Favorite Wrestlemania Match: Shawn Micheals

[justinsayne]

Basically what do you think was HBK's best WM match was, I didn't include the the WM matches he was in as a member of the ROckers, just the ones as a singles competitor

Here are the matches-

WM VIII- Shawn Michaels (w/Sensational Sherri) defeated Tito Santana (10:39)

* Michaels pinned Santana with a bodypress after reversing a bodyslam attempt


WM X- Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels (w/Diesel) in a Ladder match to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship (18:47)

* Ramon climbed the ladder and retrieved both belts after Michaels became entangled in the ring ropes.

* There were two belts because Michaels had been claiming he was still Intercontinental Champion despite having been stripped of the title several months earlier.

WM XI- # Diesel (w/Pamela Anderson) defeated Shawn Michaels (w/Sid and Jenny McCarthy) to retain the WWF Championship (20:35)

* Diesel pinned Michaels after a Jacknife Powerbomb.

WM XII- # Shawn Michaels (w/Jose Lothario) defeated Bret Hart in an Iron Man match to win the WWF Championship (1:01:52)

* Michaels pinned Hart after two Superkicks.

* The match originally ended in a 0-0 draw until WWF President Gorilla Monsoon entered the ring and ordered the match to continue under sudden death rules.

* Michaels descended to the ring on a zip-line.

WM XIV- Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels (w/Mike Tyson as Special Outside Enforcer) to win the WWF Championship (20:02)

* Austin pinned Michaels after countering Sweet Chin Music into a Stone Cold Stunner. With the referee down, Mike Tyson, who was thought to be siding with Michaels, turned on him and counted Austin's pin himself, giving Austin the win.

* After the match Tyson knocked out Michaels, whom he'd been friendly with leading up to the event, with a right hook and accepted an Austin 3:16 t-shirt to drape over his downed body.

WM XIX- # Shawn Michaels defeated Chris Jericho (22:33)

* Michaels pinned Jericho with a roll-up.

WM XX- # Chris Benoit defeated Triple H (c) and Shawn Michaels in a Triple Threat match to win the World Heavyweight Championship (24:47)

* Benoit forced Triple H to submit with the Crippler Crossface.

* After the match Eddie Guerrero celebrated with Benoit in the ring to close the show.

WM 21- Kurt Angle defeated Shawn Michaels (27:25)

* Angle forced Michaels to submit with the Ankle Lock.

WM 22- # Shawn Michaels defeated Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred match (18:28)

* Michaels pinned McMahon after the Sweet Chin Music.

* During the match, both the Spirit Squad and Shane McMahon interfered on McMahon's behalf.

WM 23- # John Cena defeated Shawn Michaels to retain the WWE Championship (28:20)

* Cena forced Michaels to submit with the STFU.

* Cena entered the stadium in a Shelby GT-H Mustang.

For me it would have to be his WM match against Jericho, that match has always stood out in my mind as one of the best matches of both guys careers, and it lived up to the build up, a great match with lots of back and forth action that could have gone either way, IMO it stole the show that night, and WM 19 was one of the best PPVs ever IMO, I also loved how they ended it with the roll-up, and then Jericho hugging HBK after the match and then kicking him down low, it just made Jericho an even bigger heel IMO, HBK vs. Angle, and the triple threat at WM 20 would both come in at second and third, I was also a big fan of the Iron Man Match at WM 12, and his match with Austin at WM 14, but for me the WM 19 match with Jericho stands as my favorite HBK WM match

 

[TheOneBigWill]

This is likely one of the hardest polls to decide upon, simply because each year its as if he out-does himself. Even his match-up against Vince McMahon, its just one of those things where Shawn Michaels has the natural pure ability to make anyone look like a star. I'll run down the list of my favorites, and why.. finishing up with what I voted for.

Wrestlemania XI: v. Diesel: I came close to voting for this match, simply because its very underrated in my opinion. Its hard to pull off a big man v. little man type match, but these two put on a classic, and unfortunately due to the star power of the N.F.L. Main Event of that year's Mania.. this match was lost in the shuffle. I just always felt that when these two work together, be it as a Tag Team, or rivals, that they've put on great matches.

Wrestlemania X: Ladder Match v. Razor Ramon: The ground breaking (main media) start that brought ladders into the spotlight, and naturally it was H.B.K. and Razor Ramon who created this beginning. The only sad part to the entire thing, was that Shawn lost the match. I understood that at the time they were pushing Razor more, and Shawn was more or less unreliable, however I think if they knew now, what they didn't know then.. Shawn would've went over by leaps and bounds.

Wrestlemania XIV: v. Steve Austin: The unfortunate side to this match was how much pain Shawn was in while working the whole thing. And of course the 4 year lay off that happened after it. If you want to look at the upside to the entire thing, then you have to take notice in how much Shawn Michaels put his body at even greater risk, simply to put Steve Austin over, as the next big thing for the company. Something so few others were and still are, willing to do.

Wrestlemania XIX: v. Chris Jericho: His return to Wrestlemania, in perhaps what many would consider "the" match of matches for him. Shawn Michaels v. Chris Jericho was a true classic, and by several statements, could've easily been described as watching H.B.K. taking on himself.

Wrestlemania 21: v. Kurt Angle: The only negative side to this match, is once again that he lost. Both men put on a classic wrestling match, with a great story being told leading up to the actual encounter. Its a shame that more of these matches between the two likely won't be had.

And now, the match I voted for....

Wrestlemania XII: Iron Man v. Bret Hart: The basic match that started everything for him. Yes, he was well known before the match, but anytime the company (at least back then) gave you the Main Event spot and placed their World Championship in your hands.. it meant you'd come a long way, and were capable of carrying that company on your shoulders.

It was a huge accomplishment for Shawn, and the fact is, he deserved it long before this. He went back to back Mania's in which he was in the Championship match. The only others to do that before him, to my knowledge were Hulk Hogan, and Bret Hart.

I've spoken highly of this match in several other threads, so thats why its honestly hard to find words to make this seem like I'm doing anything but repeating myself. The shear fact is, however, regardless of which one of his Wrestlemania matches anyone would consider to be "the best," the one thing to constantly know.. is each time he performs on the Wrestlemania stage.. you're sure to be entertained, and he's sure to give you everything he has.

 

[Lil Wes]

Damn Damn Damn this is going to be a very tough choice.

It's a toss up between the HBK/Angle match from 21 or HBK/Jericho from 19.

The one with Jericho is too overlooked. HBK has had a hell of alot of good matches at Mania and everywhere else but this one IMO is a classic. 19 was such a good PPV it gets lost in that shuffle, if it would have taken place at let's say 22 or 23, I think it would be more respected. Great match, Jericho's best until this date. They stole the show at WM 19 but HBK was right back at it again 2 years later.

I picked HBK/Angle. Damn that match had me on the edge of my seat through basically the whole match. They both brought their A-Game and delivered a thriller. It's rare to see HBK submit but when he did my jaw dropped. Both are so damn good and can make anyone look better than they really are, but both made each other more respected by everybody after that match. It's the last 5 star match I can remember. So it had to be my choice.

The Triple Threat is up there as well, I love the hell out of that match but it was more about Benoit than HBK or HHH. Another damn fine match from all three nonetheless.

The Iron Man Match with Hart is overrated, it was good but not as good as people make it out to be. It bored me too tears for about the first 30 minutes, but still both guys delivered well.

The ladder match with Ramon is the best ladder match until this date, but I'd take an HBK's singles match over any of his gimmicks, that was one of the most entertaining matches I've ever seen. But with HBK everything is entertaining which is what makes it so hard to choose one

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I went with HBK vs Jericho. Nevermind the fact that I am and have been a Jericho fanatic since SMW, this match had one of those "master vs student" or "idol vs fan" feels to it. Also, part of the reason for the similarities between these two men, is that Shawn Michaels came up during the heart of the territory system and Jericho was one of the last stars made as a result of it.

The match itself was clean and emotional. Both men worked very synergistically with one another, and there was the feeling that this COULD be Jericho's breakthrough WM win. Sadly, it was not, but damn if he didn't get over as a result. I think even Jericho and Michaels themselves regard it as one of their best.

Michaels vs Santana was one of the most underrated HBK matches of all time. Again, ignore the fact that I am a raging mark for Wrestlmania 8 and feel it was one of the greatest of all time. This match pulled the curtain on the event, and signified Shawn's arrival as a singles star for the first time. It was shortly after the Rockers breakup, and in a strange mirror moment, took place between two men who acheived Intercontinental stardom after being part of a prolific tag team (Michaels with the Rockers, Santana with Strike Force). Ironically, just one pay per view later, Michaels would be facing the OTHER half of Strike Force, Rick Martel, in the famed "no hits in the face" match. Either way, WM 8 was Michael's arrival, WM10 signified his staying power, and WM 12 that he wasn't going anywhere but up.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Michaels vs Santana was one of the most underrated HBK matches of all time. Again, ignore the fact that I am a raging mark for Wrestlmania 8 and feel it was one of the greatest of all time. This match pulled the curtain on the event, and signified Shawn's arrival as a singles star for the first time. It was shortly after the Rockers breakup, and in a strange mirror moment, took place between two men who acheived Intercontinental stardom after being part of a prolific tag team (Michaels with the Rockers, Santana with Strike Force). Ironically, just one pay per view later, Michaels would be facing the OTHER half of Strike Force, Rick Martel, in the famed "no hits in the face" match. Either way, WM 8 was Michael's arrival, WM10 signified his staying power, and WM 12 that he wasn't going anywhere but up.

The only reason why I didn't exactly like this match, or his Wrestlemania IX match against Tatanka (which I don't even believe is listed, or remembered) is because it took Shawn until 1994 to truly establish himself as a great heel single's star.

Yes, he was a wonderful talent and a true up-and-comer throughout mid 1992, through all of 1993.. but if you truly think about it, he never developed a true finishing move (the Superkick) until the end of 1994, when he kept accidentally popping Diesel in the mouth.

And to me, you aren't anything worth anything as a single's star, until you have a standout finishing move. And the Superkick is a tremendous finisher for him, especially still in todays wrestling world. But then, his finisher was a sideways backdrop. Not exactly what I'd consider 'standoutish.'

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Well, I liked Angle vs HBK the best. Going into it, I thought for use HBK would win since it was a "best of the generation" sort of thing and HBK had more stroke. So I bought and marked for every false finish.
The climax of the match was the best, which is the most important part of a match because it's what you remember. I'll use an example, HHH vs Booker T. WMXIX, HHH hits the pedigree, SLOWLY crawls over and pins Booker, left a bad taste in your mouth regardless of the great build up.

HBK vs Angle had great build up. They worked a textbook (literally, there is a book by Les Thatcher, Harley Race, and Ricky Steamboat where they cite using a headlock to frustrate the heel and get him to cheat) beginning to the match. Then they brought you up and down and up and down and up and down and then way way WAY up for the finish. Drama, intensity, action, storytelling, a very complete match.


The runner up for me is probably a tie between the iron match, vs Y2J, and the triple threat. The iron man match was great, especially since it was an hour long match in a WWF ring, the triple threat I feel is more of a "benoit" match although HBK certainly made it great as well, and his match vs Y2J was a classic in every sense because of the focus on HBK's back and the finish, which if I remember was a roll up of some sort wasn't it? Maybe not, either way it had a real classic feeling to it, but to me, the Angle vs HBK match had the best climax, they all had equal builds, but the climax is what puts it over the top.


The ladder match I liked but since I saw other ladder matches first, this one didn't appeal to me as much, his match vs Tatanka at WM9 is VERY underrated as is his match vs Santana and his match vs Diesel at Wrestlemania 11.

His match vs Austin is like a tribute to his passion, he is clearly in world's of pain, just watching how he has to squat instead of bend over to pick Austin up and the excruciating look in his face after he gets backdropped was enough to sell me on his passion. Don't discount his match vs Cena either, that match was real solid, Cena fucked up and completely no sold the leg work, but HBK worked a great match and it didn't take too much away from the match.

This year who knows, maybe HBK will top them all.

 

[Agrex]

The three matches that come to mind are: WrestleMania XII: VS. Bret Hart, WrestleMania XVIIII: VS. Chris Jericho, and WrestleMania XXI: VS. Kurt Angle. Shawn Michaels never fails to amaze me at 'Mania, always puts on a great match. But when it comes down to it, no other match stands out like HBK/Hart at 'Mania XII. It was one of the best matches in 'Mania history. The entire 60-minutes of it was pure genoius. The match told a story like no other, so that's why I had to go with it.

 

[Meilichia]

I had to go with HBK vs Jericho, for many reasons.
I am a big fan of both Jericho, and HBK, so to have two of my favourite wrestlers at that time in a Wrestlemania match was very exciting.
I also enjoyed the 'teacher/student' 'icon/idol' style atmosphere this match had, but I mainly enjoyed this match for the simple fact it was like a 'proving' himself style match for HBK, I feel it was the Wrestlemania return for HBK, and watching the match, you could feel the pressure HBK put on himself, and also Jericho to pull off a 5 star wrestling match.
This match was a decent length, had a lot of crowd interest, portrayed both the wrestlers involved talent and I felt before watching the match I didn't know who would go over, simply because it could have been a 'passing the torch' example. I feel this is one of the best Wrestlemania matches, not to mention one that is often over looked.

 

[Michael]

HBK VS Y2J - If you were to judge each match on it's indivdual merits then this would probably be 4th in my opinion. But I when I got into wrestling HBk had retired and Y2J became my favourite wrestler but I was told about this guy called Shawn Micahels, my friends told me he was the best ever, and when I got some tapes I agreed. So this was a dream match for me, that was never going to happen. Then it did, at Wrestlemania. Mark out moment all the way.

 

[d'lo_brown_kurt_angle]

HBK vs. Kurt Angle

Only because i'm a fan of both wrestlers. I loved the ending too, Angle had the ankle lock on HBK for a long time and you didn't know what to expect from Michaels. Also there wasn't a wrestler dominating the whole time in the match. It was up and down which made it exciting.

Also an honurable mention to the HBK vs. Y2J match.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Angle Vs Micheals is the best one outta all these but Im gonna go with Shawn Vs Y2J for this reason. I think Angle outpreformed and overshadowed Shawn in the WM 21 match, if only for his craziness and intensity, and he went over him ny submission, albeit begrudginly. I think the Emphasis was placed on making Angle look like a beast more than anything, which ended up being stupid in retrospect, becuase they never did anything with that momentum besides feed him to Cena 900 times. Ugh, dont get me started on Kurt Angle in 2005, its one of the things that pisses me off most ever in wrestling.

Shawn Vs Y2J was fucking epic. Two of the best ever, doing what they do best. Y2J bustin out the Sweet Chin Music was fantastic, and the rollup win for Shawn was great. Jericho doing everything in his power, and desperation to the point of being in tears, was great drama. and of course it was shawns return to WM. Although the confetti guns he used pre match were fuckin gay lol.

Honorable mention to Shawn Vs Tatanka at WM 9. I fuckin loved that match, and it was probably MOTN. I defy someone to name a better match from that show. there isnt one, even with a DQ finish. It was fantastic. Sort of a waste though, as Tatanka was over as hell, and Micheals didnt really need the IC belt to be over. Fantastic match nonetheless.

 

[HBK-aholic]

I haven't yet picked one, because I think the task is almost impossible. No one can say (And if they'd like to I'd debate with them until the end of time) that Shawn Michaels doesn't put everything and more into Wrestlemania matches, and performs better than anything, and that each year it just seems he gets better and better. It's so hard to choose, simply because each year the match does seem better, he honestly out does himself each time.

A lot of people class Undertaker as Mr. Wrestlemania, because of his undefeated streak, which is a warranty for being called that. However if you look at some of the matches they aren't exactly 5 star quality. But if you watch each of Shawns matches from a wrestlemania, that's classic talent right there. He is the best person to bring Wrestlemania to the best finishes, and even if he is not in the main event, you always know ihs match is going to be one of, if not the best of the night.

WM X - Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels - This was a really good match. I was a great fan of Shawn's gimmick at the time, and the reason behind there being two belts. The match itself was good, with the 2 permanently making each other look good, and getting the crowd completely into it. Also I think it's safe to say this is the match that brought ladders into it all. This is where ladder matches came into the media as something which could be used, and this 'first' ladder match was one of the best. This match deserves to be in the top Wm matches, but then again, so do all of these matches.

WM XI - Diesel defeated Shawn Michaels - The two have always worked well together, and I'm a fan of there tag team work as well as against each other. The idea of these two feuding wasn't always greeted with a huge excitement as it was wondered whether Shawn could go against a guy a lot bigger. However the match itself proved to everyone that this could work, and that Shawn could do practically anything. It worked well with his gimmick, and the crowd seemed to really get behind the match. Overall this is a match I would love to see again, it was really good.

WM XIV - Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels - Seeing this match upsets me, because anyone who has watched WWE for a while knows what this match signifies. You can see the pain Shawn is in. We know now this was pretty much the last we'd see of Shawn for 4 years. This match is the ultimate in the pain Shawn suffered whilst wrestling for his back, and he could have EASILY said no to working this match, his injury was sever enough to warrant that. Yet he wrestled to put Austin over. And how many people won't put someone over nowadays? He risked his health to do this. And the ending. He said it was okay to have an Asutin 3.16 shirt put over him after being beaten up. Humiliating to a lot of people but he did it. This is one of my favourite Shawn matches, maybe not because of the wrestling ability and how the match was put together, but as a Shawn fan, and what this shows about him.

WM XIX - Shawn Michaels defeated Chris Jericho - His return to Wrestlemania, a great feat and something many didn't think possible. He completely deserved this, and he was a completely different person still with the amount of talent he left with. I personally really enjoyed this. I am also a fan of Chris Jericho and his abilities. I think they worl really well together and worked hard to make each other look good. Overall this was a really good match and everyone enjoyed it.

The two matches I'm leaning towards of Shawns are:

WM XII - Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart - After thinking about it a lot, I've narrowed it down to 2 options, and this is one of them. This match is one of my favourite matches ever due to how good it was. To see both men, great athletes, go for over an hour in the ring, at Wrestlemania was a great sight. And pretty much the whole match was good. It was classic wrestling, and to say the 2 didn't like each other, they out on a really good match here. It's difficult to find words for a match like this, when all I want to do is urge everyone who hasn't to watch it, because maybe then you will see the 'good' times between Hart and Shawn and not remember what happened in Montreal all the time.

WM 21- Kurt Angle defeated Shawn Michaels - This is one of my favourite matches of all time, so really it should be logical that this is the match I vote for. This is classic Wrestling at it's best and really should be out there for everyone to see. Every new wrestling fan should watch this and they would see some of the best talent in the business putting on one of the best matches ever. It was a great lead up, and was a match that could have gone either way. Both wrestlers put there everything into this match, and it showed. Everyone was behind them and the match was worked so well. They worked really well together and the match flowed so brilliantly. This is the match still talked about when discussing the best of both Shawn's and Angle's best matches and it is truely deserved by each man. It was a match where who won meant nothing simply due to everything we'd already been shown.

In the end I have chosen the Iron man match, simply for that reason. It was over an hour long and at the end it was still really good. This will be talked about for years to come, and it deserves that. For 2 guys to go over an hour in the ring proves something, and they proved any critic wrong that night.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

WM 9- vs. Tito Santana

It's ok. I was more surprised that HBK won to be honest. It was still filler though.

WM 10- vs. Razor Ramon (ladder match- IC title)

There Summer Slam Ladder match is better.

WM 11- vs. Deisel (WWF title)

Good because Kevin Nash is total shit.

WM 12- vs. Bret Hart (iron man match- WWF title)

Boring.

WM 14- vs. Stone Cold (WWF title)

Good, not great. But better when you consider how much pain he must have been in.

WM 19- vs. Jericho

I loved it.

WM 20- vs. Benoit vs. Triple H (Triple Threat- World Heavyweight title

Great, even with HHH involved.

WM 21- vs. Kurt Angle

Great.

WM 22- vs. Vince McMahon (No Holds Barred)

Fun but overbooked and too long. Like ever McMahon match.

WM 23- vs. Cena (WWE title)

I thought this was shit.

So for me it's a choice between the match vs. Jericho, HBK & HHH and Angle.

I'll have to pick the Jericho match. It was a mid card match. As was the Angle one. But that was built up as if it was going to be the best match ever. I think everyone thought Angle/Lesnar would steal the show that year.

Jericho/HBK was the best match on a really good card. HBK/Angle was the best match on an average card.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

WM 9- vs. Tito Santana
It's ok. I was more surprised that HBK won to be honest. It was still filler though.

At the risk of coming off like a jack-off WrestleMania 8 smark, Shawn vs Tito was at Wrestlemania 8, and Shawn vs Tatanka was Wrestlemania 9. It shows how forgettable the Wrestlemania 9 match was, since it ended in a count out.

The Tatanka match was for the Intercontinental Title, and pitted Tatanka's undefeated streak against Shawn's IC Title, which he'd escaped with a few times already. The match was solid, but forgettable when compared to the following year's ladder match.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

At the risk of coming off like a jack-off WrestleMania 8 smark, Shawn vs Tito was at Wrestlemania 8, and Shawn vs Tatanka was Wrestlemania 9. It shows how forgettable the Wrestlemania 9 match was, since it ended in a count out.

The Tatanka match was for the Intercontinental Title, and pitted Tatanka's undefeated streak against Shawn's IC Title, which he'd escaped with a few times already. The match was solid, but forgettable when compared to the following year's ladder match.

I just cut 'n' pasted the poll options. But I'd forgotten about that Mania match. But it was Wrestle Mania 9. The worst Mania of all time. Nothing was good on that show, not even the HBK match.

 

[Skullz Crack'Em]

I voted for the Ironman Match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, that match was amazing. It had everything, it told a story between two men who hated eachother, both of them were very charismatic and got the fans going as soon as the match started, they sold their moves very well in this match and the back and forth action was crazy(for ironman standards they did the best they could). It was also a "Passing of the Torch" moment in WWE history even though Bret did not like the way it went down(he wanted to shake Shawn's hand, but Shawn told the ref to kick Bret out of the ring so he could celebrate his victory). Although I think this match is overrated, it is still the best out of the the others IMO.

Second best would be tied between Angle/HBK and HHH/Benoit/HBK, those matches were fun to watch over and over again because both of them had wrestlers that had great chemistry with Shawn in the ring together(and it is hard to get that in a Triple Threat match when all 3 men are on par with eachother).

I also loved the Jericho/HBK match, it was excellent and I wouldn't mind seeing those two have another match in the near future. Both men did great in this match, but I believe Jericho really put on his A-game more so than HBK, he is the man that made the match as good as it was IMO.

 

[bambam]

When I first saw the topic, I thought the Ironman Match for sure. WM 12 Comes in on a zip line, has a great 60 min match, then it goes to overtime and Hart starts off elbowing him in the back, you almost thought hart was going to win it for sure, but then BOOM! Sweet-chin Music. I loved it, not the whole 62 mins, mostly just the last 15 or so. And then I thought, maybe the ladder match, but Y2 Jake is right, the one at summerslam is a lot better. So, then I thought, his match with Jericho was WAY WAY WAY better. This match made both of them look really good. Great high spots, Fans loved it, This was his best WM hands down. Jericho/Michaels hands down.

 

[Shocky]

And my take on HBK's affairs at Wrestlemania

WM 8 vs. Tito Santana
Certainly not a bad match. A very good match to open up what I consider the best Wrestlemania top to bottom of the first decade. Shawn Michaels had just begun his work as an individual wrestler, and looked damn good in the ring against a Wrestlemania main stay in Tito Santana.

WM 9: vs. Tatanka (IC Title Match)
Again, another solid match. This match went on twenty plus minutes or so. Saw the introduction of Luna Vachon. A lot of the match was focused on the outside of the match, which is never a good sign. I enjoy this match and it has stood the test of time with me.

WM X: vs. Razor Ramon (IC Ladder Match)
Who says backstage politicing and bullshiting doens't come up with good things in the end. Shawn Michaels test positive for steroids, (of course he didn't take them...good one Rafael), refuses to give up the IC title (yet people bitch about Bret Hart for not wanting to give up his title), and causes the WWF to make a new belt. But this gem happened because of it, so I guess everything works out. A very good Ladder match. The first Ladder match to truly use the ladder as an offensive threat.

WM 11: vs. Diesel (WWF Title)
A very good match, but loses a ton of credibility because it wasn't even the main event. Never a good sign when the title match is before a match featuring Lawrence Taylor. This match was good, but for WWF 1995 standards. This was truly a terrible pay per view in jsut a terrible time for the WWF.

WM 12: vs. Bret Hart (WWF Iron Man Match).
Most people consider this the greatest match in WWE Wrestlemania history, I don't. I think the two Iron Man matches that followed, (Rock vs. Trips and Angle vs. Lesnar) were far more entertaining. I just don't understand the booking of an hour long match with no victories in an hour. It was a slow paced matchup, that was impressive because of the cardio, but I find myself fast forwarding through most of it now. It would have been simply better as a 35-45 minute sudden death regular wrestling match.

WM 13: vs. Bret Hart.
Haha, fooled you, well at least I found my smile with this.

WM 14: vs. Steve Austin (WWF Title)
A good match, but not one of HBK's best. Too many outside factors ruined this match for me. For one, Mike Tyson. While I understand it was to get buyrates, it was a distraction. Plus Michaels back was in terrible shape. An A for effort on Michaels part, but still wasn't enough to get a great matchup here.

WM XIX: vs. Chris Jericho
What else can you say. Up to this point, this is easily the best WM match for Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. The Best match on what is probably my favorite WM over all. Move for move, hold for hold this match had everything. Chris Jericho needs as much praise for this match as HBK does. The endign of this match with the fake hug is one of the best things I have ever seen.

WM XX vs. Benoit and Triple H (World title)
Another solid matchup for the Heartbreak Kid since his return. This match was as much about HBK as it was Benoit. It proved that HBK still belonged in the main event scene of the WWE and just a solid match over all. Can't complain and if anyone thinks this match is over rated, they seriosuly should consider why they watch wrestling.

WM 21: vs. Kurt Angle
If Bobby Heenan says this is the best amtch up he's ever seen, then that's all I need to here. What else could you say about this match that hasn't been said a thousand times before. Honestly for me, this is about as great as a match as you can ahve. Dave Meltzer is indeed, a jackass.

WM 22: vs. Vince McMahon
alas, not everything HBK touches turns to gold. How in the hellt his match won match of the year is beyond me. It was an okay feud, but this match was completely terrible. Horribly over rated

WM 23 vs. John Cena (WWE Title)
HBK retuns to familiar territory, a title match at Mania. However, this amtch failed to deliver. I honestly don't think this was Michaels fault. John Cena's terrible no selling of HBK's leg work is an embarassment for that level. A lackluster main event to a completely over rated under performing card.

so how I rank them.
11. vs. Vince McMahon
10. vs. John Cena
9. vs. Tito Santana
8. vs. Diesel
7. vs. Tatanka
6. vs. Bret Hart
5. vs. Steve Austin
4. vs. Razor Ramon
3. vs. Chris Benoit and Triple H
2. vs. Chris Jericho
1. vs. Kurt Angle

 

[No Count Pup]

I just need to draw a distinction between my favorite match and his best match. I think the best Shawn Michaels Wrestlemania match was against Kurt Angle. Though there was one gaping flaw in the match where Kurt Angle was pinned, the overall body of work was off the charts. However...

If I had to give my favorite Wrestlemania match featuring Shawn Michaels, I say it was his match against Vince McMahon. It was a fun brawl that thoroughly entertained me from bell to bell. It wasn't a classic in terms of workrate. But sometimes a fun match is even more enjoyable than a five star match.

I've seen all of Michaels's Wrestlemania matches countless times. He has earned the nickname "Mr. Wrestlemania." He has never had a bad match at the big show. But those matches have not been equally entertaining. His match with McMahon was entertaining because he got to absolutely pulverize the boss. Michaels delivered the best beatdown in Wrestlemania history. McMahon sold it to perfection and proved why he is the gutsiest executive in the country.

 

[DMAIN]

Gotta go with HBK/Ramon at WMX. Not often does an undercard match overshadow the main event at Wrestlemania, but WM X will always be remembered for the ladder match (especially because the Bret/Owen match is contstantly overlooked). These guys made history at the mecca for WWF action, Madison Square Garden. As a wrestling purist, it doesn't get much better then HBK/Angle or HBK/Y2J. But the HBK/Razor fued, including the storyline leading up to it was great. Being the first Wrestlemania w/out Hogan (and the Undertaker was out too) these two guys knew they had to stral the show. And they did