Shawn Michaels: Beyond His Prime?

[HBK-aholic]

He has been asked to be champion several times and he has said no each time. When Batista hurt himself a few years back they asked Shawn befor Kurt Angle and I think when the Undertaker hurt himself after Wrestlemania he was asked to go to Smackdown and win the World Title and he said no and they gave the opportunity to Edge. Unlike other people in the company like Triple H, Hulk Hogan and Undertaker he doesnt mind putting over the younger talent and wrestling in the midcard or losing to people like Orton if it is the best for the company.

I for one was so pissed he tapped to Cena at WrestleMania and I think after all that has happened he deserves one last run with the title whether it is on Smackdown or Raw. Everyone is talking about Batista vs. Triple H at Wrestlemania. I don't know why they don't have Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels for the title they wanted to do this years ago and they don't even need to turn one of them heel. I think out of any match they can put together on Raw this one would draw the most attention.

Yeah that's Shawn all over though, he does what's best for the company. Always has done. And as you've said most of the other 'big' stars won't do this. I just think with everything he does, he deserves it, or to at least be beaten to the championship by a decent wrestler. My opinion of John Cena isn't exactly high...

I was also extremely annoyed when he tapped to Cena. It shouldn't have happened, and if Cena didn't make the WWE money, it wouldn't have.

I would love to see Shawn V Triple H for the title. The only problem being everyone would complain they have seen this match too many times. Which in a way would be true. But also everyone needs to get over the fact they've seen it before, because the truth is these two wrestlers put on something exciting and new everytime they step into the ring.

However, someone recently got me excited about the prospect of Flair V Michaels at 'mania, and Michaels being the oneto end Flair's career. I would love to see this match, as much as I don't want Flair to retire.

 

[BooCocky]

I was also extremely annoyed when he tapped to Cena. It shouldn't have happened, and if Cena didn't make the WWE money, it wouldn't have.

This statement or comment is ridiculous, you do know the WWE is a business? Ok, and what is the main objective for a business? O yeah make money,as long as you make money John Cena is gonna be on top of the WWE. As long as he keeps having the little kids and the older woman purchase his products he is gonna be on top. He makes money, that is always a positive.

Alright, now that, that little statement is out of the way, Michaels has nothing to prove, so I wouldn't get your hopes up seeing the title around his waist anytime soon. His feud with Kennedy is too make Kennedy look good(if that is possible

).

I wouldn't mind seeing HBK vs HHH at WM, but that isn't gonna happen unless one goes heel cough *HHH* cough. But in my opinion if you keep promoting the same thing such as HBK vs HHH people might get tired because because to the furthest of my knowledge repetitiveness doesn't sell. so I wouldn't mind seeing HBK vs Flair at WM for Flairs last match because he got to go ASAP, and by this I mean retire, just hopefully he will get a decent match out of Flair, if it is anyone it is ether HBK or Cena, but we all know the Cena situation isn't happening. HBK vs Flair could sell because it would be nice to see one of the best, retire one of the best.

 

[Billy mac]

HBK tapped out to the STFU. The (arguably) greatest wrestler ever tapped out at Wrestlemania to the most annoying and awkward looking submission ever, performed by a guy in jean shorts and sneakers. The jaws dropped. We've always known it was predetermined but it was terrible. It was a sign of the way things are not just in wrestling, but in pop culture in general. Talent is shoved aside for dollar signs... work is shoved aside for marketing. Go watch Wrestlemania's main event and watch Cena's victory. People in the crowd are silent. They are leaving the arena with cold, annoyed looks on their faces because they're stunned. WWE did it again... for the billionth time on the grandest stage. I don't care about "what's good for business" or "making stars for the future". That day, it was about more than that and WWE dropped the ball big time. That day, wrestling flat out sucked.

Now HBK pins Cena 1-2-3 in an hour long classic... then he's hurt, then he's back in another title match. I don't even watch because I know what will happen. Heroic effort, no title belt. A billion times over. Then he has another rematch. Heroic effort, no title belt. A billion times over. Guess what, WWE? You really, really suck. One of the greatest wrestlers of all time has stolen the show at more PPVs than anybody, has dubbed himself Mr. Wrestlemania and nobody could argue, and he hasn't held the title in 5 years. Wrestling sucks because it's not for the wrestling fans anymore.

You r 100% right cena makes hbk 1 of the greatest in the wwe tap out but can win in a hour long classic, hbk deserves anotha title shot, afta all he has dun 4 the wwe he needs the title.

hbk is a legend n in 5-10 yrs time wen he hangs up the boots we r guna luk bak n say, man he was the greatest but didnt hav that much titles unlike hhh hu has heaps

 

[ACTAFOOL]

its obvious he deserves another title shot, but the thing is HE DOESNT WANT IT so chill out, WWE has thought of putting the belt on him many times these last few years, but HE didnt want it, of course us fans do, but he doesnt want it cuz he cant take the scheduale, hes really banged up, he himself said that his knee isnt 100%, being champ is a tiring scheduale to keep up with, and shawn just cant handle it nowadays, not with family and his injuries, its just too complicated

so why is he there? TO PUT OVER YOUNGER GUYS, and he doesnt mind it, he knows he cant handle being champ again, so how the hell does him winning every feud he has help the buisness? HBK is there to help the future of WWE, not for himself, in other words, he will put over who WWE thinks has the potential to carry WWE in the future, and he will draw when WWE needs the ratings, but thats all hes there for, flair is just getting one more run cuz this is his LAST one, i doubt this is HBKs last run lol

and sorry but u guys gotta stop complaining, there comes a time where the older guys have to step aside for the younger guys, thats how EVERYTHING in life is.. time catches up to every1 like it or not, we cant keep seeing HHH, HBK, Taker, Flair etc. as champs all the time, they need to make way for the future, wich they are finally doing

its funny how TNA fans hate that the older guys are holding the younger talent back, though the WWE fans is the other way around, they hate the fact that the younger guys are being put over by the older guys lol

 

[dewdrinker92]

I personally worship HBK, but as many of you have previously stated, he doesnt have much of a purpose anymore. Yes, putting people over "The Icon" is a good way to get them into the upper league of WWE, but I dont see another WWE title run in him. A tag team title or Intercontinental title run, maybe, but his time has passed. New people like Orton/Hardy/Kennedy are running the show now, and old people like HHH are still at the top.

 

[Saiquan]

Michaels is not winning titles because of the schedule that comes with that. he does not want to be the top man any more. It why Michaels beat Cena on Raw in a non title match. It why Michaels beat Orton by Dq or on Raw in non title matches. And it looks like Trips and HBK are moving out the title picture and building new stars. That Survivor Series match made Orton look great. The story told was Michaels would have won if the SCM was banned from the match. that led to the opening for orton when HBK hesitated and Michael still nailed it after the match. It does not make HBK look week but, Orton look stronger. This is what vets are supposed to do. Put folks over i.e sting, flair, hogan (He did put Yoko over), and others so that we can now believe they are main event material. Hey they beat the legend HBK, they beat, HHH htey could win the tile is the goal of that.

In all respect i agree. I love HBK and it kills me to c him lose to sorry ass people such as John Cena or Randy Orton. But that doesn't me he shud have to lose WWE title matches back to back. To make a superstar look good they dont neccessarily have to win the title.Not many people remember HBK for being a 4 time world champion.Its more then about winnin the title its the effort and work u put in a match. Example Shawn didnt win the ladder match back in 1994,but cuz of the work and that bein the 1st ladder match HBK gets ton more credit then Razor Ramon does for keepin the title. Give HBK one more run as champ

 

[hbkrulz8]

HBK is the most talented wrestle there ever was. that is a fact, but i dont want to see him losing to make other superstars look good and make him look bad. not that it does make him look bad but it doesnt make him look good. I know hes been hurting b/c he kept grabing his back at armegedon that might just b an act but im not sure. i hope he is not hurt b/c i wanna see him have the championship one more time b4 he retires and if he does get hurt one more time he is probably going to retire. b/c i wants to spend more time with his family. Come on. i mean look at ric flair. what is he 99 100. Hbk is only in his 40s if ric flair is that old hbk can hold out at least another 5 years (saying he is healthy and doesnt get hurt) maybe less maybe more but i dont think he'll b staying longer but i want him too. b/c he is awesome

 

[LMaruko]

It is that time where the wrestlers of old need to pave way for wrestlers of new. Many popular wrestlers of the 80's-90's (Bret Hart, The Rock, Steve Austin, Mick Foley) have moved on, whereas Michaels is still there, wrestling his finest. Shawn Michaels has been in the business since 1984, and he has some talent left in him. But, he can't be star power all the time like he used to be. Look at the Undertaker. A [15-0] Wrestlemania record, but he loses nearly all the time now, to give other wrestlers the push they need to be a part of the starlight. Jericho got his push by defeating Austin AND The Rock in one night, becoming the undisputed WWE Heavyweight champion (and the "undisputed" part lasted for just a little bit afterward as a joke). Now, Michaels is just in the WWE to have himself used as a stepping stone for newer faces.

I love Shawn Michaels because of his ring ability, his mic skills, and his overall personality. I loved the show where Trips asked him for a stripper, and Michaels got a fat ugly stripper, and said "I'm a father of two that only knows of Dora The Explorer and Little Einsteins!! I don't know what cool is!!" Great stuff. But needless to say, Michaels will become a jobber until the creative team has something good for him.

 

[FoleyIsGod]

HBK is the most talented wrestle there ever was. that is a fact, but i dont want to see him losing to make other superstars look good and make him look bad. not that it does make him look bad but it doesnt make him look good. I know hes been hurting b/c he kept grabing his back at armegedon that might just b an act but im not sure. i hope he is not hurt b/c i wanna see him have the championship one more time b4 he retires and if he does get hurt one more time he is probably going to retire. b/c i wants to spend more time with his family. Come on. i mean look at ric flair. what is he 99 100. Hbk is only in his 40s if ric flair is that old hbk can hold out at least another 5 years (saying he is healthy and doesnt get hurt) maybe less maybe more but i dont think he'll b staying longer but i want him too. b/c he is awesome

Flair doesnt have shot up knees the same as Michaels has. Reports are suggesting that Michaels has maybe a year tops ebfore his knees are too shot up to continue

Though they have the same back, Flair was in a plane crash and was told he would never walk again. This was 30 odd years ago!

 

[TheOneBigWill]

There has been much debate over whether Shawn Michaels has passed his Prime of performing on the same level he once did. The icon known as the Heartbreak Kid has been performing inside the "squared circle" for right around (if not surpass) the 20 year mark.

So the question begs to be asked. Has he passed his prime? If so, why? What makes you feel he needs to retire, what makes you feel he isn't as good as he once was?

If you feel he hasn't, why? Why do you believe he's just as good, or even better? Why do you think he can still go out in the ring & perform with the best of them?

Discuss...

 

[HBK-aholic]

Shawn Michaels is an amazing wrestler. After all this time in the ring he still can deliver everything we have always known him to. He hasn't changed, and despite him getting older, his style and talent hasn't decreased at all.

When you look at the talent the WWE is pushing today, I just thank god of the fact we still have Shawn Michaels along with other more experienced stars to give the WWE everything. In my opinion the future of the WWE should be Kennedy, MVP and a few other superstars. However none are ready to become full time main-eventers just now. Therefore we need Shawn to help them. Which no one can deny is what he has been doing recently.

Also if you look at the passion he holds for the business, it is second to none. You cann tell that by the way he wrestles. By his autobiography, and by how much he puts into the business.

Recently his knees have been giving him some trouble. Yet he still puts on matches better than most of the roster. What does that tell you?

It'll be a sad day for the WWE when he does retire, however I hope he has years to come before we get to that point.

 

[BooCocky]

IMO I think he is past his prime. HBK in his heyday was able to go out their and compete night after night, but today not so much. With his knees they way they are, I couldn't expect much from him because he is in his forties. I still believe he can go toe to toe with the best of em but it is just a matter of time before his knees give out. Then we would have to say bye bye to a great performer. I also believe he is past his prime because he doesn't work a full schedule making me believe he isn't in tip top shape. Also I believe he wouldn't be able to go out their and work a match for over a half hour, even if he did have an hour long match after all. I believe his knees are giving him trouble and IMO he doesn't look like the HBK of old.

 

[HBK-aholic]

See the word great is getting thrown around like it is going out of style.
John Cena is the best entertainer in the world today. A guy that goes out week after week and puts on solid matches. A guy with a great work ethic, a guy that was willing to work through injury to put Orton over clean.
See Kurt Angle is a wrestler, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas are wrestlers, Michaels, HHH, and Undertaker and Cena are entertainers. It is a business, you make money you are staying on top, I believe this is the olnly forum that i belong to that hate Cena as much as they do. Every other one respects the Man, they know he gives it his all every week. Cena is the person the WWE is building their company around for like the next 8 or so years. get used to him because he is gonna be main eventing for years to come

I've watched wrestling for the last 15 years. And during my life watched countless matches from before that time. I watch wrestling for the actual wrestling in it.
You can't say Shawn Michaels isn't a wrestler. He roles being an entertainer in with that. He's one of the best wrestler. if not the best, to step inside the ring. He knows how to work a crowd. I mean he is practically God in some places. He is probably the most hated man in Canada. Yet he wrestles. With a lot of passion.
Cena is hated, by me at least, simply because he got a huge push when he didn't deserve it. The WWE were desperate and needed someone to give them a boost, which to the majority of the world it did.
I aren't saying everyone should hate Cena, this is just my opinion of him, which may be wrong to some people.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

First, I want to state the votes are messed up by mine. I accidentally clicked "yes" because for whatever reason I wasn't thinking the question. But my true vote, is NO, he's definately not beyond his prime.

To me, a person's Prime is their ability to go out & put on a performance that makes you think to yourself that person still has it, or has something new. When I watch Shawn Michaels matches, I can somehow all but always find something new. And his match against Randy Orton, at Survivor Series will contest to that fact.

Shawn Michaels to me, has electrified the W.W.E. fans for going on 20 years, & he hasn't lost a step or missed a beat. When I watch older matches with Shawn, even from 1993 during the early "Heartbreak Kid" era.. I see him as not having nearly the amount of talent he has now.

Someone made the statement, be it here or elsewhere, that they didn't feel Shawn Michaels could go 30 minutes in a match.. but what they failed to realize is he goes 30 minutes in a lot of matches, & beyond. Shawn Michaels v. John Cena, on Monday Night Raw.. went for a solid hour. Shawn Michaels v. Kurt Angle, all 3 of their matches went for 30 minutes, plus.

The point is, the man still has the ability to walk through a curtain, grab your attention & not lose it until his match is over.. at which point you're left with wanting more.

So many people want this man to become World Heavyweight Champion, just one more time.. & he should, simply because he has the shear ability to carry the Championship & make it work. So what if he doesn't work every house show, or his television schedule doesn't have him wrestling EVERY SINGLE WEEK.. it doesn't mean that he couldn't. And he's proved that he could. I've seen Shawn Michaels, since returning go out week in & week out & put on 5 star match, after 5 star match.. & then be the match of the night, at any number of p.p.v.'s.

Bottomline is this.. Shawn Michaels has a gift that NO OTHER wrestler will ever have, & the only person to hold a candle to Shawn Michaels being capable of lasting this long & making everything just as wonderful now, as it was then.. is the Undertaker.

Some may claim Hulk Hogan, due to name popularity.. but Hulk Hogan in his day, couldn't out perform or out wrestle who Shawn Michaels is, on this day, in the ring. Hogan may draw pop due to who he is, but thats where it'll end.

 

[MC Damn]

HBK needs to retire.His knees will calpose of he dosn,t.He is a great wrestler but the man (for his own and familys sake) needs to retire.

Coming back in 2002 didn,t help.And being put into street fights and E.C. didn,t help him either.The man is like a 80 year old granny.

They want to do it by them selfs without help.But they need help.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

I was personally going to wait for Becca to reply & pick this apart, but what you've said gets to even ME to much, so this is my overall take.

HBK needs to retire.His knees will calpose of he dosn,t.He is a great wrestler but the man (for his own and familys sake) needs to retire.

There are a lot of wrestlers in this business, that need to hang up the boots. So to speak. Shawn Michaels, however, is NOT one of them. The man still goes out every night he performs & puts on the best match of the night, & if it isn't, its likely because of his opponent not being capable of hanging with the "old man."

Shawn Michaels may not be "young" anymore, but hes definately not too old to compete. And I think he's proved that by going out & wrestling an hour on Raw against John Cena, or going toe-to-toe with Randy Orton on multiple occations most recently. The fact that he was this previous year's Wrestlemania Main Event proves he's anything but done.

Coming back in 2002 didn,t help.And being put into street fights and E.C. didn,t help him either.The man is like a 80 year old granny.

It proved everything, most importantly that he could still go with the best of them, & even better. Shawn Michaels return sparked an entire generation from the past to stand up & rejoice because of the return. He brought a tear to MY eye, when he won the World Championship in the Elimination Chamber in 2002, & dispite only holding it for a month.. I still eagerly await him reclaiming at least one more World Championship before HIS retirement. (not his forced retirement, like the last time, hopefully)

Your comment on claiming he's an 80 yr. old Granny is by far absurd & outlandish. The man can go, simple as that. Hes put talent like Randy Orton, John Cena, Umaga, & Mr. Kennedy all in their place. Hes showed time after time that he can still go regardless of the time limit.

They want to do it by them selfs without help.But they need help.

I guarantee you, Shawn Michaels doesn't need help doing anything. He knows how much his body can take, I'm sure. And from the looks of everything, he seems good enough to go for at least another several years. If he needs to take off time here & there to recharge, so be it.

I wish no physical or long-lasting, or perminate damage to his body, for the sake of his family.. but he of all people should know what he has. And he's said it before. "If I can't give all I've got, then I can't give anything." In other words.. when the time comes that he feels he won't be able to electrify & entertain to the very best of his abilities.. he'll retire.. but until then, he'll continue putting a smile on people's faces, such as mine.

 

[Shua]

Here's a nice little comparison.

So, HBK needs to retire because of his knees, right? Then why doesn't Ric Flair need to retire because of his back?

I mean, with the way Flair's back has been since forever, why is he still in the business? He's liable to injure himself MORE the way he keeps landing from back body drops, and yet he still wrestles. So, why isn't there any "Ric Flair should retire!" threads? Because, like Shawn Michaels, Flair is entertaining. Whenever either of them get into the ring, you get a great match.

Sure, Shawn might not be as good as he was a few years back, but he's still on par with the top guys. You say coming back in 2002 didn't help? Look at some of his matches since then. Take, for intense, his match against Orton. He wasn't allowed to use Sweet Chin Music and, even though he lost the match, he still should us some impressive wrestling technique.

Even if his role was reduced to continuing to put over the younger talent, I see no reason why Shawn couldn't wrestle for a few more years.

 

[Slyfox696]

To me, a person's Prime is their ability to go out & put on a performance that makes you think to yourself that person still has it, or has something new. When I watch Shawn Michaels matches, I can somehow all but always find something new. And his match against Randy Orton, at Survivor Series will contest to that fact.

A wrestlers prime is that point in which he is making the most money for the company that he will ever make.

With that being said, it's hard to tell if HBK is past his prime or not, as there are many factors which point to him making more money now and being a bigger draw than he was back in the 90s. But, his potential to continue making money and drawing is incredibly limited, so I would have to say he is past his prime.

Some may claim Hulk Hogan, due to name popularity.. but Hulk Hogan in his day, couldn't out perform or out wrestle who Shawn Michaels is, on this day, in the ring. Hogan may draw pop due to who he is, but thats where it'll end.

Hulk Hogan out performed Shawn Michaels at Summerslam with a bad knee and drawing social security. No offense, but this claim is ludicrous.

Hulk Hogan in 1990 could out perform HBK any day of HBK's life. Don't believe me? Check drawing ability. Enough said.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

A wrestlers prime is that point in which he is making the most money for the company that he will ever make.

With that being said, it's hard to tell if HBK is past his prime or not, as there are many factors which point to him making more money now and being a bigger draw than he was back in the 90s. But, his potential to continue making money and drawing is incredibly limited, so I would have to say he is past his prime.

Thats your opinion on "Prime" just like I gave mine on it. I won't debate your opinion on this, because it can be viewed two different ways.

Hulk Hogan out performed Shawn Michaels at Summerslam with a bad knee and drawing social security. No offense, but this claim is ludicrous.

How old earth do you see Hogan out performing Shawn Michaels at Summerslam? Why, because H.B.K. mocked Hogan's every move, by majorly overselling them?

Shawn Michaels has more talent in half his body, than Hogan has ever seen, or had in his entire career as a Professional Wrestler. Hogan's never left the ground, never performed anything more "powerful" or "stunning" than a Big Boot & a Leg Drop.. the first 5 minutes of any Shawn Michaels match is more entertaining than Hogan's entire career.

Hulk Hogan in 1990 could out perform HBK any day of HBK's life. Don't believe me? Check drawing ability. Enough said.

Thats the thing. You base everything off money. Vince McMahon created Hulk Hogan. Terry only plays him. But the fact is, talent wise.. inside the ring, Shawn Michaels has, will & will continue to out perform Hulk Hogan with his talent.

Hogan can live in yester-year with the bigger money draw, but Shawn Michaels lives for entertaining 5,000 people & making sure each one of them love it, than entertaining a crowd of 10's of thousands, & assuming they'll pop for the same ol' pre-ripped shirt, & 20 minute pose down.

 

[HBK-aholic]

HBK needs to retire.His knees will calpose of he dosn,t.He is a great wrestler but the man (for his own and familys sake) needs to retire.

Shawn Michaels will not retire unless he needs to. What you're classing as needs to is a completely different vision to how the majority of people see it. He doesn't need to retire at all. Have you not heard about the back injury he came back from? Listen the truth of the matter is Shawn is a great wrestler. He's already stopped doing house shows, because he felt he needed to and it was best for him and his family. Anyone who has read his autobiographyknows the most importamt things in his life are family and wrestling. And he'll try his hardest never to give either up.

Coming back in 2002 didn,t help.And being put into street fights and E.C. didn,t help him either.The man is like a 80 year old granny.

They want to do it by them selfs without help.But they need help.

This went from an intelligent debate to something a 4 year old would say. The granny comment is unbelivably wrong and immature. Name one granny who can do what he does week in and week out? I also think this comparison is highly disrespectful to Shawn.
In all seriousness though. What does it tell you? He came back from a critical back injury to be as good as before he left. He still put on classic matches. I mean, we wouldn't have had the WM 21 match with Angle (The best match I've ever seen).
He came back and wrestled with the best. Made himself and everyone look great. And he can still do that today.

Also, the WWE would be lost without him.

 

[a0161613]

Hulk Hogan out performed Shawn Michaels at Summerslam with a bad knee and drawing social security. No offense, but this claim is ludicrous.

HBK carried Hogan that night; simple as. IMO your claim is ridiculous. No offense

You say HBK cannot draw. I dispute that, simply due to the fact that at Hogans prime, the industry was completely different in the 80's.

Really, Hogan got over using his massive charisma and having great fueds (with technically superior athletes who could carry him) in a company built around Hulkamania and the Hulkamaniacs.

HBK was there in the attitude era having technically superb matches with people like the hart foundation, razor, diesel and austin consistently over a whole decade.

The difference is Hogan was washed up in the early 80's; HBK came back, got himself over and then is willing to put others over himself.

They both have/had influence in the respective companies but the difference is HBK often seems to use it to benefit the business by trying to put someone over.

The Summerslam encounter was a prime example. A great (albeit) short buildup, HBK has to put on a clinic with a less talented worker in no state to work and comes up with a match worthy of them both. AND HE WAS WILLING TO PUT HOGAN OVER.

Simply put; Hogan would not have done that in HBKs position.

See his match at WM X8 with the Rock for a prime example of that. An OK match, Rock should have gone over but Hogan has to milk the audience for the reaction. That made the Rock look like the heel which was completely illogical given the storyline buildup.

To summarise, Hogan would not know what is best for business if it bit him on his wrinkly backside.

And Will, i completely agree with your point too.

 

[Shocky]

I have always felt that outside of the Shawn Michaels of 1992-1993, that HBK has been completely and utterly over rated, yup, that'll start shit. People like to bitch about Hogan and Hart, or Cena, having the five moves of doom, and essentially, it's the same thing that HBK has. Nip Up, Big Elbow Drop, Tun the Ban Up, Sweet Chin Music, Collect pay check.

Now as far as his prime, Michaels has been in a downward spiral since his feud with Angle in 2005, and that feud, in my opinion, was carried by Angle. The blind fanboy's that preach as if Michaels was the patron saint of sports entertainment kind of disgust me. Since he's been back, Michaels has had good matches, but no good feuds, except Angle.

2006 was a piss poor bore fest with the reunion of DX and a bullshit Match of the Year with Vince McMahon at Mania. Honestly, whoever thinks that McMahon vs. Michaels was the match of the year is simply a blind fucking mark. It wasn't even the 5th or 6th best match on the card.

Michaels hasn't been important to the business since 1997, and even then, that had little to do with him, and more to do with Austin, Hart and the Undertaker picking the ball up after the mess the Kliq had created.

And as far as drawing ability and matches, Michaels doesn't begin to lick the dogshit off of the bottom of Hogan's boots. Hogan may not have the technical ability of a Michaels, but he certainly is a bigger draw, he certainly generates more heat, and his matches always draw the most crowd support on the card.

So as far as out of his prime, hell yes. Michaels in 2007 was a beaten down old man, and he showed it. I respect the hell out of the guy, but he hasn't been the same since his feud with Angle. 2006 was a disgrace to the wrestling business with the shitty version of DX. 2005 he can thank Kurt Angle for getting a good feud out of him. 2004 was a bad year because him and Triple H are simply not the wrestlers they once were. 2003 was the last good spurt that Michaels had.

 

[Luther_Hull]

WAY past his prime, simply put, the guy isn't capable of putting on a main event match anymore, he can barely walk nevermind wrestle. After his latest return it's clear that it's time to hang up his boots, his matches against Orton were both terrible IMO.

Putting people over doesn't exactly make you a good wrestler either, The Great Khali has put people over. Sure, he put Hogan and Cena over, but so he should have, the two at the times of their matches with HBK, were the bigger stars, it just made sense for them to win. And let's not forget how HBK took the absolute piss in his match with Hogan.

So all in all, I'm sure HBK was a great back in the day, but now he's totally past his prime and stale, very stale.

 

[Italian MVP]

IMO, HBK is not passed his prime. For his age, he delievers better than half the roster WWE has today. He put on some pretty good matches with Randy Orton and Cena, epsecially that hour match with Cena. HBK is not passed his prime, he still has the mic skills and can put on matches that half the wrestlers couldnt have even dreamed of. Yes he is a bit stale, but what do u expect? His job now is to put young talent over and he is the best person to do it.

 

[Lyez. D]

When you watch a wrestler all of your life doing the same thing day in and day out you grow respect for the man whether he's heel or not. I respect everything that HBK's done for us and for everyone else but I rather see him healthy than in pain. I think it's due time for a Mick Foley like deal for him. I think he's at his prime. A prime that's lasted 10 years+.