Renowned professional wrestler Shawn Michaels is among the best in the history of WWE. Since his 1988 arrival, Michaels has shown to be a valuable part of the WWE team. If Michaels were to retire from the ring after WrestleMania 14 as the Grand Slam Champion, his wrestling career would have been worthy of a Hall of Fame.
Nevertheless, the Heartbreak Kid overcame his serious back injury, and his return to the ring as a competitor was evidence of his greatness because it seemed like Michaels was always in the squared circle. One could argue that The Heartbreak Kid’s wrestling career from 2002 to 2010 was superior to his first run in the 1990s. Regular opponents for Michaels included the greatest in the business, and he took part in several amazing feuds that probably would not have occurred if Michaels hadn’t entered the ring again in 2002.
On the other hand, John Cena is another huge name in WWE history. Throughout his career, Cena repeatedly demonstrated that he could have fantastic matches with nearly anybody, despite many doubts. Cena accounted for some of the best matches for even a restricted wrestler like The Great Khali.
‘Big Match John’ had the opportunity to work with nearly every elite name in WWE throughout the years, starting from the Ruthless Aggression Era and ending with the PG Era. Although not every match made history, Cena took part in several iconic matches. The Cenation Leader and The Heartbreak Kid have always been compared to one another as they glorified an entire phase of the WWE with their electrifying presence.
A look at the championship wins between John Cena and Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels is frequently brought up as one of the best wrestlers of all time in discussions about Mount Rushmore among wrestling enthusiasts and critics. Michaels is a terrific performer who is capable of consistently putting on five-star clinics. Throughout his WWE career, The Showstopper has won numerous titles and is a four-time WWE World Champion.
HBK won the World Heavyweight Championship once and the WWE Championship three times. He is also the company’s first Grand Slam Champion, fourth Triple Crown Champion, two-time winner of the Royal Rumble (and the first man to win the match as the first entry), and a two-time inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. With numerous mid-card and tag team titles under his belt, Michaels has won 16 Championships throughout his illustrious career.
On the other hand, in addition to holding the World Heavyweight Championship three times, Cena owns a record 13 times of the WWE Championship. In addition, he has won the WWE United States Championship five times, the WWE Tag Team Championship twice, the World Tag Team Championship twice, the Royal Rumble twice, and Money in the Bank once. He has been the main attraction at several significant WWE pay-per-views, including five times at the company’s main event, WrestleMania.
What makes Shawn Michaels a once-in-a-generation superstar for the WWE Universe
A great wrestler is a combination of many other talents, such as acting, comedy, powerlifting, and acrobatics. Michaels was the uncommon full package with all of those characteristics and more. Bret Hart might be a better technician and The Rock a better mic worker, but not by much. The Showstopper, who was flying from the top rope, was just as exciting during a promo.
Michaels, a master of his body, innovator, and fighter, combined unmatched storytelling, technical wrestling, and moves influenced by Lucha Libre to create a career that would earn him a spot in the Hall of Fame. He added an entire career’s worth of humor to his resume as a member of DX. Some of the most iconic and funniest backstage antics in wrestling history involved The Heartbreak Kid.
His portrayal of Shane McMahon, his mockery of Hulk Hogan, and his Superkick to a man named Stan had to be included in any compilation of the best moments in WWE history. He participated in the inaugural Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber, and WWE ladder matches. Like no other, Michaels delivered classics in street fights, traditional wrestling matches, and the Elimination Chamber.
Michaels could make anyone he faced look like the greatest wrestler of all time with his ability to sell moves and his penchant for generating drama in the ring. There is a long list of superstars whose greatest match was with the Heartbreak Kid. Without their encounter with Michaels, the careers of Chris Jericho, John Cena, The Undertaker, and Bret Hart would not have been the same.
Michaels’ career spans multiple eras and is filled with remarkable accomplishment after remarkable accomplishment. While there probably won’t be another wrestler quite like Shawn Michaels, it will be interesting to watch how his victories are matched by the coming generation.