Shawn Michaels : Life of a WWE Icon

Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, is more famously known as Shawn Michaels. He used to be a professional wrestler in the United States, but now he’s retired. Currently, he works for WWE as the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, where he helps manage the creative side of the NXT brand, which is WWE’s training area for new wrestlers. Many people consider him one of the best wrestlers ever, and he has some cool nicknames like “The Heartbreak Kid” (or HBK for short), “The Showstopper,” and “Mr. WrestleMania.”

WrestleMania Star and D-Generation X Creator

Shawn Michaels was the star of five WrestleMania events and helped create the famous group D-Generation X. He has won the world championship four times, which includes three WWF titles and one WWE World Heavyweight title. On top of that, he has won the Royal Rumble twice, became the first WWE Grand Slam Champion, and has been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame two times. Michaels is famous for his amazing matches, winning Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s “Match of the Year” award eleven times, and he has been part of many legendary matches, like the first Hell in a Cell, Ladder Match, Iron Man Match, and Elimination Chamber.

Early Life and Family

Michael Shawn Hickenbottom was born on July 22, 1965, in Chandler, Arizona. He has an older sister named Shari and two older brothers, Randy and Scott. Growing up in a military family, he spent some of his early years in Reading, Berkshire, England, but mostly lived in San Antonio, Texas. As a kid, he didn’t like the name “Michael,” so he got everyone to call him by his middle name, Shawn.

Because his dad was in the military, they moved around a lot. At just 12 years old, he decided he wanted to be a professional wrestler and even did a wrestling act at his high school talent show, using fake blood for effect! Shawn was also really into sports; he started playing football when he was six. He was a great linebacker at Randolph High School on Randolph Air Force Base and eventually became the captain of the football team. He went to Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, but left to chase his dream of becoming a pro wrestler. Interestingly, his cousin Matt Bentley is also in the wrestling business.

Early Wrestling Career

Shawn Michaels kicked off his wrestling journey in 1984, learning the ropes from Jose Lothario and making his first appearance in the NWA’s Mid-

South Wrestling. He later wrestled in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) and Central States Wrestling, where he snagged the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship. In 1985, he joined Texas All-Star Wrestling and teamed up with Paul Diamond to create the American Force tag team.

In 1986, Michaels made his national debut with the American Wrestling Association (AWA) as part of The Midnight Rockers alongside Marty Jannetty. Together, they captured the AWA World Tag Team Championship before moving to the WWF in 1987. After a short return to the AWA, they came back to the WWF in 1988 as The Rockers, gaining a lot of fans but never officially winning the WWF Tag Team Championship because of a title change mix-up in 1990. The Rockers went their separate ways in 1991 when Michaels infamously attacked Jannetty during an episode of Brutus Beefcake’s Barber Shop, which marked the beginning of Michaels’ solo career and helped him become a major villain in the WWF.

Transformation into “The Heartbreak Kid”

• Shawn Michaels, also known as “The Heartbreak Kid,” became a cocky bad guy in 1992 with the help of Sensational Sherri. That same year, he won his first Intercontinental Championship and had rivalries with Bret Hart and Marty Jannetty.
• In 1993, he got suspended for a drug issue, which he said wasn’t true, but he came back later that year to compete at Survivor Series. In 1994, Michaels had a big feud with Razor Ramon, which led to an epic ladder match at WrestleMania X that won the “Match of the Year” award.
• He later teamed up with Diesel to win the WWF Tag Team Championship, but their friendship ended when Michaels accidentally kicked Diesel with his finishing move. In 1995, he won the Royal Rumble, which set him up for a title match against Diesel at WrestleMania XI, but he ended up losing.
• After Sid attacked him the next night, Michaels took a break from wrestling as part of a storyline to make him more popular with the fans.

WWF Championship Reign (1996-1998)

Shawn Michaels was the WWF Champion from 1996 to 1998. He kicked off his championship journey by winning the Royal Rumble in 1996, which gave him a shot at the WWF Championship at WrestleMania XII. There, he faced Bret Hart in an epic 60-minute Iron Man match and came out on top.

Later that year, he was part of the “Curtain Call” incident with his friends in the Kliq, which was a big deal because they broke character on live TV. After losing the title to Sycho Sid at Survivor Series 1996, he managed to win it back at the 1997 Royal Rumble but had to give it up because of a knee injury, saying he “lost his smile.”

Return and Formation of D-Generation X

In late 1997, Michaels teamed up with Triple H, Chyna, and Rick Rude to form D-Generation X (DX). He turned bad and ramped up his rivalry with Bret Hart, which led to the famous “Montreal Screwjob” at Survivor Series 1997, where he won the WWF Championship again. He also snagged the European Championship, making him the first Grand Slam Champion in WWF history.

Injury and Retirement

However, in early 1998, Michaels got a serious back injury during a casket match against The Undertaker. This injury forced him to retire after he lost the WWF Championship to Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV. After retiring, he took on the role of WWF Commissioner and made a few appearances, but mostly stayed out of the ring until he came back in 2002. During his time away, he even opened the Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy.

Revered as One of the Greatest

• Michaels is often seen as one of the best professional wrestlers ever. He has received a lot of recognition for his amazing matches, winning 15 Match of the Year awards from Pro Wrestling Illustrated and Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
• His match at WrestleMania 24 against Ric Flair was even named Match of the Decade by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
• Dave Meltzer rated two of his matches with 5 stars: the Ladder match against Razor Ramon at WrestleMania X and the first Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker at Bad Blood 1997.
• Because of his incredible performances at WrestleMania, he earned the nickname Mr. WrestleMania.
• Sumit Rehal from Independent UK included Michaels three times in his list of the top 10 WrestleMania matches, highlighting his bouts against Razor Ramon, Bret Hart, and The Undertaker.

Legendary Rivalries and Memorable Matches

In 2016, CBS Sports’ Dave Richard called his match with Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV the best main event in WrestleMania history. His rivalry with Bret Hart is considered one of the greatest in WWE history. The nearly hour-long match with John Cena on the April 23, 2007, episode of Raw is often seen as the best match in the show’s history. Many wrestlers, including Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Johnny Gargano, and Adam Cole, have said that Michaels inspired them.

Personal Life

First Marriage and Family

Hickenbottom’s first marriage to Theresa Wood ended amicably. He later married Rebecca Curci, a former WCW Nitro Girl known as Whisper, on March 31, 1999, in a private ceremony at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. They have two children: Cameron Kade, born on January 15, 2000, and Cheyenne, born on August 19, 2004.

Photo Shoot and Ambidexterity

In 1996, Hickenbottom participated in a non-nude photo shoot for Playgirl magazine, later learning that its main audience was predominantly gay men, leading to some teasing from his wrestling peers. Hickenbottom is ambidextrous, writing with his left hand and drawing with his right. Despite having difficulty distinguishing right from left in his youth, he adapted to using his right leg for kicking and either arm for his signature elbow drop in the ring.

Substance Abuse and Faith

Hickenbottom faced severe substance abuse issues in the late 1980s and 1990s, which strained his personal relationships and affected his wrestling reputation. He contemplated suicide but sought help by the late ’90s, quitting drinking and drugs to set a positive example for his son. On April 24, 2002, he became a born-again Christian, transitioning from Catholicism to non-denominational Christianity. He often wore cross symbols in the ring and included prayer in his entrance routine. Hickenbottom also attended services at John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church in San Antonio and appeared on the Trinity Broadcasting Network in 2008.

Other Media

Television

Shawn Michaels hosted Shawn Michaels’ MacMillan River Adventures, a show on CarbonTV where he and Keith Mark traveled globally to hunt big-game animals.

HBK Line

During the 2015-16 NHL season, the Pittsburgh Penguins featured a line named the “HBK Line,” inspired by Michaels’s nickname, “Heartbreak Kid.” Michaels engaged with Penguins fans on Twitter and attended Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, meeting team owner Mario Lemieux. Although the Penguins lost that game, they won the Stanley Cup.

Books

On February 10, 2015, Michaels released his autobiography, Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar, co-written with David Thomas. He also co-authored The Unauthorized History of DX in 2009 with Triple H and Aaron Williams.

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