Shawn Michaels: The Greatest of All Time
Weather Shawn Michaels stays retired or not, remains to be seen but I will go on record in saying that Shawn Michaels has to be the greatest of all time. I honestly think that no one will ever do what he did in pro wrestling. It all started at a young age for Shawn. The smartest thing he ever did was follow the career of Ric Flair because Flair had the ability of making people so much better then they actually were. Flair made guys like Sting, Luger, Magnum T.A., and others.
Shawn Michaels had a knack for making people into bigger stars then what they were before they worked with him. Let’ think about the Clique itself. Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, and Triple H did not get big until they were associated with Shawn Michael. When Scott Hall became Razor Ramon and Nash become Diesel they were on top of their game. Triple H was starting to become big when he and Shawn teamed up to form DX and from there HHH’s career took off and they never left each others side. Shawn made every member of the Clique a legend in the wrestling buisness. Shawn Michaels also helped elevate the careers of Edge, Randy Orton, and many others in the WWE that are still around today.
When I think of how great of Shawn Michaels, I think of the last seven and a half years of his career. When he made his return in 2002 he was better then he was the first time around. I look at every Wrestlemania match he has since he’s come back and they all have been good. Here is who Shawn wrestled in last eight Wrestlemania’s.
Wrestlemania 19- vs. Chris Jericho
Wrestlemania 20- vs. Triple H vs. Chris Beniot
Wrestlemania 21- vs. Kurt Angle
Wrestlemania 22- vs. Vince McMahon
Wrestlemania 23- vs. John Cena
Wrestlemania 24- vs. Ric Flair
Wrestlemania 25- vs. The Undertaker
Wrestlemania 26- vs. The Undertaker
He has not a bad Wrestlemania match since he has come back in 2002. All of these matches were phemonenal in their own way. Since Shawn Michaels returned in 2002 he has won the World Heavyweight Championship, and won the Tag Team titles twice. Shawn really never needed a title to prove he was the best because all he had to do is go out and perform in the ring. One of the greatest things I saw on TV was when Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart buried the hatchet on Monday Night Raw. It needed to be done and it was great to see both of them get some closure.
From a personal perspective, I love Shawn Michaels because he is a born again Christian who brings his faith to the ring and on TV. In 2002, when just two weeks before I had open heart surgery Shawn had his first match back in four and a half years. I told myself if Shawn can come back, then I will be able to come back. I was so excited when Shawn back at Summerslam 2002. He proved that he was still the best when he defeated Triple H in their streetfight. My whole view of pro wrestling changed with Summerslam 2005. It was Shawn Michaels vs. Hulk Hogan. Going in to that match Hogan was still my first favorite and Shawn my second. After the match Shawn beacme my favorite and here’s why. Shawn proved that he could make people look so good and that he wasn’t in it for himself. Shawn may have lost the match against Hogan but he made me realize what wrestling was about. It’s about helping others and getting others over other then yourself. That’s what Shawn was about, and that was about getting others over.
Shawn Michaels will go down as the greatest wrestler of all time. No one has done what he has done. He may not have had the limelight Flair or Hogan did but if you followed pro wrestling in the 90’s you would know Shawn Michaels had the best matches of anyone that was wrestling. Shawn Michaels will always be the “The Showstopper,” “The Headliner,” “The Main Event,” and “The Icon.” Most importantly Shawn Michaels will simply always be known as “The Heartbreak Kid (HBK)” Thank you Shawn for the memories, the moments and congratulations on a wonderful career that will never be duplicated. Shawn Michaels has left the building…
