Shawn Michaels WWE Champion

[Cvaldezjr04]

First off, I am a huge Shawn Michaels fan. Always have been since his days with Jannetty as The Rockers. I've follwed him his entire career, and I personally as a fan have always been grateful of the fact that he never jumped ship to "dubya see dubya" when his buddies did. I was never a huge fan of WCW really ever, I tuned in every once in a while to watch Sting. I was a part of the few loyals who no matter what, watched Raw on monday nights during the Monday night wars. So that outta the way, Shawn came back in 2002 to feud with HHH, they had a very nice feud leading to awesome matches. Shawn won the WHC at Survivor series 2002 in the first ever Elimination Chamber, only to lose it a month later to HHH at Armageddon. After that, Shawn was involved in a few series where he was chasing the title, but he never again won it. As a diehard SM fan, I always wanted him to win the title again, but it never happened.
My question to you now: Did shawn Michaels need to win another championship(s) any time in his career post 2002?

If not, why not?

If so, when would have been the right time/feud for him to do so?


Edit: Let me end by saying that I don't ever feel Shawn Michaels felt snubbed or cheated that he was never given another title opportunity, I think he's very content with how his career went from 2002 - 2010. This thread is meant to get insight on the opinion of the fan.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

No he didn't need to win another title, and no I don't think he ever felt snubbed.

If anything, the fact that Shawn didn't hold the title for basically the last decade of his career shows how much he'd changed from the selfish, primadona he used to be.

Old Shawn probably would have worked it out so that him and Triple H traded the titles back and forth for a while before settling in on each having one of the major titles... basically forever. It didn't matter to him though. He was content to go out night after night, entertain, put people over, and basically give back to the business he'd once taken so much from. Shawn's second career, so to speak, could be looked at as his redemption.

 

[James]

Shawn was asked to be WWE champion on many occasions(4-5 if my memory serves me well) and win the RR again, but he rejected it. He said he wanted to put others over, so they can go on to have good careers. He didn't want that life anymore since he had a family and he still wanted to spend time with them. He respected the fact that there were guys who were doing that. Orton had a family and he'd still do the whole championship life, but he was younger; whereas, Shawn was older and he had missed already missed out on half of Cameron's life. He didn't want to miss out on Cheyenne's life. Typing this is making me teary eyed right now, but that goes to show you that he cared for the company and wasn't selfish. Especially compared to what he used to be.

Shawn didn't need to win anymore after his WHC run because he came back and proved that he was even better than before. That was his main goal to come back and show that he still had it. Who can you say had a devastating injury and came back better than before?

Shawn's career was cemented in the 90's and returning just made it even better.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

Coming from possibly the biggest HBK fan ever, I don't think he needed another world title or that it hurt him. I've even heard it was his decision to not get another world title because he didn't need to be "the guy" anymore.

But it kind of bugs me because by the rate superstars win world titles these days HBK should have been atleast a 6-10 time world champ. Even some lesser known superstars will probably get atleast 4 or 5 world title runs by todays standards.

I think he definately should have won the WWE title again. HBK was really hot coming off of Mania 23 and his feud w/Orton for the WWE title was the perfect chance for him to walk away with the championship. Randy was very bland at that point and needed someone to raise his stock and HBK was perfect, but Orton just cheaply got away with the title every time. HBK could have beaten Orton for the title and continued their feud a little longer, eventually feuding with Edge for the WWE title as well and facing off in a triple threat where Orton or Edge won. Or whoever they wanted for Mania too hold the title could have.

 

[FlairFan2003]

I give HBK tremendous credit. When he made his comeback in 2002 he truly wanted to be a "team guy" - not to be a career jobber or be humiliated mind you, but to erase all the bad memories of his behavior during his mid to late 90s heyday. Maybe he realized that his place in wrestling history was pretty low after 1998, that despite all his hard work and twenty years in the business evryone looked down on him for the numerous stories of his refusal to lose matches, difficult backstage to get along with, etc, and he didnt want that to either tarnish his legacy (see Hulk Hogan) or eclispse his legacy and be all anybody ever said about him (see Scott Steiner). Perhaps getting away from drugs, settling down, etc made him see the error of his past behavior.

If he would have come back to WWE and steamrolled everyone en route to padding his World Title total (which he could have since WWE really didnt have many new stars anyone cared to see) he would have continued to be ridiculed and put down, the selfish guy who takes but gives nothing back. HBK certainly had some nice moments during his return, he won another World Title and scored some impressive victories, but he made people better for working with him, and elevated everyone he did a program with. He was Ric Flair not Hulk Hogan, and that was what he wanted. It was also good for WWE, Michaels played a key role in helping establish Batista & Orton as top stars.

If anything, the fact he didnt insist on getting more titles and moving up the ranks of multi time champs ENHANCED his career. HBK comes away as a reformed man, a team player, respected by fans & peers. If he had never come back and performed the way he did that would not be his legacy.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Michaels did not necessarily NEED to win another World Championship, he had already done it all. It would have been nice to see that last run, but we did get the DX Tag Team Championshop reign, which was a great move. If WWE had given him a final title reign then the only time that comes to mind would be the Ladder Match against Chris Jericho in 2008. That was one of the best angles I have ever seen, and Michaels winning the feud would have been just as great (if not better) of an outcome than Jericho winning. He could have held the title up until the Rumble or Elimination Chamber.

I'm sure several will say that he should have defeated Cena at Wrestlemania 23. I disagree there. That victory alongside the victory the previous year against Trips helped establish Cena firmly as THE top guy in the federation. Michaels was also involved with a world title feud when he was putting over Orton in the fall of the same year. Orton needed those victories BADLY. When Cena got injured they were desperate to find someone else to build the show around and Orton had (kayfabe) taken Cena out, so Michaels put him over in their feud. No other time during his 2002-2010 run comes to mind when he had a good chance of winning the title. Other than possibly the Jericho feud in 2008, WWE made the right decision each time. As a Michaels fan I would have liked to see that last title reign, but I understand the fact that he really didn't need one because he was already on his way to legend status.

 

[The Crock]

Shawn Michaels definitely didn't need to win another world championship -- that's a given -- but I think there were a couple of times that the WWE probably could have pulled the trigger on a Michaels title run. Now, I'm not questioning Shawn's logic in not wanting another title reign, he was best served in making other folks look like gold. Though, to be honest, I would gave rather seen Shawn carry the World Heavyweight Championship thank Khali or Swagger (or someone else of that stature). Shawn was a believable champion and by winning the championship, he could have given it the kick in the ass that it's been longing for. Think about it, around the waist of Michaels, the title looks prestigious, you're getting great matches, and you'll be able to put the challenger over unlike anybody elee in the WWE (save for Cena,'Taker, and Triple H) is able to do.

The thing about Shawn, and I'm sure most would agree with me here, is that he's at his absolute best when he's chasing for a championship -- not when he's champion. When Shawn went over Bret in the Iron Man match, it created one of the most magical moments in WWE history; the fans wanted Shawn to get the title, they ate everything he did as the challenger right up, but once he had the title, it all became very forgettable. The same could have happened in his feuds with Cena, Orton, Jericho, etc. Where do you go once Shawn wins the championship? What purpose does it serve? In that respect, it just never made sense to put the title on Shawn -- people always bought into him as a challenger, he was a walking feel good story, but that doesn't necessarily mean he was the right choice to ever hold a world championship again.

So, no, Shawn shouldn't have won another belt. Yeah, he could have, but we wouldn't have enjoyed him nearly as much as we did, had he been a champion again.

 

[AndThat'sTheBottomLine]

I'm a HUGE fan of Shawn. He's one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and while he definitely didn't NEED another world title reign BUT he should've had atleast one or two more good reigns. Two times where a long Shawn reign would be when the put it on Khali, it should've gone to Shawn, and when they put it on Swagger, it definitely should've gone to Shawn. And they could've put it on him to take a break from Cena. But he didn't need it.

 

[HBsam31]

Another huge lifelong fan of HBK here, and he didn't need to win another title, but I have to agree with Dagger Dias in that if he was going to have a last run then him winning the title in the Jericho feud would have been perfect. Thing is Shawn's matches were more often than not better than anything that was going on with the title, and if that wasn't the case he was chasing one of the titles making those champions look like gold. He was already a legend and personally I loved how the last part of his career played out, and we did get the DX tag title run which I really enjoyed.

 

[Cvaldezjr04]

Thanks guys for all yiur input on this thread. I absolutely agree with all of you. Shawn Michaels didn't need to win anymore titles. The fan in me would have loved to have seen it.i think it would have been great at the first Taboo Tuesday in 2004 when Shawn was voted to face HHH for the title.

 

[Owen 3:16 says I just stole your Slammy!!]

I was a big Shawn Michaels fan when he came back in 2002. He had one of the best comebacks that anybody could of have. His summerslam match with HHH is one of the best matches that I ever watched. I agree with most of you, he didn't need the title cause he already is a superstar. Plus, he wanted the young guys to have the belt for a while and have them go over. However, I wish Shawn would of won one more.

 

[midgensa]

As everyone has stated. It was clear that Michaels makes money, sells merch and is completely engrossing without needing the title.

That said ... I still really wish he had gotten one more three-six month run there somewhere with the WWE Championship. I thought they might let him a couple of times. At WrestleMania 23 they could have done it. In his quick feud with Orton they could have done it.

He could have made one more run at Trips. There are all sorts of ways they could have had him run at a title. I personally wish he had gotten one more run. But he most certainly did not NEED another one.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Shawn Michaels, WWE Champion.....has a nice ring to it don't you think?

I would have LOVED to have seen HBK have another run with either the WWE title or the World Heavyweight Title, there was noone more deserving of another title run than The Heartbreak Kid...but he didn't NEED one. Just like Undertaker or Triple H haven't needed the title in a long while. Michaels added value to a card just by being listed on it, he didn't need the strap.

It is a credit to Shawn that he didn't demand to be given the belt. He could have, and probably would have had it been the mid 90s HBK, but the new, reformed Michaels saw the bigger picture. He wanted to build stars, not take the title himself. He obviously had alot of fantastic matches during his second run with the WWE, and plenty of times he was close to winning the belt, but he didn't want it. Had he announced he wanted to be Champion again, he would have been.

Shawn didn't work a full time schedule, he didn't do alot of the house shows, and he wanted to spend time with his family and children, having not been there for them during his earlier WWE run. Credit to him for that. He had his run on time, and he wanted to be a father, not a champion again.

Vince tried to put the belt on him several times and Shawn turned it down. He was offered the chance to go to SmackDown and win the title, but it clashed with his Church schedule, so he passed on the offer.

As a fan, I wanted to see Michaels as Champion again, he deserved it. But if he didn't want it, and wanted to be the guy to make new stars, then we all should respect his decision. It doesn't change the fact that he is one of, if the THE best of all time.

Thank You Shawn

 

[Waylon Mercy]

My two guys throughout the nineties were Bret and Shawn. I have more of a Bret bias, considering I am Canadian, however I always admired Michaels for his natural talent in the ring. The more I read and heard about him over those years, however, turned me off of this guy. He was selfish in his refusal to put others over, and his backstage politics were notorious.
When he came back in the early 2000's he was obviously a different guy. He was older, wiser and a lot more humble. It was during this time that he completely won me over. He was in a different place mentally, and really had nothing left to prove except to make improvements on his reputation. He came back with a fresh outlook, and a new crop of talent to work with. He realized after stellar matches with the likes of his old buddy Triple H, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Ric Flair and the Undertaker (to name a few) that he still had a lot of gas left in the tank. He rediscovered his passion for the business. What he seemed to derive more pleasure from this time around was that it was just as exhilarating to put a guy over as it was to win.
Would I have liked to see him with the belt around his waist one more time? Sure. Was it absolutely necessary? No. The way he went out was the perfect ending in my opinion. First he made amends with his one-time friend and biggest nemesis, Bret Hart. It was a colossal moment not only in his career, but in the history of the sport. Secondly, he capped off his incredible run as an active wrestler at the grandest stage of them all against the Undertaker. His two last Wrestlemania encounters with the Deadman were spectacular and dramatic. I think he truly can rest in peace knowing that he poured his heart and soul into his last big match of his career.