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Vince McMahon created the concept.
Howard Finkel created the name.
Hulk Hogan, with others (like Randy Savage & Andre the Giant), created the event’s big-time feel/exposure that left fans clamoring for more.
Shawn Michaels created the work ethic everyone aspires to achieve.
His record is nowhere near ‘Perfect’, and he has lost more title matches at this event than perhaps anyone else in history.
When it comes to being “Mr. Wrestlemania” however, Shawn Michaels is a mythic figure. His performances on the big show are indelible, and it is no question that every man who has competed against Shawn has left the show better off than they were.
In his early years, Shawn was one half of a popular team entitled ‘The Rockers’. With Marty Jannetty, their opponent list was unique. Whether it was big men, foreign men, or hosses, the duo got the best possible match.
Shawn’s course would take a huge left turn as he threw soon-to-be ex-partner Jannetty through a ‘Barbershop’ window in early 1992. This would mark the start of Michaels’ singles run.
It would take a few years for Shawn to get that show-stealing performance. When he did though, the road to immortality began.
At Wrestlemania X in 1994, he and Razor Ramon competed in the first Ladder Match in Wrestlemania history. The story was quite innovative, where Shawn was legitimately suspended after a failed test, but never returned the belt! Ramon won the title in a battle royal, but it was Shawn who shocked the world with having his belt on a return promo segment. What resulted was a successful blend of wrestling and ladder bumps. Shawn even made that death-defying splash from the top of the ladder, and this happened in the days where ladders had no place in wrestling!
After failing to procure the championship at XI, Shawn went into XII with gold on his mind. However, he had to prove to the ‘Hitman’ he was the ‘Iron Man’. 60 grueling minutes and overtime. Shawn proved to Bret Hart and the world he was here. With 10+ years of going through everything there is in the wrestling business, Shawn was finally on top!
The ride wouldn’t last deep into 1997.
Missing 13 due to an injury (that could be real or fake), Shawn was truly at his physical worst for XIV for 1998. A wrecked back, mainly due to a bad casket bump at the Royal Rumble, and badly addicted to painkillers, Shawn managed to create a classic with Steve Austin. It would be five years before Shawn wrestled on the big stage again.
Shawn’s in-ring Wrestlemania resurrection in 2003 occurred squaring off against Chris Jericho. Jericho’s career is a storied one itself, but the Lionheart noted his favorite match is the one with Michaels from Wrestlemania XIX.
This would start a pattern.
From 2003-2010, Shawn would methodically add to his legend, facing off against different men with different abilities. Big men like Undertaker would be on his plate, but also dear friends like Ric Flair, which Shawn had the unfortunate privilege of superkicking into retirement.
Whether it was a title match or not, Shawn gave every match his absolute all.
That’s one of the reasons why his retirement after Wrestlemania 26 was so emotional.
The buildup to the SECOND WM match with Undertaker, if you count the antics leading up to the 25 bout, lasted about three years. From the Rumble at San Antonio in 2007 to the University of Phoenix for Wrestlemania 26, Shawn was nagging at Undertaker, trying to derail the all-mighty streak, with Shawn noting in addition his career was nothing unless he ended it.
Shawn may have been done wrestling, but his Wrestlemania involvement would be far from over.
For Wrestlemania 27 in 2011, Shawn was the headline inductee into the Hall of Fame. Graced into the Hall by lifelong friend Triple H, Michaels’ main statement was that he had no regrets with his career. Judging by just this little body of work, there’s no wonder why he thinks the way he does.
Shawn was then called upon to do the one thing he wished he hadn’t: referee Triple H/Undertaker inside Hell in the Cell. Shawn told Hunter he knew who would in, and in the end, it was Undertaker. There were no alliances at all, as Shawn took as much punishment as he dished out. Shawn even kicked Undertaker into a Pedigree, but the dead man STILL KICKED OUT! Shawn would eventually count Triple H, but not before reffing 30 minutes of one of the most dramatic WrestleMania matches in history!
CONTESTS:
Wrestlemania V: The Twin Towers (The Big Bossman & Akeem) defeated The Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty). (8:02) ***
Wrestlemania VI: The Orient Express defeated The Rockers by COUNT OUT. (7:38) **1/2
Wrestlemania VII: The Rockers defeated Barbarian & Haku w/Bobby Heenan. (10:41) **3/4
Wrestlemania VIII: Shawn Michaels w/ Sensational Sherri defeated "El Matador" Tito Santana. Originally should have been vs. Marty Jannetty, but the latter had to leave due to personal problems. Shawn would induct Tito into the Hall of Fame in 2004. (10:38) **
Wrestlemania IX: Tatanka defeated Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels by COUNT OUT. Because championships can’t change hands on a count-out, Shawn kept the belt. (18:13) **
Wrestlemania X: Razor Ramon (aka Scott Hall) defeated Shawn Michaels to retain the Intercontinental Championship in the first ever Ladder Match in Wrestlemania history. (18:47) ****1/4
Wrestlemania XI: Diesel (aka Kevin Nash) defeated Shawn Michaels to retain the WWE Championship. Diesel was accompanied to ringside by Pamela Anderson while Shawn had Jenny McCarthy. (20:35) ***1/2
Wrestlemania XII: Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart in a 60-minute Iron man match (1-0) to win the WWE Championship. This occurred in overtime. (1:01:56) ****1/2
Wrestlemania 13: Shawn Michaels joined commentary for the Undertaker vs. Sid main event. He ‘lost his smile’ the month before, and thus he vacated the belt prior to ‘Mania. Also, the original match should have been a rematch of Wrestlemania XII with an Iron Man rematch.
Wrestlemania XIV: Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels to win the WWE Championship. Shawn would take a long sabbatical from in-ring competition due to injuries, although he would show up on WWE programming every now and then. (20:02) ***3/4
Wrestlemania XV: Shawn Michaels, as WWE Commissioner, told Vince McMahon he was not eligible to referee the main event. Shawn’s appearance garnered a huge pop.
Wrestlemania XIX: Shawn Michaels defeated Chris Jericho. Michaels’ first Wrestlemania match in five years. (22:33) ****1/2
WrestleMania XX: Chris Benoit defeated Triple H & Shawn Michaels to capture the World Heavyweight Championship. Shawn was not involved in the fall. (24:50) ****1/2
Wrestlemania 21: Kurt Angle defeated Shawn Michaels via submission. Noted by many to be the best Wrestlemania match of both men’s careers. (27:56) *****
Wrestlemania 22: Shawn Michaels defeated Vince McMahon w/Shane McMahon in a No Holds Barred Match. (18:28) ***1/4
Wrestlemania 23: John Cena defeated Shawn Michaels by Submission to retain the WWE Championship. (28:22) ***3/4
Wrestlemania XXIV: Shawn Michaels defeated Ric Flair. Per pre-match stipulation (actually more like a long-running angle), Ric was forced to retire from WWE. (20:23) **** (3 for the match, 5 for the story, average of 4)
The 25th Anniversary of Wrestlemania (aka Wrestlemania 25): The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels. (30:56) ****3/4
Wrestlemania XXVI: The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels in a No Disqualification, No Count-Out Match. Per pre-match stipulation, Shawn was forced to retire from the WWE. (24:04) ****1/2
WrestleMania XXVII: Shawn Michaels was inducted into the Hall of Fame as the headlining inductee.
WrestleMania XXVIII: Shawn Michaels was the special guest referee in the “End of an Era Hell in the Cell” Match between Triple H and The Undertaker. After many close-calls and punishment, Shawn counted Triple H’s shoulders down 1-2-3. ‘Taker, HBK, and Triple H stood atop of the stage proud of their accomplishment.
Overall Record: 6-11
Overall Combined Length In-Ring: 6:25:04 (6 hours, 25 minutes, 4 seconds. I haven’t done math on anyone else, but THIS HAS TO BE A RECORD!)
Hey man
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