Best Two - Shawn Michaels

IrishCanadian25

Going on 10 years with WrestleZone
The heartbreak kid himself. At every level he has been at with WWF, he's really been the best. When teaming with Marty Jannetty, Shawn was one half of the most popular tag team in wrestling. They weren't top title contenders like the LOD, Demolition, or Harts, but dammit these guys were SO over with the crowd. They were the Hardy Boyz before the Hardys were cool, and they didn't have to jump off 20 foot ladders to do it.

After the great Rockers Split of the early 90's, Shawn became the best mid-card heel out there. It had been Mr. Perfect, but his back injury took him out of the running, and the cocky Michaels easilly became the definitive heel in the IC Title picture. Having the announcer let people know that "Shawn Michaels has left the building" a la Elvis Pressley was classic.

Then, Shawn became WWF Champ, and though never the best draw, the guy put on some of the best big-stage matches ever. He switched from face to heel and back again, SEEMLESSLY. He helped get Austin over, he was a major player in the Screwjob and the Team Canada angle, and he pulled emotions for everybody when he returned against Triple H.

Nobody else has the PWI Match of the Year resume Shawn has. NOBODY. He OWNS the award. He has won the last four (2004 vs Benoit and HHH, 2005 vs Angle, 2006 vs McMahon, 2007 vs Cena) and won 4 straight in the 90's as well (1993 vs Jannetty, 1994 vs Ramon, 1995 vs Diesel, 1996 vs Hart). Nobody else has ever won 4 straght MOTY's (Sammartino won three straight once), and Michaels has done it TWICE!

So it's damn near impossible to pick his two greatest matches of all time, but we'll try!

vs Marty Jannetty, Royal Rumble 1993

The match that stole the night entirely. As good as Bret vs Razor was, the Michaels vs Jannetty match was a clinic, and I still feel it's one of the 5 best IC Title Matches of all time, and the only one in the top 5 featuring a title retention. Jannetty had just returned from facial injuries after the Michaels heel turn, and accidentally smashed a mirror on Sherri's face. The storyline wasn't just Marty's hatred for his former partner, but on which side Sherri would appear.

In the process, these two men put on a CLINIC of face vs heel psychology, near falls, and making a crowd eat out of your hand. Jannetty had the title won on 4 different occassions, including the rare slingshot into the ringpost moment when we ALL thought it was over. Botched interference by Sherri on Marty's behalf allowed the heel Michaels to escape with the IC Belt in classic heel fashion.

vs Kurt Angle, Wrestlemania 21

The longest match of the night, and not a second was boring. I used the word "clinic" in my write up of Jannetty vs Michaels in terms of near falls. Well, this match was a clinic of reversals. Ankle locks abound, and you never really knew if Shawn would tap, reverse, or get to the ropes. Angle won this war after nearly a half-hour, and the fans ate it right up. Angle showed people that he had arrived as an all-time great, and Shawn is a big reason for it.

[youtube]t4G6xs3q8Xk[/youtube]
 
I recently watched all of the Royal Rumbles, and Shawn may as well be called Mr. Royal Rumble, as well as Mr. Wrestlemania. The IC mentioned was absolutely fantastic, as were most of his others at that particular pay per view. Watching it made me think that Jannetty never really fulfilled his portential as a singles star.

To narrow this down to two was immensely difficult, but I am lucky in that I've posted early and can use two obvious ones, without looking like I'm stealing them. So without further ado.

Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Ladder Match for the IC title) - Wrestlemania X

This match is rightly considered to be one of the best matches in Wrestlemania history. Not only did it catapult Michaels into the spotlight, but it also showed the company what a talisman he could be, following his suspension.

Right from the start, Michaels showed exactly how good he was and the crowd were awed by it throughout. The creativity in this match was sublime, and you have to remember that this was the first televised ladder match in the WWF, and probably in North America.

This emphasises the legacy of the match - if it hadn't have been as good, and the crowd hadn't taken to it, then there wouldn't have been another ladder match after it for quite some time, possibly ever.

An absolute classic match from start to finish.

Shawn Michaels v The Undertaker (Hell in a cell) - Badd Blood 1997

The same could be said for this match - it's success led to the Hell in a Cell becoming a WWE staple for years to come. I think it is really unfortunate that the Mankind HIAC match will be remembered over this, because it really isn't as good. Yes, the spots in that match are almost unbelievable, but take the two falls out of that match, and you have a pretty unsubstantial match.

Anyway, I digress, this match was phenomenal. Again, you have ingenuity and creativity in what I believe to be the first match of its sort ever. Shawn is fantastic from start to finish, and Kane's debut couldn't have come at a better time, or in a more fitting way.

Shawn's victory in this match led to Suvivor Series, to a match that will probably be the defining one of the first part of his career, but that is neither here nor there.
 
Do you know how hard this is for me? Shawn Michaels is the best in the business, now, and in the past. His accomplishments are amazing, and he's been such a big part of many major moments in wrestling, from revolutionising the tag team division, to being the first Grand Slam Champion, to taking part in the event that arguably kicked off the attitude era, to winning the first eilimination chamber. It takes a while to say that, and I could continue that list for a long time. But I think that's proof enough to show how important Shawn is to the business, and the fans.

Something I was going to point out, but IC did in the opening post, was Shawns MOTY record - one that has never been matched, and I don't think ever will be. But what IC failed to point out was he's actually won FIVE in a row, also gaining the 2008 award for his match against Ric Flair at Wrestlemania. Every single one of these awards well deserved, and really just a big hit out at anyone who feels the need to say he's "boring" or "worse since he returned".

So therefore, you can see why choosing 2 matches would be hard. Right there in his PWI MOTY list you can see matches which are better than almost any have been in the business. For most of the others, picking them is easier, because they have matches which made, and defined their career. But for Shawn, which can we really say?

You picked what was my first choice; that being Wrestlemania 21 against Angle. I've never seen a match as good as that, and I doubt I will again. Match of the night, match of the year, match of the business, easily. And you can expect no less really, coming from 2 of the most talented wrestlers in the business. I think this match cemented in our brains that Shawn had returned, and was as good as he ever had been. Even his loss in this match means nothing, people rarely discuss that when talking about this match - it's almost irrelavant.

I've been thinking about what the second match should be since you started this "Best Two" series, and as I'm typing I still can't reach a conclusion, I badly want to talk about a Bret Hart match, because their feud is legendary, I think it helped Shawn become what he is today, and never did the 2 have a bad match. But then I think about how many great matches Shawn has had, some better than the ones against Hart. Like his match with Razor Ramon at Wrestlemania 10.

It was the best ladder match of all time, and the story going into this was amazing. Both men put up such a great match, all ladder matches now are compared to it. Most WWF fans had never seen a ladder match before, but right there and then all were hooked. Gimmick matches aren't usually the best when it comes to psychology, or technical ability. But this one had it all.
 
Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels
Wrestlemania 12
Iron Man Match


Why is this match great? Because it is like the Lord of the Rings Movies. Incredibly Long, but you stay on your seat throughout, even during the slower times. Of course being the Bret Hart fan that I am, the ending was sad for me, but the ending became a Wrestlemania moment. It truly is a good match, and a favourite of mine.

Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramone
Wrestlemania X
Ladder Match


The ladder match that started it all. The first time a ladder match was ever in a major atmosphere. The match for the Intercontinental Championship was a major reason why I became a Scott Hall fan. The part of the match where the pants came down made me question what the audience was thinking when they could see bare bottom! Anyways, the match was awesome and blew my young mind away when I saw it. The ending was always good, and ending I question why it doesn't happen more.
 
Screw you guys, I'm going to come out and say it. I'm gonna, you can't stop me. I'll do it. I'm serious. Fine, I'll do it! Be that way.

Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena, Raw - London, England​

There, I said it. I didn't even see their WrestleMania match (the DVD cut out) but I thought this match was superb, thanks in no small part to Cena. Of course, Michaels made a great contribution too. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered putting it in this thread. Is it one of Shawn's best two matches? Off the top of my head, yes. If you gave me a list of all his famous matches, perhaps not.

Then, of course, there's Michaels/Angle. I've explained myself over that quite a lot. Need I do it again?
 
My all time favorite Shawn Michaels match is his match against Chris Jericho from Wrestlemania 19. However, plenty of people have already described that match to perfection in the Chris Jericho thread, so there's really nothing I can add to it that hasn't already been said.

So, I'll go with two other HBK matches to talk about:

Shawn Michaels vs. Jeff Jarrett - In Your House II

AMAZING match. In my opinion, in ranks right up there in the top three Intercontinental Championship matches of all time. And if you look at the matches to take place with that belt on the line, that's some statement. But I stick by it. The match was incredible. It was just a face pace match that seemed like only five minutes long, but in actuality it was over 20 minutes. Not many matches pull that off.

Shawn Michaels vs. Vader - Summerslam 1996

This match was fucking terrific. I loved it every second of it. It was unpredictable, all over the place, and just Shawn Michaels being Shawn Michaels. You know that saying "Manny being Manny"? Well, in 1995 through his last match at Wrestlemania 14, that statement would've fit PERFECT for HBK. He was such an unprofessional prick, but god damn was he entertaining. And this match is a perfect example of that. 30 minutes of non-stop action, with Shawn completely being an asshole and abusing his backstage power, daring Vader to cross the line, while also putting on, along with Vader, a fantastic performance. Gotta love it.
 
Thinking about what I was going to list for HBK made me realize something rather odd. I don't have a lot of "Shawn Michaels" matches that I love, but most of my favorites for other wrestlers, include Shawn Michaels. Whether it's any match with Jericho, "the" match with Shelton Benjamin, or the ladder match with Razor Ramon, they're all great matches, that Shawn happened to be a part of. That being said, my two favorite matches for HBK are against Stone Cold at Wrestlemania 14 and the Iron Man match against Bret Hart.

Granted, the match against Austin might not have been the best match of Shawn's career, but I loved DX, and at the time, was very anti-Austin. Naturally, I was pulling for HBK, and wanted Tyson to hit Austin so hard, he grew hair. As surprised as I was at the ending, I loved it. It was completely unexpected, and was another memorable moment in Shawn Michaels' career.

Again, the Iron Man match may not have been his finest piece of work, but the aura surrounding it, and the memory of sitting at home chanting his name with my family while he fulfilled his boyhood dream, is one that will stick with me forever. Watching this on PPV, was more exciting than seeing the Ladder Match live, and that was an epic match, and definitely one for the ages.
 
vs Cena on RAW This was the best match out of the ones they had against eachoter. They went an hour & it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. the match had great counters, a nice finish & both competitors were on top of their game.


vs Taker in HIAC This match was the first ever hell in a cell match. It's success led to many more hell in a cell matches. In my opinion this is Taker's 2nd best HIAC matches & it also was the perfect time for Kane to make his WWE debut.
 
Vs. Ric at WM24

A good match the best Ric Put on during the angle. And his last match it was great, and the way HBK ended it was climatic it really was the perfect End for the perfect career. Kudo's to HBK

Vs. HHH vs. Benoit at WM20

The rivalry... it all began again the HHH-HBK Rivalry was perfect and it would of been SH*T if it was a Triple threat with anyone BUT Benoit and the crowd POPED like never before when Benoit won and HBK put on a steller performance

HM

HHH vs HBK (royal Rumble 2004)
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
174,825
Messages
3,300,727
Members
21,726
Latest member
chrisxenforo
Back
Top