeared and used a chair to crush Shawn’s larynx, Shawn would return st Unforgiven and gain his revenge on Kane is a No DQ match.

One month later the First Ever Internet PPV Taboo Tuesday was held. Shawn Michael,s Edge, and Chris Benoit where the canidates for fans to vote for who should challenge for the World Title. Shawn beat out both Edge, and Benoit, even though Shawn severly injured his knee the previous night on Raw, barely able to walk Shawn went out and gave us an even better match than we would have expected. Just when it seemed as though Shawn was going to bat Triple H, interference from Edge cost Shawn the match.

Upon his surgery Shawn and Edge have gone back and forward with their fued, which may not be quite over yet.

Wrestlemania XXI is where we saw Shawn go one on one with Kurt Angle. Kurt Angle was furious at the fact many have called Shawn one of this generations greatest. So after Shawn ahd eliminated Kurt from the 2005 Royal Rumble match it all went down hill. They attacked each other on ther respective shows. Kurt even tried to out-do Shawn by bringing in Marty Jannetty and Sherri to Smackdown.

Prior to that Smackdown Shawn and Marty woulde ven have a one night only match against La Resistance, and they looked great together after all the time apart.

As soomeone who has watched Shawn since he was a Rocker I must say his match at Wrestlemania XXI with Kurt Angle has to be one of his greatest, the two had great chemistry together and any time Shawn Michaels is in the ring he gives all the heart he has.

Shawn Michaels has been called “The Icon, The Showstopper, The Main Event” and if you’ve ever seen him in the ring doing what he is best at, you know why.

He makes you feel the heart he is giving you in his matches, he makes you see the fact the he digs as deep as he can for that last bit of fight, that is why his matches have always been so great.

He is without no doubt a future Hall of Famer, and I do hope that Shawn stays around because Wrestling needs more guys that go out there and give it all win, lose, or draw. Wether he is at a 100 percent or he is injured he will always give us what he has.

That is why to me he is one of the greatest champions in the history of the buisness.

Let’s all face it not many guys can do or have done what Shawn has or will do.

Let’s just hope that more like him come along and give us something to remember like he always did, he is a true inspiration to the buisness we all love.

Thank you for taking the time to read this everyone, nothing makes me feel better to know my words get out to all of you each and every week. .

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