Sports-entertainment has seen its share of immortals. There have been icons, some Great Ones, a few Olympians and a whole lot of legends. But there has only been one Showstopper, and he is Shawn Michaels.
In an industry where the hyperbole is the norm, there may not be enough ways to describe HBK. He is truly incomparable. Michaels has made a career of stealing the show – competing in matches that are talked about for years. His rivalries over a career spanning more than 20 years are truly the stuff of legends.
Michaels first started revolutionizing the sport during his partnership with Marty Jannetty as The Rockers. Their wars with "Playboy" Buddy Rose & Doug Sommers in the AWA and then the subsequent rivalries with The Hart Foundation and The Brain Busters in WWE changed the face of tag team wrestling and captured the imagination of our fans. Arguably, Michaels could have gone down as one of the greats if he had chosen to stay primarily in tag team competition. But HBK knew he could become an all-time great. One superkick to Jannetty during Brutus Beefcake's Barber Shop closed the door on a popular partnership and opened another to Michaels' legend.
HBK's career can't be just measured in titles, even though his trophy case is spilling over. He was WWE's first-ever Grand slam Champion, holding the European Championship, World Tag Team Championship, the Intercontinental Title and WWE Championship. He, along with Triple H, co-founded one of the greatest factions of all time, D-Generation X, whose popularity and anti-establishment philosophy continue to capture the imagination of our fans today.
SIGNATURE MOVES
Flying Forearm Smash 3 Diving Elbow Drop 3
FINISHERS
Sweet Chin Music Pin 2 Inverted Figure-4 Leg Lock
ABILITIES
Resiliency Durability
Kip-Up Fan Favorite
Outside Dives Possum Pin
by by Greg Miller of IGN.com