No. 6: Michaels dodges The Deadman

At The Grandest Stage of Them All – WrestleMania – few WWE Superstars have accomplished as much, and impressed the WWE Universe more, than Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. A perennial provider of classic and unforgettable matches, Michaels has been aptly dubbed “Mr. WrestleMania,” while The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at ‘Mania is one of the greatest feats in the history of WWE.

Although The Undertaker’s record at WrestleMania heading into his match at the 25th anniversary of the event stood at an incredible 16-0, The Phenom was forced to take a leap of faith in order to keep his record intact against the biggest threat to the streak in history, Michaels, a man he had never beaten before. The incredible lengths to which The Deadman had to undergo earn him the No. 6 spot on WWE.com’s Great Leaps of Faith. Continue reading »

This was on WWE.com last week.

100 Golden Moments for the WWE Championship
On June 20, 2010, Sheamus’ victory over John Cena, Randy Orton and Edge at WWE Fatal 4-Way won him the WWE Title, beginning the 100th WWE Championship reign, and the second of his young WWE career.

Only 39 Superstars have achieved membership into this illustrious fraternity of titleholders in the title’s 47-year history. WWE.com has compiled two mosaics, featuring images of the men who held the WWE Championship, whether it was for just mere minutes (Andre the Giant), a day (Kane) or for eight memorable years (Bruno Sammartino).

UGO.com posted a story on the Most Absurd Storyline in wrestling & Shawn made the list:

It’s been a long, long time since professional wrestling resembled an actual sporting competition. Honestly though, who needs anticlimactic first round tap-outs when you can watch a dude get clobbered with a chair for making time with another guy’s girlfriend? But, occasionally wrestling pushes it too far. Don’t believe us? Then check our list of the eleven strangest, most bizarre, and unfathomable wrestling angles in history.

Tagging in God

Like many wrestlers, Shawn Michaels holds devout Christian beliefs that he’s not afraid to share with his fans. The Heartbreak Kid has even joined televangelist Pat Robertson on The 700 Club. But while most wrestlers keep their religion somewhat separate from their work, The Showstopper went ahead and brought The Creator into the ring with him.

At WrestleMania 22, Michaels defeated Mr. McMahon in a No Holds Barred Match despite the interference of both McMahon’s son, Shane and the Spirit Squad. Dismissing the victory as “an act of God,” the Chairman of WWE placed himself and his son in a match at Backlash 2006 against the tag team of Michaels and his heavenly father.

WWE.com posted their list of the Top 25 Intercontinental Champions of all time. Shawn Michaels came in at #13.

#13: Shawn Michaels

Long before his classic matches with Undertaker, his multiple WWE Championship reigns or his wild days with DX, Shawn Michaels made his name as a solo competitor thanks to his three runs as Intercontinental Champion. A “Showstopper” even then, HBK’s classic Ladder Matches with Razor Ramon are considered some of the best bouts of their era and his battles with Jeff Jarrett, Diesel and Bret “Hit Man” Hart were just as good. Too often, Michaels’ title reigns ended in controversy, but his days as champion were always exhilarating.

“Show Stopper”- A Look Back At The Career Of Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels has left the building

Post & Courier: Shawn Michaels has left the building

Inside The Wheelhouse: Shawn Michaels has left the building

Ring Posts

When I interviewed Jim Ross several months ago, one of the topics we discussed was Shawn Michaels. I used a couple quotes from the legendary WWE announcer in the story I wrote about Michaels for The Baltimore Sun last week.

Here are Ross’ comments about Michaels in their entirety. Ross has known Michaels since the latter broke into the business in Bill Watts’ Mid-South promotion in 1984.

The first time I laid eyes on him I knew he was going to be really good. It was easy to see for many of us – including Bill Watts. I remember Jose Lothario calling Bill and touting this kid that he had trained. He was, I think, 19 years old. He looked like he was 19 going on 12. A real handsome young kid, really, really athletic. He didn’t have to be told things twice. He had a great feel for the game. He had a natural built-in clock as it related to his impeccable timing. Continue reading »

From ESPN, Farewell to WrestleMania, diary-style

The John Report, Thank You Shawn Michaels

NY Daily News

Ring Posts: Thank You Shawn

From PWInsider.com:

So it seems that the career of Shawn Michaels may very well have ended at Wrestlemania 26, and if that loss to the Undertaker really was it for Shawn, it was a hell of a way to go out because he had one of the best matches both in Wrestlemania history as well as in his own career, and that’s saying something because Shawn is a guy who always could be counted on to have great matches. People sometimes point to people like Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, or Kurt Angle as guys who could carry a broomstick to a great match, but in my opinion Shawn’s ability to carry a match went beyond all of them because he’s shown time and time again that he could pull out classic after classic with just about anybody in just about any conceivable situation. He had charisma coming out of ev ery orifice of his body and was one of those rare kind who could get over at the top as both a babyface and a heel, and lead you in either direction almost at will. In a business where feuds and storylines are often nonsensical or underwhelming, Shawn always found a way to make you care about what he was doing no matter who he was programmed with. Shawn truly was in a class of his own.
Continue reading »

From Slam.ca

In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, anyone with an internet connection and the ability to look up backstage wrestling news knew The Undertaker was going to defeat Shawn Michaels. When the retirement stipulation was added, we raised our eyebrows but figured he’d be back in time for Summer Slam in August. But now we’ve all come to the realization that “HBK” Shawn Michaels is truly gone.

Like Triple H said on Raw, it’s the end of an era. We are no longer living in an age with the likes of Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Curt Hennig, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Davey Boy Smith, Owen Hart, and now Shawn Michaels, providing our wrestling fix each week. Well, unless you switch to TNA, that is, but it’s kind of a sad sight. Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker represented that final tie to a golden age of wrestling. Both of them were bonafide superstars, the likes of which we will likely never see again.
Continue reading »

PW Torch Guest Editorial
By David Miller of Terre Haute, Ind.

Shawn Michaels’s career is over. It’s hard to believe and I think many of us have not quite realized the finality of it yet, but we came one step closer with Shawn’s heartfelt goodbye speech on Raw last night. Fans were given a chance to reflect on his career through – not only a very good DVD release called “My Journey” – but also the career retrospective that preceded HBK’s speech last night. Since watching Sunday night’s incredible retirement match between Michaels and The Undertaker, I’ve had the time to remember Shawn’s career in my own way.

I basically grew up with Shawn Michaels. Not literally, but we are both very close to the same age and I’ve followed his career since very early on. The first time I ever heard of Shawn Michaels was one Saturday morning in 1987 when Lance Russell showed a video package on CWA Wrestling of a new young tag team coming into the Memphis area called The Midnight Rockers, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty. Continue reading »