John Hugger
Ring name(s)	GREAT MUTA[1] John Hugger[1] Johnny Hugger[1] Johnny the Bull[1][2] Johnny Stamboli[1][2] REDRUM[1][2] Relli[1][2] The Unknown Wrestler[1]
Billed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2]
Billed weight	250 lb (110 kg; 18 st)[2]
Born	(1977-04-20) April 20, 1977 (age 35)[1][2] Atlanta, Georgia[1][2]
Resides	Phoenix, Arizona[2]
Billed from	"The Depths of Hell" / Salem (as Rellik) Little Italy, Manhattan (as Johnny Stamboli)
Trained by	Paul Orndorff[1] WCW Power Plant[1][2]
Debut	1999[1]

John Hugger (born April 20, 1977) is an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling as Johnny the Bull, World Wrestling Entertainment as Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli. He has also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Asistencia Asesoría y Administración and Lucha Libre USA under the ring name Relli.^[2]

Professional wrestling career[link]

World Championship Wrestling (1999–2001)[link]

While attending college in Atlanta, Georgia and working as a doorman at the Club Oxygen nightclub, Hugger exercised at the Main Event Fitness gym, which was owned by World Championship Wrestling employees Lex Luger and Sting. During one of his visits to the gym, WCW employee Diamond Dallas Page met with Hugger and encouraged him to train as a wrestler. Hugger subsequently attended the WCW Power Plant training center and took part in a $250 USD tryout alongside 19 other people. The tryout featured press ups, sprinting, squats and freestyle wrestling in temperatures of over 100 degrees. Hugger passed the tryout, but did not immediately begin training as a wrestler. Six months later, he was attacked and stabbed six times. Hugger resolved to change his lifestyle, which he believed had resulted in his assault, and enlisted in the Power Plant.^[3]

After training for nine months, Hugger debuted on WCW television in late 1999. Hugger adopted the ring name Johnny the Bull and formed a Mafia-themed tag team named The Mamalukes with Big Vito. The duo were managed by Tony Marinara.^[3]

On January 18, 2000 in Evansville, Indiana, Hugger and Big Vito defeated Crowbar and David Flair for the WCW World Tag Team Championship. The match was broadcast on the January 19 episode of WCW Thunder. They held the championship until February 12, when they were defeated by Creative Control in Oberhausen during a tour of Germany. The Mamalukes regained the championship on the following day in Leipzig, and held it until March 19, when they lost to Creative Control in a no disqualification match at the pay-per-view Uncensored, which took place in the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida.^[4]

On June 5, 2000, The Mamalukes attacked Hardcore Champion Terry Funk during a title defense against WCW President Eric Bischoff, enabling Bischoff to defeat Funk. On the June 7 episode of Thunder, Bischoff awarded the Hardcore Championship to The Mamalukes, making them co-champions. On June 19, Big Vito defeated Hugger to become the undisputed Hardcore Champion. On the July 3 episode of Nitro, while wrestling Funk in a hardcore match, Hugger tore his urethra while executing a diving leg drop, and was sidelined for two months while recuperating.^[3][5][6]

On the September 11, 2000 edition of Nitro, Hugger returned to betray Vito and joined several other Power Plant graduates in a faction known as the Natural Born Thrillers, a collection of young wrestlers who sought to challenge more established wrestlers. Although successful in winning the World Tag Team Championship on several occasions, Hugger reconciled with Vito and reformed the Mamalukes, and the two continued teaming until WCW's closure in March 2001.

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (2001–2004)[link]

In March 2001, World Championship Wrestling was purchased by its Stamford, Connecticut-based rival, the World Wrestling Federation. Hugger's contract was bought out by the WWF. Johnny the Bull wrestled one dark match before the July 12, 2001 edition of SmackDown!, losing to Rob Van Dam. Johnny the Bull was introduced to the promotion as a member of The Alliance but after a single appearance on WWF television, Hugger was sent to the Heartland Wrestling Association, an Ohio-based WWF developmental territory, in late July 2001, to further his training. While in the HWA, he won the promotion's Heavyweight Championship on two occasions in 2002.^[7]

After the company was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment in May 2002, Hugger returned to WWE television on the June 30, 2002 episode of Sunday Night Heat under the ring name Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli, losing via disqualification to Tommy Dreamer. On the July 15 episode of Raw, Stamboli won the Hardcore Championship, his first title in WWE, from Bradshaw. Bradshaw would, however, regain the title from Hugger later that night.^[8][9] On the July 29 edition of Raw, Stamboli won the Hardcore Title once again after pinning Jeff Hardy, but lost the title a few seconds later to Bradshaw. He became a mainstay on Heat and would later turn face due to fan reaction, in late September, 2002.

On February 13, 2003, Hugger jumped to the SmackDown! brand and became a heel again when Hugger, Nunzio and Chuck Palumbo attacked Rikishi. Together they formed an Italian American-themed stable with then-heel, called the Full Blooded Italians.^[8] The faction wrestled on throughout 2003 and early 2004, disbanding on March 22, 2004 when Palumbo was transferred to the Raw brand. Hugger and Nunzio continued to team together until Hugger was released from his WWE contract on November 4, 2004.

All Japan Pro Wrestling (2004–2005)[link]

Following his release from WWE, Hugger began wrestling for the Japanese All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion after his friend Troy Endres, who was portraying a "fake" Great Muta, retired after tearing both of his anterior cruciate ligaments and nominated Hugger as his replacement. Hugger donned a mask and adopted the character of GREAT MUTA, losing to the real Great Muta at The Unchained World on December 5, 2004 in the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.^[3]

On January 2, 2005 in the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Hugger dropped his Great Muta character and formed a stable with Taru known as the Voodoo Murders. The Voodoo Murders, who declared that they wished to destroy AJPW, eventually expanded to include several other WCW and WWE alumni, including Chuck Palumbo.^[10]

Independent circuit (2005–2007)[link]

In 2005, Hugger and Chuck Palumbo reformed the Full Blooded Italians in the Italy-based Nu-Wrestling Evolution promotion. In 2006, Hugger toured Mexico, teaming with Marco Corleone in the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre promotion. In late 2006, Hugger began working for the Arizona-based Impact Zone Wrestling promotion, where he created a character named REDRUM ("Murder" capitalized and spelt backwards, a reference to the 1980 film The Shining). Hugger based Redrum on the Great Muta character he had portrayed in AJPW.^[1][6]

In the summer of 2007, Hugger wrestled two dark matches for World Wrestling Entertainment, using the ring name The Unknown Wrestler.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2007–2008)[link]

In late 2007, Hugger exhibited his REDRUM character for Jeff Jarrett, Vince Russo and Terry Taylor, members of the creative team of the Orlando, Florida-based Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion, and was subsequently hired. He debuted in TNA on November 11, 2007 at the pay-per-view Genesis. In his next appearance, his ring name was changed to Relli ("Killer" spelled backwards). He then aligned himself with Black Reign and James Mitchell, with he and Reign forming a tag team.^[3][11] In their debut match as a team, they lost to Abyss and Raven at Turning Point Match of 10,000 Tacks.^[12] After losing several matches, the team picked up its first and only victory after defeating The Motor City Machineguns on the March 10, 2008 episode of Impact!.^[12] On the April 16 episode of Impact!, Relli and Black Reign made their final appearance as a team in a losing effort to Team 3D in the first round of the Deuces Wild tournament.^[12] After losing three dark matches in mid-May, Hugger left TNA.^[13]

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves
  • Demon Driver (Suplex powerslam) – TNA or Over the shoulder reverse piledriver) (Lucha Libre USA)
  • Fuh-get-a-bout-it / Genocide Driver (Military press powerslam or Wrist Lock Sitout Side Slam)^[2]
  • Diving discus leg drop^[14]
  • Sickle (Standing or a running lariat) – TNA

• Signature moves
  • Diving splash^[15]
  • Military press drop^[16]
  • Multiple DDT variations
    • Jumping^[17]
    • Over the shoulder – innovated
    • Standing^[18]
    • Spinning^[2]
  • Multiple kick variations
    • Drop,^[19] sometimes from the top rope^[2] or while springboarding^[16]
    • Enzuigiri^[20]
    • Legsweep^[16]
    • Spinning heel^[19][21][22]
    • Superkick
  • Multiple leg drop variations
    • Diving^[2][23][24]
    • Guillotine^[19]
    • Springboard^[18]
  • Powerslam^[20][21]
  • Sidewalk slam^[19]
  • Spinebuster

• With Big Vito
  • Catching hip toss into a sky lift slam^[16]

• With Black Reign
  • Slingshot vertical suplex into a sitout wheelbarrow facebuster

• Managers
  • Disco Inferno^[25][26]
  • Tony Marinara^[25][26]
  • James Mitchell
  • Kevin Nash
  • Nunzio
  • Beaver Las Vagas

• Entrance themes
  • "Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from The Godfather)" (instrumental) (WCW)
  • "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" (instrumental) by The Beastie Boys (WWE)
  • "Nightmare" by Dale Oliver (TNA)

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Heartland Wrestling Association
  • HWA Heavyweight Championship (2 times)^[7]

• Toryumon
  • Yamaha Cup (2006) – with Chuck Palumbo

• World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW Hardcore Championship (1 time)^1[5]
  • WCW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Big Vito^[4]

• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWE Hardcore Championship (2 times)^[9]

¹Johnny the Bull held the title jointly with Big Vito during his reign.

References[link]

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

• John Hugger at the Internet Movie Database

Ben Harper
Background information
Birth name	Benjamin Chase Harper
Born	(1969-10-28) October 28, 1969 (age 42) Claremont, California United States
Genres	Folk rock, blues rock, alternative rock, soul, funk rock, gospel, reggae, jam rock, neofolk
Occupations	Musician, Singer-songwriter, Humanitarian
Instruments	Vocals, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano, bass guitar, drums, percussion, vibes
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Virgin, EMI Records
Associated acts	Ben Harper and The Blind Boys of Alabama Relentless7 Vanessa da Mata Ringo Starr Fistful of Mercy
Website	www.benharper.com
Notable instruments
Weissenborn lap steel guitar

Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music^[1] and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism.^[2] Harper's fan base spans several continents.^[3] His albums have been commercially successful in North America, Europe and Oceania. Harper is a two-time Grammy Award winner as well, winning awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album, in 2005.

Early life[link]

Harper was born in Claremont, in California's Inland Empire. His father, Leonard, was of African-American and Cherokee ancestry, and his mother, Ellen Chase-Verdries, is Jewish. His maternal great-grandmother was a Russian-Lithuanian Jew.^[4][5][6] His parents divorced when he was age five, and he grew up with his mother's family. Harper has two brothers, Joel and Peter.

Harper began playing guitar as a child.^[7][8] His maternal grandparents' music store The Folk Music Center and Museum laid a foundation of folk and blues for the artist, complemented by regular patrons Leonard Cohen, Taj Mahal and David Lindley and quotes of William Shakespeare and Robert Frost made often by his grandfather.^[9] At the age of 12, Harper played his first gig.^[10] During the '80s, in his teen years, Harper began to play the slide guitar, mimicking the style of Robert Johnson. Next, Harper refined his style, taking up the Weissenborn slide guitar.^[11] Harper broke out of the Inland Empire after being offered an invitation by Taj Mahal to tour with the artist. They recorded Taj Mahal's album Follow the Drinking Gourd, released in November 1990, and toured Hawaii.^[12]

Career[link]

Harper's trademark curtain call; 2003

In 1992 Harper recorded the LP Pleasure and Pain with Folk multi-instrumentalist Tom Freund. After this limited edition record, Harper secured a record deal with Virgin Records, which released his debut album, Welcome to the Cruel World in 1994. This was followed by Fight For Your Mind in 1995, with Juan Nelson on bass, which became a college radio favorite and included several songs that Harper still plays live regularly. .^[13]

In 1999 at the Santa Barbara Bowl, Harper met Jack Johnson, who was unknown at the time and had not recorded. Harper obtained a demo tape of twelve of Johnson's songs that he forwarded to his producer, J.P. Plunier, with whom Johnson recorded his first album.^[14]

Harper playing the weissenborn at Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario.

Early in Harper's career, his music received more attention in Europe and was widely played in Australia (first on Triple J radio). Harper has made comments on a number of occasions that his career was kicked off in Australia. While he was a well-known and respected figure in the United States, he was a star in countries like Australia, New Zealand, France, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, receiving a great deal of airplay and critical acclaim. His popularity in Europe is such that he was French Rolling Stone magazine's Artist of the Year (Artiste De L'Année) in 2003,^[15] and his Australian tour that year for Diamonds on the Inside was highly successful.

In 2002, Harper was one of the featured singers covering Motown hits by Marvin Gaye in the documentary, Standing in the Shadows of Motown (a history of The Funk Brothers). In October 2004, Harper participated in the Vote for Change concert tour organized to benefit Moveon.org and encourage people in the swing states to vote during the 2004 U.S. presidential election. In the same month, Harper contributed a live recording of the song "Oppression" to For The Lady, a benefit album for jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner and Burmese pro-democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi. In 2006, Harper released the double album Both Sides of the Gun which debuted at #7 on the Billboard charts. Though uncredited, he appears briefly in the 2006 David Lynch film Inland Empire, alongside his wife Laura Dern.

Harper is part of the No Nukes group which is against the expansion of nuclear power. In 2007 the group recorded a music video of a new version of the Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth".^[16][17] Harper's collaboration "Boa Sorte/Good Luck" with Brazilian singer Vanessa da Mata peaked at #1 in Brazil and Portugal. In Brazil it also won a highly coveted Prêmio Multishow for "Best Song" in 2008. Also in 2008, Harper participated in the benefit album Songs for Tibet.

On August 27, 2010, it was reported that Ben Harper had formed a band called Fistful of Mercy with Dhani Harrison and Joseph Arthur.^[18] Fistful of Mercy released their debut record, As I Call You Down, on October 5, 2010.^[19]

On May 17, 2011, Ben Harper's official site posted that his next album was released, entitled Give Till It's Gone. The album is a continuation of recording with Relentless7.^[20]

Personal life[link]

Family[link]

Harper with now estranged wife, Laura Dern in December 2009

In 1996, Harper married his first wife, Joanna. They had two children, a son and daughter, Charles Joseph and Harris.^[21]

On December 23, 2005, Harper married his girlfriend of five years, actress Laura Dern. They have two children together, son Ellery Walker Harper (b. August 21, 2001) and daughter Jaya (b. November 24, 2004).

On October 8, 2010, Harper, having been married for five years, filed for divorce from Dern, citing irreconcilable differences. He is seeking joint custody of their two children, as well as asking for a denial of spousal support for Dern.^[22]

On February 7, 2012, after being spotted at the Golden Globes, it was reported that Harper and Dern had reconciled. Divorce papers have not been formally withdrawn yet.^{[citation needed]}

Awards and nominations[link]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Live albums[link]

Other albums[link]

Virtual albums[link]

• iTunes Originals - Ben Harper
• iTunes Must Haves - Ben Harper

Singles[link]

• "Like A King / Whipping Boy" (1994)
• "Ground on Down" (1995)
• "Excuse Me Mr." (1996)
• "Gold to Me" (1996)
• "Faded" (1997) #54 UK^[62]
• "Jah Work" (1997)
• "Glory & Consequence" (1997)
• "Please Bleed" (1999)
• "Burn to Shine" (1999)
• "Forgiven" (2000)
• "Steal My Kisses" (2000) #15 U.S. Adult Top 40
• "With My Own Two Hands" (2003)
• "Diamonds On the Inside" (2003) #31 U.S. Adult Top 40
• "Brown Eyed Blues" (2004)
• "Wicked Man" (2004)
• "There Will Be a Light" (2004)
• "Better Way" (2006)
• "Both Sides Of The Gun" (2006)
• "Morning Yearning" (2006)^[63]
• "Fight Outta You" (2007) #61 Hot Canadian Digital Charts
• "Boa Sorte/Good Luck" (2007) (with Vanessa da Mata) #1 Portugal; #1 Brazil
• "In The Colors" (2008)
• "Fool For A Lonesome Train" (2008)
• "Shimmer & Shine" (2009)
• "Fly One Time" (2009)
• "Lay There & Hate Me" (2010)
• "Skin Thin" (2010)
• "The Word Suicide" (2010)
• "Never Tear Us Apart" (with INXS) (2010)
• "Rock N' Roll Is Free" (2011)
• "Don't Give Up on Me Now (2011, Italy only)
• "Walk Away" ("")

Special appearances[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2011)

Harper played a slide guitar version of the "Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Game 3 of the 2007 NBA Finals on June 12 in Cleveland. Harper performed alongside Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and John Paul Jones at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in 2007. He also appears on the 2003 Pearl Jam DVD Live at the Garden where Harper plays alongside friends Pearl Jam for the songs "Daughter" & "Indifference".

Harper performed at several "Vote Obama" rallies and on the Willie Nelson show Outlaws & Angels. Harper teamed with the Skatalites to perform Fats Domino's "Be My Guest" on Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino. Harper was featured, alongside Jack Johnson, playing slide guitar with Toots and the Maytals, performing their 1970s reggae hit "Pressure Drop" on Saturday Night Live.

In January 2010, Harper and his band Relentless7 performed at the Grammy Museum with Ringo Starr in support of The Beatles drummer's self-produced album, Y Not.^[64] In early 2010, Harper also performed "Ohio" at the MusiCares tribute to Neil Young.^[65]

Filmography[link]

• 1998-2001: Daria (TV) – Camp Fear ("Born to Shine"/"Faded")
• 2001: I am Sam ("Strawberry Fields Forever")
• 2002: Standing in the Shadows of Motown ("Ain't Too Proud To Beg"/"I Heard It Through the Grapevine")
• 2003: One Tree Hill (TV) – Crash Into You
• 2004: Sleepover ("Way Away")
• 2005: Trust the Man ("Everything")
• 2006: Akeelah and the Bee ("Everything")
• 2006: Newport Beach (TV) – The Dawn Patrol ("Waiting For You")
• 2006: CSI: NY (TV) – And Here's to You, Mrs. Azrael ("Walk Away")
• 2008: Daylight Robbery ("Diamonds On The Inside")
• 2009: State of Play ("Please Don't Talk About Murder While I'm Eating")
• 2009: Dr House (TV) – Brave Heart ("Faithfully Remain")
• 2010: Conan (TV) – Dead Men Don't Wear Spanx ("Father's Son")
• 2010: Les Petits Mouchoirs (French Movie) - Ludo's death ("Amen Omen")
• 2010: Vampire Diaries (TV) – Katerina ("Amen Omen")
• 2010: The Fighter ("Glory & Consequence")

DVDs[link]

• Pleasure and Pain (2002)
• Live at the Hollywood Bowl (2003)
• Live at the Apollo (2005)

References[link]

Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Wikipedia's style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (April 2010)

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ben Harper

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ben Harper

• Official website
• Official Ben Harper Shop
• Ben Harper Live for Earth Day on National Geographic
• Ben Harper at RollingStone.com
• Ben Harper on Twitter

Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 24 in March 2008.
Ring name(s)	Sean Michaels[1] Shawn Michaels
Billed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2][3]
Billed weight	225 lb (102 kg)[2]
Born	(1965-07-22) July 22, 1965 (age 46) Chandler, Arizona[4]
Resides	San Antonio, Texas[5]
Billed from	San Antonio, Texas[2]
Trained by	Jose Lothario[6]
Debut	October 16, 1984[7]
Retired	March 28, 2010

Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965), better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is a retired professional wrestler, and an American television host. He is currently signed to WWE, where he has served as an ambassador for the company since December 2010. Hickenbottom consistently wrestled for WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), from 1988 until his first retirement in 1998, due to injury. He appeared in non-wrestling roles from 1998 to 2000, and resumed his in-ring career in 2002, retiring in 2010. He also hosts the show MacMillan River Adventures, airing on the Outdoor Channel.

Hickenbottom began his wrestling career with Mid-South Wrestling, now known as Universal Wrestling Federation, and American Wrestling Association (AWA). During his time with AWA, he performed in partnership with Marty Jannetty, as The Midnight Rockers; winning the AWA World Tag Team Championship twice. Hickenbottom and Jannetty briefly signed with World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1987, while in contract with AWA. They returned to AWA, only to go back to the WWF in 1988.

Hickenbottom later worked as a singles performer, taking on a new persona of "The Heartbreak Kid" and, first as a villain and later as a fan favorite, moved into the main event sphere. He wielded considerable influence on booking decisions as the leader of The Kliq, a backstage group, which however fell apart in 1996. The following year, he teamed up with Hunter Hearst Hemsley, who often was referred to as Triple H (HHH), Chyna, and Rick Rude to form D-Generation X (DX). This group of wrestlers was known for their sophomoric crude humor. That same year, Hickenbottom took part in one of the most controversial matches in wrestling history, dubbed as the "Montreal Screwjob." After a back injury forced him to retire following his WWF Championship loss at WrestleMania XIV, Hickenbottom opened a wrestling academy, called The Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy, in which he trained upcoming wrestlers. He made his in-ring return at SummerSlam in 2002. In 2006, Hickenbottom and Triple H briefly reformed DX, but after an injury that Triple H sustained, Hickenbottom returned to singles wrestling. Although as of 2009, the duo reunited as a tag team once more, with the two capturing the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship. In the WWF/WWE, Michaels held championships, and headlined pay-per-view events, in each decade from the 1990s to the 2010s; at WrestleMania XXVI, he was forced to retire from in-ring competition when he lost a career-threatening match. In December 2010, he signed a long-term deal with WWE, making his first live appearance at a WWE show since WrestleMania later that month. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2011. Following his induction, WWE said of Michaels, "Ask any Superstar on the WWE roster who the most gifted sports-entertainer of all time is and nearly everyone will have the same answer — Shawn Michaels."^[2]

Among other accolades, Hickenbottom is a four-time world champion: a three-time WWF Champion and a former World Heavyweight Champion. He was also the winner of the 1995 and 1996 Royal Rumbles and was the company's first Grand Slam Champion. He has also won the PWI Match of the Year Award a record eleven times. Hickenbottom currently resides in San Antonio, Texas with his wife, Rebecca, and their two children.

Early life[link]

Hickenbottom was born on July 22, 1965 in Chandler, Arizona.^[4][8] The last of four children – Randy, Scott, and Shari are his older siblings – he was raised in a military family and spent a brief part of his early years in Reading, Berkshire, England,^[4] but grew up in San Antonio, Texas. As a child, Hickenbottom disliked the name Michael, so his family and friends just called him Shawn.^[9] Ever since, he has been referred to as Shawn. Additionally, Hickenbottom moved around frequently since his father was in the military.^[9]

He knew he wanted to become a professional wrestler at the age of twelve.^[8] Hickenbottom was already an athlete; his career began at the age of six when he started playing football.^[10] He was a stand-out linebacker at Randolph High School and eventually became captain of the football team.^[2][11] After graduating, Hickenbottom attended Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, but soon realized that college life was not for him.^[12] He then began pursuing a career in professional wrestling.

Professional wrestling career[link]

AWA and WWF (1984–1988)[link]

Hickenbottom began to train under Mexican professional wrestler Jose Lothario.^[6][7] During his training, Hickenbottom adopted the ring name, Shawn Michaels.^[1] After his training with Lothario, he debuted as Shawn Michaels with Mid-South Wrestling and Texas All-Star Wrestling (TASW) promotions in October 1984 at the age of 19.^[1] During his time with TASW, Michaels replaced Nick Kiniski in the American Breed tag team, teaming with Paul Diamond. Michaels and Diamond were awarded the TASW Tag Team Championship by Chavo Guerrero, Sr.^[8] The team was later renamed American Force.^[13] He also worked for Central States Wrestling.^[14] There, he and tag team partner Marty Jannetty defeated The Batten Twins for the Central States Tag Team Championship, later losing it back to the Battens.^[8] Michaels also made several appearances in the Dallas, Texas-based World Class Championship Wrestling throughout 1985.

Michaels made his national-level debut at the age of twenty in American Wrestling Association (AWA), once again teaming with Marty Jannetty.^[6] The pair were billed as The Midnight Rockers and held the AWA World Tag Team Championship, defeating Doug Somers and Buddy Rose.^[6] In 1987, The Rockers were signed by a competing promotion: the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).^[6] They were fired from WWF two weeks later, for a bar incident (a misunderstanding, according to Michaels' autobiography).^[6][15] They then returned to AWA, but were re-signed by WWF a year later.^[15]

World Wrestling Federation (1988–2000)[link]

The Rockers (1988–1991)[link]

Michaels (left) with Marty Jannetty during their time as The Rockers.

The Rockers redebuted at a WWF live event on July 7, 1988.^[16] Due to WWF chairman Vince McMahon's desire to have his performers carry WWF-exclusive ring names, Michaels and Jannetty were renamed, as simply "The Rockers."^[1] The team proved popular with both children and women.^[6] The team was a mid-card stalwart of television and pay-per-view shows for the next two years.^[17]

In October 1990, The Rockers were scheduled to win the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart), as Neidhart, half of the championship team, was in the process of negotiating his release from the company.^[17] The match was taped with The Rockers winning the belts, but soon after, Neidhart came to an agreement with management and was rehired.^[17] The belts were returned to the Hart Foundation, while the title change was never broadcast or even acknowledged on television.^[17] When news spread, WWF explained that the original result was void due to a collapsed turnbuckle in the ring during the bout. A buckle had indeed broke, but not to a noticeable or dangerous extent during the match.^[1] The Rockers continued their partnership, eventually splitting on December 2, 1991 during an incident on Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake's televised Barber Shop talk show promotional segment.^[18] Michaels superkicked Jannetty and threw him through a glass window on the set of Beefcake's talk show.^[6][19] Jannetty returned to the WWF the following year and enjoyed moderate success before leaving the company in 1994, while Michaels became a prominent villain of the early-to-mid 1990s as "The Boy Toy."^[18]

The Heartbreak Kid (1992–1995)[link]

At the suggestion of "Mr Perfect" Curt Hennig, Michaels adopted the nickname "The Heartbreak Kid."^[6] Along with his new name came a new gimmick as a vain, cocky villain.^[20] He was put together with mirror-carrying manager, Sensational Sherri, who, according to the storyline, had become infatuated with him.^[18] Sherri even sang the first version of his new theme music, "Sexy Boy."^[1] During that period, after Michaels had wrestled his scheduled match at live events, his departure was announced with the words, "Shawn Michaels has left the building" (alluding to the phrase "Elvis has left the building").^[21]

Diesel acted as Michaels's on-air bodyguard and tag team partner for two championship reigns.

At WrestleMania VIII, in his first pay-per-view singles match, Michaels defeated El Matador: both men had simultaneously eliminated each other from that year's Royal Rumble.^[22] He subsequently became a contender to the promotion's singles championships. Michaels competed in his first pay-per-view main event when he co-headlined UK Rampage on April 19 at the Sheffield Arena, in a losing effort against "Macho Man" Randy Savage for the WWF Championship.^[23][24] He failed to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Bret Hart in the WWF's first-ever ladder match at a Wrestling Challenge taping on July 21, which would subsequently be made available on multiple Coliseum/WWE Home Video releases.^[25][26] He, however, won the title from The British Bulldog on the October 27, 1992 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event, which aired on November 14.^[27] Shortly thereafter, he faced Hart for the WWF Championship in the main event of the 1992 Survivor Series, but lost the match.^[28] Originally the secondary main event, Michaels and Hart became the primary main event after The Ultimate Warrior was unable to compete, and was replaced by Mr. Perfect in the tag team match that involved Randy Savage against the team of Ric Flair and Razor Ramon.^[29] During this time, Michaels and Sherri split and he engaged himself in a feud with former tag team partner Marty Jannetty.^[6] Michaels lost the Intercontinental Championship to Jannetty on Monday Night Raw on May 17, 1993.^[27] He then regained it on June 6 with the help of his debuting "bodyguard" (and off-air friend) Diesel,^[1][27] and co-headlined the King of the Ring in a title defense against Crush.^[30]

In September 1993, Michaels had quit the company, after it was announced that he had failed to defend his title enough times during a set period; in reality, he had been suspended for testing positive for steroids – a charge that Michaels denies to this day.^[31] After turning down World Championship Wrestling (WCW)'s advances, Michaels returned to the WWF and made several appearances in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) during a WWF/USWA cross-promotion. He returned to WWF television in November at the Survivor Series pay-per-view, substituting for Jerry Lawler, who was dealing with legal issues, in a match pitting himself and three of Lawler's "Knights" against the Hart brothers, Bret, Bruce, Keith, and Owen.^[32]

He soon entered a staged rivalry with Razor Ramon, who had won the vacated Intercontinental Championship, during Michaels' absence.^[33] Since Michaels had never been defeated in the ring for the title, he claimed to be the rightful champion and even carried around his old title belt.^[33] This feud culminated in a ladder match between the two at WrestleMania X.^[33] Michaels lost the match, which featured both his and Ramon's belts suspended above a ladder in the ring.^[32][33] This match was voted by fans as "PWI Match of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.^[6] It also received a 5-star rating from Wrestling Observer Newsletter member Dave Meltzer, one of five WWE matches to do so. Over the next few months, Michaels battled various injuries and launched the Heartbreak Hotel television talk show segment, mainly shown on WWF Superstars.^[34]

On August 28, 1994, Michaels and Diesel captured the Tag Team Championship from The Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu).^[35] The next day, at SummerSlam, Diesel lost the Intercontinental Championship to Ramon when Michaels accidentally superkicked Diesel.^[32] This triggered a split between Michaels and Diesel, a storyline that was drawn out until Survivor Series that November.^[36] Michaels went on to win the Royal Rumble in 1995,^[37] which set up a championship grudge match at WrestleMania XI against Diesel (who had gone on to win the WWF Championship from Bob Backlund).^[37] As part of the storyline, Michaels recruited Sycho Sid as his bodyguard for the build-up, lost the match,^[38] and was attacked by Sid the following night.^[39] After this, Michaels took time off,^[39] because Vince McMahon wanted Michaels to become a fan favorite.^[40]

Kliq, WWF Champion and D-Generation X (1995–1997)[link]

Michaels returned to the ring, as a fan favorite, in May 1995. He went on to defeat Jeff Jarrett in July at the In Your House pay-per-view event, to win his third Intercontinental Championship.^[6][41] This led to a title defense against Razor Ramon at SummerSlam, in a ladder match, which Michaels won.^[6] Around this time Michaels became the alleged leader of a backstage group known as The Kliq.^[6] Others perceived the group to have sufficient clout with WWF owner Vince McMahon, becoming dominant wrestling figures in the WWF for several years in the mid-1990s. Michaels disputes the perception, saying that McMahon pushed only deserving wrestlers.^[42] Michaels' fan base was later nicknamed "The Kliq" as an inside reference to the real "Kliq".^[43] In October 1995, he was legitimately attacked by several men outside a bar in Syracuse, New York.^[1] Shortly afterwards, at the In Your House: Great White North pay-per-view, Michaels forfeited the Intercontinental Championship to staged rival Dean Douglas because he was, according to WWF, unable to compete.^[44] Later in the night, Douglas lost the championship to Kliq member Razor Ramon.^[45] The next month, during a match with Owen Hart on an episode of Monday Night Raw, Owen performed an enzuigiri that struck the back of Michaels' head.^[46] They continued the match, but Michaels collapsed in the ring, supposedly because he had suffered a concussion.^[1][46] The concussion was scripted, which was kept from most fans at the time.^[1] A retirement angle was written so that Michaels could take some time off, after he came back from an injury too soon.^[1]

After teasing a retirement, Michaels returned to the WWF at the Royal Rumble match in 1996, which he wound up winning for a second year in a row, to receive a WWF Championship match in the main event at WrestleMania XII.^[47] Around this time, Jose Lothario became Michaels' on-screen manager.^[48] At WrestleMania XII, Michaels defeated WWF Champion Bret Hart in the overtime of their sixty minute Iron Man match, which had ended in a 0–0 tie.^[6] On May 19, 1996, Michaels and his fellow Kliq members were involved in the incident known as "Curtain Call". Diesel and Razor Ramon were about to leave WWF to company rival WCW. After Michaels won a match against Diesel, Ramon and Hunter Hearst Helmsley came to the ring and joined Michaels and Diesel in a group-hug.^[49] As Diesel and Helmsley were seen as villains at the time, in contrast to Michaels and Ramon, this constituted a breach of "kayfabe", as acting out of character, which was rare and controversial at the time.^[49] As WCW gained momentum due to the signings of Hall and Nash, Michaels held the championship for most of the year. Michaels' championship reign ended at the 1996 Survivor Series event, where he lost to Sycho Sid, his former bodyguard.^[50] Michaels recaptured the championship from Sid in January 1997 at the Royal Rumble.^[51]

On a special episode of Raw dubbed Thursday Raw Thursday, Michaels vacated the WWF Championship;^[1] he explained to fans that he was informed by doctors that he had conjured a knee injury, and that he had to retire.^[52] His speech was regarded as controversial, as Michaels was allegedly unwilling to lose to Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 (since it was noted that he was going to have a rematch with Hart at WrestleMania).^[6] Michaels contemplated thoughts of retirement and stated that he "had to find his smile again," which he had "lost" somewhere down the line.^[6] After knee surgery by Dr. James Andrews, Michaels returned a few months later, briefly teaming with Stone Cold Steve Austin to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.^[53] In his autobiography, Michaels reveals about his real-life feud with Bret Hart, claiming that Bret did interviews on live television claiming that he [Michaels] was faking his whole injury.^[54]

Michaels portrayed his cocky, vain character with colourful outfits.

At SummerSlam, Michaels officiated the WWF Championship match between WWF Champion The Undertaker and Bret Hart.^[55] The match ended in controversial fashion, with Michaels hitting Undertaker with a chair (unintentionally, as he was aiming for Bret after he spat in his face).^[55] Michaels was then forced to award the championship to his nemesis, Bret Hart.^[55] The next night on Raw, signs of a heel turn started to show as Michaels told the WWF fans what happened at SummerSlam was an accident and that he would deal with the Undertaker when the time came. At WWF One Night Only, held in Birmingham, England in September, Michaels defeated The British Bulldog to capture the WWF European Championship.^[55][56] The fans at the event were so appalled at the result of the match they booed Michaels out of the building, to the extent that they littered the ring with garbage, cementing his second heel turn.^[55][57] With this win, Michaels became the first Grand Slam Champion.^[2] At the October pay-per-view event, In Your House: Badd Blood, Michaels and Undertaker participated in the first Hell in a Cell match. During the match, it saw Michaels fall off the side of the 15-foot (5 m) high structure through a table and saw him as the winner in the match.^[58] The match received a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer.

In the summer, Michaels joined forces with real-life friend, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Hunter's then-girlfriend, Chyna, and Rick Rude to form the stable, D-Generation X (DX).^[59] Moving away from the family-oriented product, this marked the beginning of the WWF Attitude Era.^[60] Michaels continued his rivalry with Bret Hart and his reformed Hart Foundation, which was now a pro-Canada stable. Michaels taunted the group and Canada by engaging in acts, such as blowing his nose with and humping the Canadian Flag. Michaels later claimed the flag desecration was Bret's idea.^[61] Michaels' feud with the Hart Foundation culminated in a championship match at Survivor Series in 1997 against Bret Hart. Michaels came out of this match, dubbed by fans the "Montreal Screwjob", as the WWF Champion.^[62] Michaels now held both the WWF and European championship at the same time. Michaels, however, lost the European Championship to D-Generation X member, Hunter Hearst Hemsley, who often was referred to as Triple H (HHH), when he pinned him during a farcical match, making Triple H the European Champion.^[63]

First retirement (1998–2002)[link]

Michaels was the WWF Commissioner in 1998.

At the 1998 Royal Rumble, Michaels received a legitimate back injury in a Casket match against The Undertaker.^[6] Michaels took a back body drop to the outside of the ring and smashed his lower back on the casket, causing him to herniate two discs and crush one completely.^[6][64] This rendered Michaels unable to compete in the main event of the following month's No Way Out of Texas: In Your House as advertised, and forced him into retirement after losing the WWF Championship to Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV.^[65]

Michaels would continue to make non-wrestling appearances on WWF programming, and on November 23, 1998, replaced Sgt. Slaughter as the WWF Commissioner, a portrayed match maker and rules enforcer, eventually joining Vince McMahon's group of wrestlers called the Corporation as a villain.^[66] Throughout late 1998 and early 1999, Michaels made regular television appearances on Raw, in which he scheduled matches, throwing around his authority, and sometimes even deciding the outcome of matches.^[67][68][69] On January 4, 1999 on Raw, Michaels re-joined DX as a fan favorite, but disappeared from WWF television for a few months to have back surgery,^[70] and by the time he had returned, DX had broken up.

Michaels made occasional appearances as the WWF Commissioner during the spring and summer of 1999, but remained absent from television until May 15, 2000, upon which he returned on Raw to announce himself as the special guest referee for the Iron Man match between The Rock and Triple H at Judgment Day.^[71] One month later, Michaels briefly reappeared on Raw to hand over the role of Commissioner to Mick Foley and afterwards did not make any in-ring appearances until mid-2002,^[72] appearing only once on WWF television to make a speech at WWF New York during Armageddon 2000.^[73] During this time, believing that his wrestling career was over, Michaels was interested in training individuals who wanted to become professional wrestlers.^[74] He saw potential in using his name and opened the Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy in 1999, after his lawyer, Skip McCormick, suggested the idea.^[74] Michaels left the academy in 2002,^[74] giving co-founder Rudy Boy Gonzalez sole responsibility due to Michaels' new contract with WWE.^[6] Michaels was also a sportscaster for San Antonio's local news for a short period during his retirement.^[74]

Return to World Wrestling Entertainment (2002–present)[link]

nWo, World Heavyweight Champion & Feud with Evolution (2002–2005)[link]

In 2002, Michaels returned to WWE television after 18 months of absence. On the June 3 episode of Raw, he was announced as a new member of the recently-reformed New World Order (nWo) stable by Kevin Nash.^[75] After the nWo had disbanded, Triple H appeared to make amends with Michaels. This was solidified when Michaels pleaded Triple H to return to Raw.^[76] Later on, they came down to the ring sporting their DX music and attire. When the pair was about to perform their trademark "Suck It" taunt, Triple H turned on Michaels by performing a Pedigree on him.^[76] Continuing the angle, a week later, Triple H attacked Michaels from behind in a parking lot and put his head through a car window, in storyline.^[77] In response, Michaels challenged Triple H to "a fight" (a non-sanctioned match) at SummerSlam,^[78] which Triple H accepted, laying the foundation for a rivalry that would last for several years. In his first official wrestling match since WrestleMania XIV, Michaels won at SummerSlam, but was attacked by Triple H with a sledgehammer after the match.^[79] At Survivor Series, Michaels won the World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H in the first-ever Elimination Chamber match.^[80] Michaels' reign as champion came to an end a month later when he lost the championship to Triple H in a Three Stages of Hell match, a series of three matches in which wrestlers attempt to win the majority of matches, at Armageddon.^[81]

Michaels' match with Chris Jericho at WrestleMania XIX in March 2003 was his first match at a WrestleMania since WrestleMania XIV in March 1998.

Michaels then began a rivalry with Chris Jericho, after Jericho claimed that he was the next Shawn Michaels.^[82] On January 13, 2003, after Jericho won a battle royal to select his entry number for the Royal Rumble, choosing number two in order to start the match with Michaels,^[83] who had already been named number one. At the Royal Rumble, Jericho, with the help of Christian, eliminated Michaels.^[84] Michaels defeated Jericho at WrestleMania XIX.^[85]

As a part of an ongoing feud with Triple H, the two competed alongside Chris Benoit in the main event match at WrestleMania XX for the World Heavyweight Championship. The former DX partners both came up short in the match, however, as Benoit won the championship.^[86] At Bad Blood in June, Michaels lost to Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match.^[86] Four months later, he lost a World Heavyweight championship match against Triple H, after Edge interfered at Taboo Tuesday, when the fans voted for him ahead of Edge and Chris Benoit to face Triple H one more time.^[87] Following this, Michaels was out of action for a few months with a legitimate torn meniscus.^[2][88]

At the Royal Rumble in 2005, Michaels competed in the Rumble match and eliminated Kurt Angle. In seeking revenge, Angle re-entered the ring and eliminated Michaels, and thus placed him in an ankle lock submission hold, outside of the ring.^[89] Michaels issued a challenge to Angle for a match at WrestleMania 21, which Angle accepted when he appeared on Raw to attack Michaels.^[90] The following week on Raw, Marty Jannetty and Michaels had a one time reunion as The Rockers and defeated La Résistance (Robért Conway and Sylvain Grenier).^[91] Three days later on SmackDown!, Angle defeated Jannetty, after Angle made Jannetty submit to the ankle lock.^[92] To send a "message" to Michaels, Angle also humiliated Michaels' former manager, Sensational Sherri, when he applied the ankle lock hold on her.^[93] At WrestleMania 21 in April, Angle defeated Michaels by submission, again with an ankle lock.^[89] Two months later, at a WrestleMania 21 rematch, Michaels defeated Angle at the Vengeance pay-per-view event.^[94]

Michaels performing his signature pose.

Following the events of WrestleMania 21, the next night on Raw, Muhammad Hassan and Daivari came out to confront and assault Michaels.^[95] On the April 11 episode of Raw, Michaels approached authority figure Eric Bischoff, in which he demanded a handicap match with Hassan and Daivari, a match consisting of one wrestler or team of wrestlers facing off against a team of wrestlers with numerical superiority such as two against one, or three against two. Bischoff refused to schedule the match, but informed Michaels to find a partner and he would grant him the match. Michaels then made a plea for Hulk Hogan to come back and team with him.^[96] On the April 18 episode of Raw, Hassan again led an attack on Michaels until Hogan appeared to save Michaels and accept his offer.^[97] At Backlash, Hassan and Daivari lost to Hogan and Michaels when Daivari was pinned.^[98] On the July 4 episode of Raw, Michaels and Hulk Hogan had a tag team match, which they won.^[99] During the post-match pose, Michaels hit Hogan with his superkick, knocking Hogan to the ground and making Michaels a villain for the first time since returning in 2002.^[99] The following week on Raw, Michaels appeared on Piper's Pit where he superkicked Roddy Piper and then challenged Hogan to a match at SummerSlam.^[100][101] Hogan defeated Michaels at SummerSlam, and after the match Michaels extended his hand to him, saying "I needed to know, and I found out" and he and Hogan shook hands. Michaels left the ring to allow Hogan to celebrate with the crowd, and Michaels once again became a fan favorite.^[102]

D-Generation X reunion (2006–2007)[link]

Triple H and Michaels as DX in 2006.

On the December 26, 2005 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon lauded Michaels for his part in the "Montreal Screwjob". Michaels said he was only being loyal to his company, he had moved on, and McMahon should move on as well. McMahon then began setting unusual stipulations for Michaels' matches and interfering on behalf of Michaels' opponents.^[103] During the Royal Rumble, McMahon made his way to the ring, and as Michaels stared at McMahon, Shane McMahon made a surprising appearance, eliminating Michaels from the match.^[104] On the February 13 episode of Raw, McMahon tried unsuccessfully to force Michaels to sign retirement papers.^[105] The following week, Michaels won a handicap match against the Spirit Squad (Kenny, Johnny, Mitch, Nicky and Mikey) and after the match, Michaels' former partner, Marty Jannetty, came down to help Michaels from the assault by the Spirit Squad. After the two reunited, McMahon offered Jannetty a contract if he "kissed his ass."^[106] The following week, Jannetty refused McMahon's offer and instead took Chris Masters' "Masterlock challenge."^[107] Michaels tried to help Jannetty, which ultimately resulted in Shane attacking Michaels and forcing him to kiss his father's ass.^[107] At Saturday Night's Main Event, Shane defeated Michaels in a Street Fight, a match without disqualifications and where scoring conditions can occur anywhere, after he applied a sharpshooter on Michaels, which led to McMahon immediately ordering for the bell to be rung, even though Michaels did not submit, which was an allusion to the "Montreal Screwjob".^[108] Despite interference from the Spirit Squad and Shane, Michaels defeated McMahon at WrestleMania 22 in a No Holds Barred match, a match where there are no disqualifications.^[105] At Backlash, The McMahons (Vince and Shane) defeated Michaels and "God" in a tag team match, with help from the Spirit Squad in a no disqualification match.^[109] On the May 22 episode of Raw, the Squad was scripted to injure Michaels' knee.^[110] This was angle was written so that Michaels could have surgery on his knee, which had been legitimately injured for some time.^[111]

In 2006, a series of events took place which suggested a reunion of Michaels and Triple H as DX. They began at WrestleMania 22, where both Michaels and Triple H performed the crotch chop, during their matches.^[105] On Raw, the two continued to deliver chops, as Michaels feuded with Vince McMahon and Triple H went for the WWE Championship, repeatedly butting heads with Vince McMahon in the process. On the June 12 episode of Raw, DX officially reunited.^[112] During Triple H's gauntlet match, which had him compete against the Spirit Squad. Michaels came in to help Triple H, and the two did the DX "crotch chops."^[112] At Vengeance, DX defeated the Spirit Squad in a 5–on–2 handicap match.^[113] They also defeated the Spirit Squad at Saturday Night's Main Event in a 5-on-2 elimination match and defeated The McMahons at SummerSlam.^[114] At Unforgiven, DX once again defeated the McMahons and ECW World Champion The Big Show in a Hell in a Cell match.^[115]

At Cyber Sunday, DX took on Rated-RKO (Edge and Randy Orton). The fan-selected referee Eric Bischoff allowed the illegal use of a steel chair to give Rated-RKO the ill-gotten win and the plaudit of being the first tag team to defeat DX in a tag team match since their reformation in June 2006.^[116] At Survivor Series, however, Team DX emerged victorious against Team Rated-RKO in a clean sweep victory.^[117] At New Year's Revolution, Triple H suffered a legitimate torn right quadriceps during their match with Rated-RKO.^[118] Rated-RKO claimed victory over DX, citing Triple H's injury, as the "end" of DX.^[119] On January 15, Michaels lived up to his word of "dealing" with Rated-RKO, from his comments the previous week before,^[120][121] when he took out Randy Orton with a con-chair-to after a handicap match against Edge and Orton.^[122]

Various feuds (2007–2009)[link]

Michaels confronting John Cena on an episode of Raw

On the January 29 episode of Raw, Michaels captured the World Tag Team Championship with WWE Champion John Cena after defeating Rated-RKO.^[123] He then defeated both Edge and Orton in a Triple Threat number one contender's match on another episode of Raw to earn a shot at the WWE Championship.^[124] At WrestleMania 23, Cena retained the championship, after he made Michaels submit to the STFU.^[125] The next night on Raw, Michaels and Cena competed in two back-to-back ten team battle royals, winning the first and losing the titles in the second to The Hardys (Matt and Jeff) when Michaels threw Cena over the top rope.^[126] Michaels' feud with Cena continued and he faced off with Cena, Edge and Randy Orton in a Fatal Four-Way Match at Backlash for the WWE Championship. Cena retained the championship when Michaels performed Sweet Chin Music on Cena causing him to fall on Orton, which gained Cena the pinfall.^[127]

Michaels then entered a feud with Randy Orton when Orton claimed that he could beat Michaels.^[128] The week before their scheduled match at Judgment Day, after Michaels won a match against Edge, Orton interfered, punting Michaels in the head.^[128] Orton assaulted Michaels again, just prior to their match at Judgment Day, interrupting Michaels' interview segment.^[129] Michaels collapsed during the course of their match, causing Orton to win by referee stoppage.^[129] Afterwards, Orton continued the beating, when he performed an RKO to a fallen Michaels. Michaels was then removed out of the ring in a stretcher.^[129] During the feud, Michaels conjured a storyline concussion. This injury was used to keep Michaels out of action, as he required surgery for his knee.^[130] Michaels made his return on the October 8 episode of Raw, performing a superkick to newly-crowned WWE Champion, Randy Orton, during his title ceremony at the end of the show and then celebrating over the knocked-out champion as Vince McMahon watched.^[131] At Cyber Sunday, Michaels was voted by the fans to face Orton for the WWE Championship; though he won via disqualification when Orton hit Michaels with a low blow, which resulted in Orton retaining the championship.^[132] Michaels got another opportunity at the WWE Championship, when he was granted his rematch against Orton at Survivor Series.^[133] In their match, Michaels was banned from using Sweet Chin Music upon request by Orton, referring to as Michaels superkicking Orton week after week.^[134] Michaels lost the match, when Orton performed an RKO for the win.^[133]

Michaels interacting with the fans at WrestleMania XXIV before his match with Ric Flair.

As part of the storyline involving Ric Flair, Michaels faced Flair in a Career Threatening match at WrestleMania XXIV, in which he won by performing Sweet Chin Music and thus ending Flair's career.^{[135] [136]} Afterwards, Batista confronted Michaels about his actions at WrestleMania, calling him selfish and egotistical.^[137] The two faced off at Backlash with Chris Jericho as the guest referee. Michaels won after faking a knee injury and performing Sweet Chin Music.^[138] Jericho then confronted Michaels on this matter, in which Michaels admitted to faking the injury in order to defeat Batista.^[139] Michaels then defeated Jericho at Judgment Day.^[140] At One Night Stand, Michaels lost to Batista in a stretcher match, thus ending their feud.^[141] On the June 9 episode of Raw, Michaels was attacked by Chris Jericho during his talk show segment, The Highlight Reel, being thrown directly through a television screen.^[142] The following week, it was revealed that, within the context of the storyline, Michaels had suffered a detached retina.^[143] At The Great American Bash, a match between Michaels and Jericho was scheduled, in which Jericho assaulted Michaels' eye, which caused Jericho to win by referee stoppage.^[143]

A month later at SummerSlam, Michaels was scripted to announce his retirement from professional wrestling, though the staged rivalry between Jericho and himself continued after Jericho punched Michaels' wife in the face.^[144] On the August 25 episode of Raw, Michaels denounced his decision to retire and challenged Jericho to an unsanctioned match at Unforgiven, which Jericho accepted.^[145] The following week, Michaels and Jericho held a scripted official contract signing for the unsanctioned match. During the contract signing, a confrontation with Jericho occurred.^[146] A predicament ensued when Michaels suffered a small tear on his left triceps,^[146][147] though Michaels was medically cleared to compete in the match.^[146] At Unforgiven, Michaels defeated Jericho, after the referee stopped the match, due to the severity of the beating Michaels was giving Jericho.^[148] It was at the same September event that Jericho replaced CM Punk in the World Heavyweight Championship scramble match, which saw him win the match and become World Heavyweight Champion.^[148] The following month at No Mercy, Michaels met Jericho in a ladder match in which Jericho defended the championship against Michaels.^[149] At the event, Jericho defeated Michaels to retain the title.^[150]

In December 2008, Michaels accepted an offer to become an employee of John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). The storyline was that Michaels had lost his family's personal savings due to the global recession, forcing him to accept JBL's offer of employment.^[151] After failing to secure JBL the World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena at the Royal Rumble,^[152] Michaels agreed to take part in an "All or Nothing" match at No Way Out in February.^[153] Michaels won the match, letting Michaels out of his one-year contract with JBL immediately while still receiving full payment.^[154] Michaels became the first person to defeat Vladimir Kozlov on the March 2 episode of Raw, and as a result earned the right to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXV in April.^[155] At the event, The Undertaker defeated Michaels to extend his WrestleMania winning streak to 17–0.^[156] After WrestleMania, Michaels took a hiatus from WWE.

Final storylines and retirement (2009–2010)[link]

Michaels reconciles with Bret Hart in January 2010.

Michaels returned to WWE programming in a series of segments that aired on the August 10, 2009 episode of Raw, where he had scripted left the WWE. Triple H met with Michaels at an office cafeteria in Texas where he was working as a chef; throughout the segments, Triple H would try to convince Michaels to return to WWE and reform DX. After several incidents during the segments, Michaels agreed to team with Triple H to face The Legacy (Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase) at SummerSlam.^[157] At the pay-per-view event, DX defeated Legacy.^[158] The two teams would exchange victories, with their feud concluding in October. Two months later, at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, DX defeated Chris Jericho and The Big Show to win the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match (TLC).^[159] On the January 4, 2010 episode of Raw, Michaels buried the hatchet with long-time rival Bret Hart, as they shook hands and hugged in the ring. In contrast to the storylines featured on the show, this was in fact a real-life reconciliation which laid to rest animosities surrounding the Montreal Screwjob. While some cast doubts on its sincerity, both men have confirmed that it was indeed genuine.^[160][161] DX lost the Unified Tag Team Championship in a Triple Threat match to the team of The Miz and Big Show on the February 8 episode of Raw, the match also included The Straight Edge Society (CM Punk and Luke Gallows).^[162] At the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Michaels cost The Undertaker the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event.^[163] At WrestleMania XXVI, Michaels lost to The Undertaker and, as a result, was forced to retire due to the match stipulation, the same way HBK ended Ric Flair's career.^[164] The following night, on the March 29 episode of Raw, Michaels gave an emotional farewell speech, departing with the familiar sentence, "Shawn Michaels has left the building."^[165]

Hall of Famer and part-time appearances (2010–present)[link]

Michaels at WrestleMania XXVII, with other 2011 WWE Hall of Fame inductees.

On the December 14 episode of Raw, Michaels won the Slammy award for Moment of the Year for his match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI. Michaels made an appearance via satellite to accept the award.^[166] Three days later, he announced a long-term deal with WWE, where he will serve in an ambassadorial role.^[167][168] Michaels made his first live appearance at a WWE show since the night after WrestleMania at the December 11 Tribute to the Troops taping, where he and Triple H made a special appearance for a one-night only DX reunion.^[169] Michaels appeared on the January 10, 2011, episode of Raw, where it was announced he was to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2011. After being ridiculed by Alberto Del Rio, Michaels hit Del Rio with Sweet Chin Music.^[170] On the March 28 episode of Raw, Michaels addressed Triple H and The Undertaker about their match at WrestleMania XXVII.^[171] Michaels was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 2 by Triple H. The two were also joined by Kevin Nash (who had returned to WWE previously to participate in the recent Royal Rumble) and Sean Waltman, reuniting the majority of The Kliq.^[172] He further made an appearance on the June 27 episode of Raw where he was confronted by CM Punk, and superkicked David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty. Later that night when Diamond Dallas Page made a special appearance and was interrupted and threatened by Drew McIntyre, Michaels superkicked McIntyre.^[173] He made another appearance on February 13, 2012 to confront his friend Triple H about not accepting The Undertaker's challenge. He also declared the fact that he was the special guest referee for the match between The Undertaker and Triple H inside Hell In A Cell at Wrestlemania XXVIII.

Personal life[link]

Hickenbottom's marriage to his first wife, Theresa Wood, was brief and ended in divorce, but was amicably settled.^[174] He is now married to former WCW Nitro Girl Rebecca Hickenbottom (née Curci), who went by the stage name of Whisper. They were married on March 31, 1999 at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada in a small ceremony.^[175] The only people present were the couple and an Elvis impersonator. The couple have a son, Cameron Kade (born on January 15, 2000)^[176] and a daughter, Cheyenne Michelle (born on August 19, 2004 ).^[177] His cousin Matt Bentley is also a professional wrestler having wrestled in TNA and WWE.^[178]