10 Things WWE Fans Should Know About Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels is unquestionably one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. The Heartbreak Kid's WWE career has been nothing short of extraordinary. The championships he has won and countless WrestleManias he has headlined are what wrestlers dream of achieving. Wrestling fans know a lot about what Michaels has achieved inside the squared circle, but there are several tidbits in Michaels' personal life that fans may not know about.
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The original leader of D-Generation X has had tremendous success as a babyface and a heel. Michaels is one of the most popular wrestlers in WWE history, and there are many facts that fans should know about the Showstopper.
10 His Wife Used To Work In WCW![]()
Shawn Michaels tuned into Nitro when he was on his retirement from professional wrestling in 1998, and his wife Rebecca worked in WCW as a Nitro Girl. Rebecca was known as Whisper at the time, and Michaels took a liking to Rebecca. They'd exchange phone numbers and they would have conversations and get to know each other better.
Michaels and Rebecca tied the knot in 1999, and they have two children together. Furthermore, Rebecca is fondly remembered by WWE fans for her involvement in Michaels' feud with Chris Jericho when Jericho accidentally punched her in the face at SummerSlam 2008.
9 Born-Again Christian
Shawn Michaels had a reputation for being incredibly hard to work with in the 1990s, and he had personal demons to contend with. Michaels sustained a career-threatening back injury at the 1998 Royal Rumble in his WWE Championship casket match with The Undertaker, where he herniated a disc in his back, and he was in an insurmountable amount of pain.
Michaels turned away from a life filled with alcohol and drugs and he became a Born-Again Christian. Michaels' wife Rebecca encouraged him to go to church with her. Michaels found God, and when he returned to WWE in 2002, he was a changed man and a lot of his wrestling gear had symbols of the cross on it.
8 First Man To Win The Royal Rumble Match From The Number One Position
Since 1993 the winner of the Royal Rumble match was awarded a World Championship match at WrestleMania. Shawn Michaels ran the gauntlet in the 1995 Royal Rumble match from the unenviable number one position. Michaels had a solid outing in the 1995 Royal Rumble match, and he lastly eliminated The British Bulldog to win the Royal Rumble.
With the victory, Michaels became the first man to win the Royal Rumble match from being the first entrant. With the victory, Michaels challenged Diesel for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 11, and he lost.
7 First Wrestler To Vacate The WWE, Intercontinental, And Tag Team Titles
Shawn Michaels became the fourth Triple Crown Winner in WWE history after Pedro Morales, Bret Hart, and Diesel. The Heartbreak Kid had multiple runs with each championship, and he made some unwanted history with the prestigious championships.
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Michaels became the first man to vacate the WWE, Intercontinental, and WWE Tag Team Championships. He lost his smile in 1997 when his second WWE Championship ended as he relinquished the gold due to injury. His second Intercontinental Championship reign was curtailed when he tested positive for steroids, and his first WWE Tag Team Championship reign with Diesel saw the titles become vacant as they were no longer a duo after Survivor Series 1994.
6 First Grand Slam Champion
As aforementioned, Shawn Michaels was the fourth Triple Crown Winner in WWE history. Michaels was looking to make history as the first Grand Slam Champion as he challenged The British Bulldog for the WWE European Championship at One Night Only 1997.
Michaels defeated Bulldog in front of his hometown fans in Birmingham, England to become the first Grand Slam Champion in WWE history. Michaels added the WWE Championship to go alongside his European Championship, and he was a double champion for almost two months until his DX stablemate Triple H beat him for the European Championship.
5 Won The Inaugural Hell In A Cell Match And Elimination Chamber Match
Shawn Michaels was involved in the first-ever Hell in a Cell match when he collided with The Undertaker at Badd Blood: In Your House in a number one contender's match with the winner going on to face Bret Hart for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 1997.
Michaels and Undertaker hit a home run in a remarkable match, and the Heartbreak Kid got the all-important victory over the Deadman. HBK competed in the first Elimination Chamber match at Survivor Series 2002, and he dethroned Triple H to capture the World Heavyweight Championship. Michaels became the first competitor to win both the first Hell in a Cell and Elimination Chamber matches.
4 Four-Time WWE World Champion
Shawn Michaels is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, and Michaels is a four-time WWE World Champion. The Showstopper won the WWE Championship three times, and he won the World Heavyweight Championship once.
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Michaels defeated Bret Hart for two of his WWE Championship reigns which is a fantastic achievement. Those wins came at WrestleMania 12 in a 60-minute Iron Man match and the infamous Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series 1997.
3 Retired In 2010
Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker clashed at WrestleMania 26 for the second year in succession after their WrestleMania 25 epic. The stakes were higher as Michaels' career was on the line as was The Undertaker's streak.
Michaels and Undertaker tore the house down and Michaels was sent into retirement as Undertaker defeated him with a Jumping Tombstone Piledriver. Michaels' retirement speech on the March 29, 2010 edition of Raw was an emotional one as fans were not ready to say goodbye to HBK. HBK did come out of retirement eight years later in one of the worst matches in his career at Crown Jewel 2018 when he teamed up with Triple H to face The Brothers of Destruction.
2 Oversees The Creative Of NXT
Triple H was the head of NXT for many years, but he is now the Head Creative of WWE. The Game's position was void and Shawn Michaels became a producer on NXT. Michaels was the Senior Vice President of Talent Development in 2021, and a year later he became the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative.
Michaels has been doing an outstanding job on NXT and some of the storylines have been off the charts. Michaels appears on NXT sometimes, and he has added a lot to the NXT product which has seen them bring in some high ratings.
1 Two-Time WWE Hall Of Famer
The legendary Shawn Michaels didn't have to wait too long to enter into the WWE Hall of Fame. A year after his retirement, Michaels was the headline act in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.
The Kliq appeared which was a feel-good moment. Eight years later, Michaels became a two-time WWE Hall of Famer when he entered the Hall as a member of D-Generation X. Michaels was the mastermind behind DX and the first leader of the group. The Showstopper was an integral figure in the success of DX.
