Shawn Michaels

Michael Shawn James Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965 in Scottsdale, Arizona) is a professional wrestler better known as Shawn Michaels or the "Heartbreak Kid" (HBK). He currently performs for World Wrestling Entertainment in its RAW brand.

Contents

1 Early career 2 Recent events 3 Profile 3.1 Previous Managers 3.2 Quotes 3.3 Finishing Moves 3.4 Signature Moves 4 Entrance Lyrics 5 Championships and accomplishments 5.1 Other accomplishments 6 Miscellaneous 7 External links

Early career

Although born in Scottsdale, Hickenbottom grew up in San Antonio, Texas. Trained by Jose Lothario, he debuted in 1985 in Texas. He made his national debut in 1986 in the now-defunct American Wrestling Association teaming with Marty Jannetty forming a team called the "Midnight Rockers." They won the Tag Team Titles twice and had some bloody matches with "Playboy" Buddy Rose and Doug Somers.

In 1988, Michaels and Jannetty joined the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment), still as a team but called simply "The Rockers." Despite being a talented and popular tag team, the duo never won the WWF Tag Team Championship, save for a victory over then-champions The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) which was later overturned. Citing frustration with their lack of championship success and a wish to break out on his own, Michaels and Jannetty split in early 1992 during a famous incident on Brutus Beefcake's "Barbershop" segment, when Michaels superkicked Jannetty and threw him through a plate-glass window. Shawn turned heel and became a singles wrestler, winning the WWF Intercontinental Championship from The British Bulldog later that year.

He later became the perceived leader of a backstage group known as the Clique, which obtained sufficient clout with WWF owner Vince McMahon to become the dominant wrestling figures in the promotion for several years in the mid-1990s. For storyline purposes, Shawn's fanbase was nicknamed "The Kliq" as an inside reference to the real "Clique". Shawn won his first WWF Championship in March 1996 at WrestleMania XII, defeating Bret Hart.

Around the same time Michaels posed naked in Playgirl Magazine, his title belt covered his genitals.

In November 1997, Michaels beat Hart in a controversial match in Montreal. Hart, who then held the WWF championship, had reportedly been assured that he would win the match via a disqualification. However, McMahon, concerned that Hart was leaving the WWF and might take the belt with him (in spite of Hart assuring him that he would lose the title before leaving), arranged for the bell to be rung when Michaels applied the Sharpshooter to Hart, making it look like his opponent tapped out (gave up). Michaels was given the victory in the match and therefore was given the championship as well. This incident has since become known as the Montreal Screwjob. Several years later, Michaels admitted he knew about McMahon's plan beforehand.

In 1998 a back injury forced Michaels into retirement after losing the WWF Championship to Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV. Michaels would return on occasion to the WWF, but not as a wrestler.

Around this time, Hickenbottom married Rebecca Curci, formerly a WCW Nitro Girl with the stage name Whisper. He also became a born-again Christian in 2001 and does charity work for his church.

Recent events

In 2002, Michaels came back to wrestling, brought in by Kevin Nash as the new member of the nWo. The angle did not last very long. After the nWo was disbanded, Triple H asked Shawn Michaels to be his manager—the two are best friends in real life—but Michaels turned him down. Later on, however, they came down to the ring, with their D-Generation X music and attire, to the cheers of the crowd. When they were about to do their trademark "suck it" taunt, Triple H nailed Michaels with his finishing move, the Pedigree, knocking him out cold. Michaels returned to the ring to wrestle a match against Triple H at SummerSlam 2002, laying the foundation for a feud that would last for years.

They faced each other in brutal singles matches, hardcore matches, a ladder match, a steel cage match, a Last Man Standing match, twice in an Elimination Chamber match (where Michaels won the World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H at Survivor Series 2002), and in a Hell in a Cell match (see below). Michaels' return was successful, and he has remained active ever since. At first, he was a full-time performer who wrestled on a part-time basis, but in 2003, he started wrestling full-time again.

In 2004 Michaels faced Triple H in Hell in a Cell, but eventually lost after several Pedigrees. He also lost a World Heavyweight Championship match against his long-time rival Triple H at Taboo Tuesday when the fans voted for him to face Triple H one more time.

After his feuds with Triple H ended, Shawn Michaels began feuding with wrestlers such as Chris Jericho, Christian and more recently Edge after Edge speared Michaels at Taboo Tuesday, costing him the world title. At the 2005 Royal Rumble, Michaels lost a singles match to Edge and was then taken out of the Royal Rumble by Kurt Angle, who he had eliminated earlier in the match. Angle then went on to leave Michaels in a bloody mess, starting a feud between the two that would eventually lead to their first match against each other at WrestleMania 21.

Shawn Michaels went on to lose the much-anticipated "interpromotional" match at WrestleMania 21 on April 3, 2005, when he submitted to Kurt Angle's ankle lock submisson.

The next night on RAW, Michaels was attacked by Muhammad Hassan and Daivari. This angered him, so the next week he faced Daivari; however, Daivari got the victory. Shawn then went to RAW GM Eric Bischoff and demanded a handicap match against the two at Backlash on May 1. Bischoff told him he couldn't do it, that Shawn would have to find a partner. So Shawn came back out, got on his knees, and asked WWE Hall of Famer and fellow wrestling legend Hulk Hogan to be his partner. The following week, Michaels wrestled Hassan in a one on one match that ended in disqualification when Daivari interfered. The two brutally attacked Michaels afterwards, which brought Hogan out to even the odds. At Backlash that year, Michaels and Hogan faced Hassan and Daivari in a tag team match that Michaels and Hogan won quite easily.

The next night on RAW, Michaels was entered into an eight man tournament to decide the number one contender to Batista's World championship. He faced Shelton Benjamin and connected with his trademark superkick for the win and advanced in the tournament, but in the second round he was defeated by Edge when the latter used a briefcase to knock Michaels out.

Shawn returned to Raw on 13 June and challenged Raw's newest Draft pick from Smackdown!, Kurt Angle to a WrestleMania 21 rematch at WWE Vengeance.

Profile

• Height: 6'1" (185.4 cm)
• Weight: 225lbs (102.1 kg)
• Birthday: July 22, 1965
• Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
• Trained By: Jose Lothario
• Professional Debut: 16 October 1984
• Nicknames: The Heart Break Kid (HBK), The Showstopper, The Icon, The Main Event, Mr WrestleMania

Previous Managers

• "Sensational" Sherri
• Jose Lothario
• Luna Vachon
• Sycho Sid
• Jenny McCarthy
• "Ravishing" Rick Rude
• Triple H
• Chyna

Quotes

• "I am the Icon, the Showstopper, the Main Event!"
• "You'll never guess what I found last night!"
• "When I go down, I'm takin' everybody with me, and I'm going out in a blaze of glory!"
• "I never lay down for anybody!"

Finishing Moves

• Sweet Chin Music
• Teardrop Suplex (early 1990s)
• Piledriver (early 1990s)

Signature Moves

• Diving Elbow Drop
• Moonsault
• Crossbody
• Running Forearm Attack
• Figure Four Leglock
• Inverted Atomic Drop

Entrance Lyrics

• Parenthesees are used to denote the female chorus. The rest was performed by Shawn himself.

(Oh, oh, Shawn!) I think I'm cute! I know I'm sexy! I got the looks that drives a girl wild! I got the moves... that really move 'em. I send chills... up and down their spines!

I'm just a sexy boy! (Se-xy boy!) I'm not your boy toy! (Boy toy!) I'm just a sexy boy! (Se-xy boy!) I'm not your boy toy! (Boy toy!)

I make 'em hot! I make 'em shiver! Their knees get weak... Whenever I'm around! They see me walk... They hear me talk... I make 'em feel like they're on cloud nine!

I'm just a sexy boy! (Se-xy boy!) I'm not your boy toy! (Boy toy!) I'm just a sexy boy! (Se-xy boy!) I'm not your boy toy! (Boy toy!)

[Spoken] Eat your heart out, girls! Hands off the merchandise!

Championships and accomplishments

World Wrestling Entertainment

• 1-time World Heavyweight Champion
• 3-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion
• 3-time WWF Intercontinental Champion
• 2-time WWF European Champion
• 3-time WWF World Tag Team Champion (with Diesel twice and Stone Cold Steve Austin once)

American Wrestling Association

• 2-time AWA Southern Tag Team Champion (with Marty Jannetty)
• 2-time AWA World Tag Team Champion (with Marty Jannetty)

Other Titles

• 1-time NWA Central States Tag Team Title (with Marty Jannetty)
• 2-time Texas All-Stars Texas Tag Team Title (with Paul Diamond)
• 1-time Texas All-Stars 6-Man Tag Team Title
• 1-time TWA Heavyweight Title

Other accomplishments

• 2-time Royal Rumble winner (1995; 1996)
  • First person to enter a Royal Rumble as the first entrant and win the entire match (accomplished during the 1995 Royal Rumble)
• First "Grand Slam Champion" (Holding every major championship belt)
• WWE Commissioner
• WWE Spokesman
• First WWE Icon Man
• First hell in a cell winner
• First Elimination Chamber winner
• "HeartBreak Hotel" Show Host
• A competitor in the #1 contenders match in 2005 for the Heavyweight Championship
• Began using his Sweet Chin Music superkick in the late 1980s after learning and studying the finisher from its originator, Chris Adams.
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 10 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003. He was also ranked twice in the best tag teams of the "PWI Years". He was ranked # 33 with Marty Jannetty and # 55 with Diesel (Kevin Nash).
• Shawn also won several PWI Awards over the years. He won Most Popular Wrestler of the Year in 1995 & 1996. He was involved in the Match of the Year four straight years: 1993 (vs. Marty Jannetty), 1994 (Razor Ramon), 1995 (vs. Diesel) and 1996 (vs. Bret Hart).

Miscellaneous

• Shawn's chaps and tights come in many different colors such as red, black, and white which are made by "The Legend," Kevin Allen.
• Michaels filmed a "shoot interview" with RF Video in 2000 to talk about his career from a "behind the scenes" perspective.
• Michaels' cousin Michael Shane wrestles in Total Nonstop Action.

External links

• WWE profile (http://www.wwe.com/superstars/raw/shawn_michaels/index.jsp)
• ShawnHBK.com (http://www.shawnhbk.com) Shawn Michaels pictures, videos and news.
• HBK a changed man after discovering God (http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.sport.pro-wrestling/browse_thread/thread/77137da1666487a2/622337e2ac53dd11#622337e2ac53dd11)

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