30 Days of WWE Challenge Day 03: Favorite Male Wrestler

Shawn Michaels (again)

If you read day one of this challenge, you’d know this answer was all  but obvious.

However, the reasoning behind it may not be as obvious as it seems.

As I became a fan, I began to watch more of  Shawn’s work, both on the television and on DVD (whereas the From the Vault release is the first one I ever owned).

What it turns out I didn’t know fascinated me. For example, I didn’t know Shawn was pretty much an immoral bastard who abused drugs and cried if he didn’t get his way. While there was no doubt he was talented, he was an immature little punk that kept everyone on edge in the locker-room, and his antics were always unpredictable.

Keep in mind this was the 90’s, where the man known as the “Heartbreak Kid” was an immortal in the ring, a man who could wrestle anybody, anywhere, at any time, and could always defend the title on PPV and deliver a Match-of-the-Year candidate.

Mick Foley is no exception. As Mankind, he faces Shawn in probably the best singles non-hardcore performance of his career!

1998 came to callin’, and so did Shawn’s back. Couple years of physical abuse with one nasty bump in particular at the Royal Rumble, and Shawn was at retirements’ door.

 

A moment for the “Don’t Try This at Home!” montages for years to come!

While Shawn would appear every now and then on television, it seemed like he was a broken down machine with a drug habit.

That was until 2002 when Shawn found God, became a born-again Christian (no, not Jason Reso), and transformed into a person a full 180 of what he was just months prior. (Also didn’t hurt that he got married and had a kid, thus expediting the process I’m sure.)

So now back to my fandoms. You see, Shawn came back to in-ring competition at SummerSlam 2002 as if he never left. Never mind he the fact he won and then got sledged for his efforts, HBK made quite the impression.

Another un-foreseen action of this was indeed a World Heavyweight Championship reign. Won at Survivor Series 2002 in an Elimination Chamber match (hint hint: this is my favorite PPV ever),

Listen to that damn pop on the superkick!

Shawn would have it for a month before losing it back to Triple H at the following event Armageddon.

From 2003-2010, Shawn would essentially have a second career. The parallels this tenure would have over his 90s’ one was tremendous. While he never changed his quality in the ring, he was much more able to let a younger person dictate the pace, worked with people he never worked with before, but better yet he made a whole new legion of fans in addition to the one he had before.

A rematch of a Wrestlemania classic!

The staggering amount of quality matches Michaels had in his “rebirth” period goes to show why he is my favorite male wrestler in WWE all-time. Hell, Shawn could give a match on RAW seem as important as a PPV encounter, as experienced by a certain Gold Rush match with Shelton Benjamin…

In conclusion, my choice was easy. Shawn had a rebirth in WWE that captured the minds of fans past and present, but at the same time became a man fitting of his quality in the ring. If another one like Michaels comes around the block, it’d be too soon. So here’s to…THE SHOWSTOPPA, THE HEADLINER, THE MAIN EVENT, AND THE ICON!