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He's one of the most charismatic showmen ever to grace a WWE ring. He was WWE's most resilient champion. Pound-for-pound, he may be the company's toughest.
If a back injury hadn't hampered Shawn Michaels' in-ring career, there's no telling what the "Heartbreak Kid" would have accomplished. As it was, he accomplished more than anyone at the time. He was the first Grand Slam Champion -- the only competitor to hold every title WWE had to offer then. At 225 pounds, he somehow managed to win the WWE Championship on three occasions, defeating men close to twice his size along the way. One of the keys to his success was that Michaels would always put his body on the line. He participated in the first (and, many say, most exciting) Hell in a Cell Match, against the Undertaker. There were Ladder Matches. But even in "regular matches" (if there was ever such a thing with Shawn), HBK was intent on being "the Showstoppa, the main-eventer, the icon." It took its toll on his long-term health. Still in his early 30s, when most Superstars are hitting their prime, Michaels had to bow out of the spotlight after losing the WWE Championship to Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV in March 1998. Soon he had surgery to take away the pain, but officially end his in-ring career, or so it was thought.
But Michaels doesn't necessarily have to lace up the wrestling boots to be an instrumental part of WWE programming. One of the most natural "talkers" in history, he has the ability to rile up fans and fellow Superstars simply by grabbing a microphone. Remember, Michaels was one of the founding members of D-Generation X, perhaps the most notorious faction in sports-entertainment history. They had as many memorable moments outside the ring as they did inside the ring. And Michaels remained one of the most popular Superstars when he returned on a regular basis in November 1998, even though it was in a non-wrestling capacity as Commissioner off WWE. But for a variety of reasons, Michaels resigned as Commissioner in 2000.
Perhaps the best indication of the impact that HBK made on the business was the reaction he received on June 3, 2002, live on RAW, when he was introduced as the newest members of another controversial faction, the nWo. Fans at the American Airlines Arena cheered because they were happy to see him, or jeered because they were shocked he was joining the nWo. But they were all on their feet, as they seemingly always are when HBK's "Sexy Boy" theme song hits. Luckily for HBK fans everywhere, the nWo folded soon after. Michaels then moved on to a successful singles run, highlighted by a victory at Survivor Series where he captured the World Heavyweight Championship.
To this day, more than a decade after making his WWE debut, Michaels is still the Showstopper. During the final RAW of 2003, Michaels and Triple H engaged in a battle that was considered one of the top WWE matches of the year, and their Last Man Standing encounter at Royal Rumble 2004 was equally compelling. HBK even was part of the WrestleMania XX main event -- the first-ever Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania.
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