“The Heartbreak Kid”, “The Showstopper”, and “Mr. WrestleMania” – Shawn Michaels has taken on a number of nicknames throughout his long and storied wrestling career.
Knowing from the age of 12 that he wanted to become a professional wrestler, Michaels made his debut almost 40 years ago (October 1984). He soon teamed up with Marty Jannetty, and the duo were known as The Rockers. The pair were one-time unofficial WWF Tag Team Champions – the decision eventually overturned, and the titles returned to The Hart Foundation.
After seven years as a tag team wrestler, Michaels cut ties with Jannetty with that iconic heel turn in 1992. During Brutus Beefcake’s Barber Shop Talk segment, Michael superkicked his partner and threw him through the on-set window.
As a solo competitor, Michaels faced Razor Ramon at WrestleMania X in that five-star rated ladder match. He also eventually did win the tag titles from The Headshrinkers when he was aligned with Diesel.
1997 was a big year for Michaels and the WWF. D-Generation X was formed as an answer to WCW’s nWo faction, and Michaels was involved in The Montreal Screwjob which took Bret Hart and fans alike years to forgive him for.
After sustaining a serious back injury at the 1998 Royal Rumble, Michaels retired (for the first time) after losing the WWF Championship to Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV. Although no longer wrestling, Michaels remained on our screens as the WWF Commissioner until her relinquished the role to Mick Foley in 2000.
Returning to in-ring action in 2002, Michaels joined the reformed nWo for a short time before the group disbanded. This was followed by Triple H turning on him and the pair facing off in a series of brutal matches across SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Armageddon that same year.
The two eventually made amends and brought back DX between 2005 and 2007. Michaels retired for the second and final time the night after WrestleMania XXVI in 2010, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.
For the past several years, Michaels has been working behind the scenes for WWE’s NXT brand.
WCW had their own Baywatch episode, but did you know that Shawn Michaels appeared in a 1996 episode of the show? To find out more, check out this review from Allison Pregler (featuring OSW Review and Phelan Porteous) give this video a watch:
He also had a short-lived acting career, credited in five movies between 2017 and 2019.
Shawn Michaels has sported various looks throughout his career: the fluorescent and tasselled gear of The Rockers; the broken heart logo on his pants; over-the-top, embellished chaps; the cowboy hat and boots, and denim look. Which imagery will inspire your HBK tattoo?
The Tattooed Archivist 
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