Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Shawn Michaels
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Shawn Michaels made an impact.
Shawn Michaels is a retired professional wrestler, widely considered one of the greatest of all time. Known as "The Heartbreak Kid" and "Mr. WrestleMania," he achieved significant success in WWE. Currently, he serves as the Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, overseeing the creative direction of WWE's NXT brand.
October 16, 1984: Debut as Shawn Michaels
On October 16, 1984, Michael Hickenbottom debuted as Shawn Michaels with the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) Mid-South Wrestling territory, losing to Art Crews.
October 20, 1984: Televised Debut
On October 20, 1984, Shawn Michaels made his televised debut, teaming with Jim Hornet in a losing effort.
April 1985: Joined Central States Wrestling
In April 1985, Shawn Michaels went to work for another NWA territory in Kansas City called Central States Wrestling, where he won the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship with Marty Jannetty.
1985: Founded The Midnight Rockers
In 1985, Shawn Michaels founded The Midnight Rockers with Marty Jannetty in the American Wrestling Association (AWA).
1987: Signed and Fired from WWF
In 1987, The Rockers were signed by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) but were fired two weeks later due to a bar incident, and then re-signed a year later.
July 7, 1988: The Rockers' WWF Redebut
On July 7, 1988, The Rockers redebuted at a WWF live event, becoming a mid-card stalwart of television and pay-per-view shows.
1988: Started wrestling for WWF
In 1988, Shawn Michaels started wrestling consistently for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which was later renamed WWE.
November 23, 1989: Survivor Series Main Event
On November 23, 1989, Shawn Michaels headlined his first pay-per-view for the WWF when The Rockers were involved in the 4-on-4 Survivor Series match main event, which they won.
1989: Headlined Pay-Per-View Events
From 1989 to 2018, Shawn Michaels headlined pay-per-view events in WWF/WWE, including the company's flagship event, WrestleMania, five times.
October 30, 1990: The Rockers Unofficially Win WWF Tag Team Championship
On October 30, 1990, The Rockers unofficially won the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Hart Foundation, but the title change was never broadcast due to a later agreement with Jim Neidhart. The WWF explained the result was void due to a collapsed turnbuckle.
November 3, 1990: Successful Title Defense
On November 3, 1990, The Rockers had a successful title defense against Power and Glory before the title was returned to the Hart Foundation.
December 2, 1991: Rockers Split
On December 2, 1991, Shawn Michaels superkicked Marty Jannetty and threw him through a glass window on Brutus Beefcake's Barber Shop, leading to the split of The Rockers.
January 11, 1992: Rockers Split Aired
On January 11, 1992, the incident of Shawn Michaels superkicking Marty Jannetty, leading to the split of The Rockers, was aired on Wrestling Challenge.
January 1992: The Rockers Breakup
In January 1992, The Rockers, the tag team of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty, had a high-profile breakup.
April 5, 1992: WrestleMania VIII Victory
On April 5, 1992, at WrestleMania VIII, Shawn Michaels defeated Tito Santana in his first pay-per-view singles match.
May 17, 1993: Lost Intercontinental Championship to Jannetty
On May 17, 1993, Shawn Michaels lost the Intercontinental Championship to Marty Jannetty on Raw, but would regain it in June.
1994: Rivalry with Razor Ramon
In 1994, Shawn Michaels entered a rivalry with Razor Ramon, who had won the vacant Intercontinental Championship during Michael's absence. This culminated in a ladder match at WrestleMania X.
January 22, 1995: Royal Rumble Win
On January 22, 1995, Shawn Michaels won the Royal Rumble, setting up a championship match against Diesel at WrestleMania XI.
May 1995: Return as Fan Favorite
In May 1995, Shawn Michaels returned to the ring as a fan favorite.
January 21, 1996: Wins Royal Rumble
On January 21, 1996, Shawn Michaels made his return to the WWF at the Royal Rumble match, winning it for the second consecutive year. This victory earned him a WWF Championship match at WrestleMania XII.
1996: Posed for Playgirl
In 1996, Shawn Michaels posed for a non-nude layout in Playgirl magazine.
January 19, 1997: Recaptures WWF Championship
On January 19, 1997, at the Royal Rumble, Shawn Michaels regained the WWF Championship from Sycho Sid.
1997: First Hell in a Cell match
In 1997, Dave Meltzer gave Shawn Michaels a 5-star rating for his first Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker at Bad Blood.
1997: Heightened Conflict with Bret Hart
In 1997, the conflict between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart escalated with personal remarks made on television. Michaels briefly left WWF in June after a backstage fight with Hart, allegedly due to the "Sunny Days" comment. Michaels returned in July and officiated the WWF Championship match at SummerSlam in August, where he unintentionally hit The Undertaker with a chair, leading to Hart regaining the title. At WWF One Night Only in September, Michaels defeated The British Bulldog to win the WWF European Championship, becoming the first Grand Slam Champion. In October, at In Your House: Badd Blood, Michaels defeated The Undertaker in the first Hell in a Cell match.
January 18, 1998: Injured at Royal Rumble
On January 18, 1998, during a casket match against The Undertaker at the Royal Rumble, Shawn Michaels suffered a severe back injury after taking a back body drop. Despite the injury, Michaels won the match but was rendered unable to compete the following month and was forced into retirement after WrestleMania XIV.
1998: First Retirement
In 1998, Shawn Michaels had his first retirement from wrestling.
1998: Returns as a guest commentator and becomes WWF Commissioner
In 1998, after being away for nearly four months, Shawn Michaels made a surprise return to WWF as a guest commentator and later replaced Sgt. Slaughter as the WWF Commissioner, joining Vince McMahon's The Corporation. Throughout late 1998, Michaels appeared regularly on Raw, scheduling matches and exerting his authority.
January 4, 1999: Rejoins DX
On January 4, 1999, Shawn Michaels rejoined DX as a face on Raw Is War, however, he disappeared from television for back surgery and by the time he returned DX was dissolving.
1999: Opens Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy
In 1999, believing his wrestling career was over, Shawn Michaels opened the Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy (later the Texas Wrestling Academy) to train aspiring professional wrestlers.
1999: Occasional Appearances as WWF Commissioner
Throughout the spring and summer of 1999, Shawn Michaels made occasional appearances as the WWF Commissioner.
April 4, 2000: One-Night Wrestling Appearance
On April 4, 2000, Shawn Michaels returned to wrestling for a one-night appearance, defeating Paul Diamond in a bunkhouse brawl at Texas Wrestling Entertainment.
June 3, 2002: Returns to WWE as Member of nWo
On June 3, 2002, Shawn Michaels returned to WWE television after 18 months of absence as the new member of the reformed New World Order (nWo).
2002: Absent from television until mid-2002
After handing over the role of Commissioner to Mick Foley and an appearance in October 2000, Shawn Michaels remained absent from in-arena appearances until mid-2002.
2002: Elimination Chamber Participation
In 2002, Shawn Michaels participated in the inaugural Elimination Chamber match at the Survivor Series.
2002: Resumed wrestling career
In 2002, Shawn Michaels resumed his wrestling career with WWE.
January 13, 2003: Jericho Selects Royal Rumble Entry Number
On January 13, 2003, Chris Jericho won a battle royal to select his entry number for the Royal Rumble match, choosing number two to start the match with Shawn Michaels, who had already been named number one.
March 14, 2004: Main Event at WrestleMania XX
On March 14, 2004, Shawn Michaels competed alongside Chris Benoit and Triple H in the main event at WrestleMania XX for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Benoit won.
January 30, 2005: Feud with Kurt Angle Begins
On January 30, 2005, at the Royal Rumble, after losing to Edge, Shawn Michaels eliminated Kurt Angle from the Royal Rumble match. Angle retaliated by re-entering the ring, eliminating Michaels, and applying an ankle lock submission hold outside the ring.
January 29, 2006: Royal Rumble Appearance and Elimination
On January 29, 2006, at the Royal Rumble, Vince McMahon distracted Shawn Michaels, allowing Shane McMahon to make a surprise appearance and eliminate him from the match.
June 2006: DX Reunion Teased
Throughout June 2006, Shawn Michaels and Triple H hinted at a DX reunion, performing crotch chops during matches and feuding with Vince McMahon. This ultimately led to the official reunion of DX on the June 12th episode of Raw.
January 7, 2007: Triple H's Injury at New Year's Revolution
On January 7, 2007, at New Year's Revolution, Triple H suffered a legit torn right quadriceps during a match with Rated-RKO, leading to Rated-RKO claiming victory over DX due to the injury.
March 30, 2008: Defeat of Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXIV
On March 30, 2008, at WrestleMania XXIV, Shawn Michaels defeated Ric Flair in a Career Threatening match, marking the end of Flair's career.
December 2008: Acceptance of Employment Contract from JBL
In December 2008, Shawn Michaels, facing financial difficulties due to the global recession, reluctantly accepted a one-year general employment contract from John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL).
January 25, 2009: Failure to Help JBL at Royal Rumble
On January 25, 2009, at the Royal Rumble, Shawn Michaels failed to help JBL win the World Heavyweight Championship from John Cena, leading to further derision from JBL.
2010: Ceremonial Retirement
In 2010, Shawn Michaels ceremoniously retired from wrestling.
February 13, 2012: Confrontation with Triple H on Raw
On the February 13, 2012, episode of Raw SuperShow, Shawn Michaels confronted Triple H about accepting The Undertaker's challenge for a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania XXVIII, and announced he would be the special guest referee.
April 1, 2013: Return to Corner Triple H at WrestleMania 29
On the April 1, 2013, episode of Raw, Shawn Michaels returned to offer to corner Triple H in his match with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 29.
April 3, 2016: WrestleMania 32 Appearance
On April 3, 2016, at WrestleMania 32, Shawn Michaels made an appearance confronting The League of Nations alongside Mick Foley and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Michaels delivered Sweet Chin Music to Alberto Del Rio and King Barrett.
2016: WrestleMania XIV ranked best main event
In 2016, Dave Richard of CBS Sports ranked Shawn Michaels's match against Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV as the best main event in WrestleMania history.
2016: Began working as a coach at WWE Performance Center
In 2016, Shawn Michaels began working as a coach at the WWE Performance Center.
January 9, 2017: Raw Appearance and Film Promotion
On the January 9, 2017, episode of Raw, Shawn Michaels appeared to promote his new film. He was confronted by Rusev, Lana and Jinder Mahal, before Enzo Amore and Big Cass came to his aid.
January 22, 2018: Appearance on Raw 25 Years
On January 22, 2018, Shawn Michaels was one of the many WWE legends who appeared on the Raw 25 Years special.
November 2018: Writer and Producer for NXT
In November 2018, Shawn Michaels announced he was officially working as a writer and producer on WWE's NXT brand and show, under Paul Levesque.
2018: Headlined Pay-Per-View Events
From 1989 to 2018, Shawn Michaels headlined pay-per-view events in WWF/WWE, including the company's flagship event, WrestleMania, five times.
2018: NXT Producer and One-Off Final Match
In 2018, Shawn Michaels was a producer on NXT and returned for a one-off final match.
September 2021: Takes Over NXT Responsibilities
In September 2021, Shawn Michaels took over responsibility for running the NXT shows after Paul Levesque stepped away due to a "cardiac incident".
September 2022: Named Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative
In September 2022, Shawn Michaels' job title was confirmed as Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, responsible for both creative and development at NXT, and for the expansion of NXT UK into NXT Europe.
January 23, 2023: D-Generation X Reunion at Raw is XXX
On January 23, 2023, at Raw is XXX, Shawn Michaels reunited with D-Generation X until they and Kurt Angle were confronted by Imperium.
2023: Expansion of NXT UK to NXT Europe
In 2023, as Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, Shawn Michaels oversaw the expansion of NXT UK into NXT Europe.
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