To say that Shawn Michaels is no stranger to controversy is like saying Batman is no stranger to fighting crime. The comparison of Shawn Michaels to Batman may be farfetched because Michaels, at one point in his career, had to be controlled and contained as best as possible.

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Michaels was part of numerous legendary moments not just in WWE but in all of professional wrestling. Shawn dropped jaws with his in-ring performance but all various points in his career would drop jaws from his cringy words and actions.

10 Obscenely Taunting A Fan

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In the early days of the Attitude Era, segments featuring Shawn Michaels were needing a TV-14 rating. In some instances, Shawn pushed the line and would present himself in ways that would be suited to have a TV-MA rating but in one case he walked the line with an X rating.

Following a match on Raw in 1997, Michaels took issue with a fan in the front row and would mock him by mimicking a sexual act that was caught by the camera. Jim Ross and Vince McMahon were on commentary and immediately expressed their disgust.

9 Yelling At Vader Live On PPV

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The 1996 edition of SummerSlam closed with Shawn Michaels retaining his WWE Championship over "The Mastadon" Vader. Michaels was clearly outmatched in the size department but still managed to pull off the victory though it was not without an anger outburst.

During the match, as he did several times, Shawn climbed to the top rope but at one point Michaels jumped off as if to deliver his signature flying elbow drop but he quickly straightened out to land on his feet. Shawn then yelled at Vader audibly shouting, "I SAID MOVE!" along with throwing a few kicks. Years later, Jim Ross recounted the incident and said Michaels was lucky Vader did not take liberties with that outburst.

8 Sunny Interview At One Night Only

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The history of the affair involving "The Original Diva" Sunny and Shawn Michaels is well-known a quarter-century later. Public comments and innuendos were passed around the locker room, the wrestling community, and even on national television. Shawn was primarily the one to stir the pot with Sunny, especially with the "Sunny days" promo on Raw in 1997.

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In September 1997, WWE presented the One Night Only PPV in England that closed with a clash between Michaels and The British Bulldog. Earlier in the evening, Sunny conducted a backstage interview with Shawn where he held her close. The interview dragged along and Shawn could be seen looking at Sunny's chest throughout. He also made comments about Sunny and his libido flaring up.

7 Potentially Inebriated Promo

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Leading into the 1997 King of the Ring event, Shawn Michaels was brewing a rivalry with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. A backstage interview with Shawn happened on the June 2nd Raw conducted by Vince McMahon. The segment was less than a minute which may have been a minute too long.

In the segment, Shawn appeared a little "loopy" and was stuttering over his words. Shawn out of nowhere said he admired Vince for giving him a live mic with the mood that he was in. At the time, Michaels was dealing with substance issues but he also could have very well been trolling. Nevertheless, the promo gave the impression that Shawn was not 100% there.

6 Vulgar Promo In, And About, Canada

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An international warfare storyline organically grew in 1997 between The Hart Foundation, representing Canada, against the United States. As WWE events largely take place on American soil and as the company is American-based, the Harts were primarily the heels. North of the border, the Harts were the biggest heroes and with that, Canadian fans began to despise American wrestlers.

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Months before the Attitude Era officially kicked off, Shawn Michaels conducted an in-ring interview with Jim Ross on the July 21 episode of Raw which took place in Canada. Shawn made sexual innuendos about Canada in addition to LGBTQ-related comments. The storyline intensity escalated but not without the usage of some taboo remarks.

5 Diana Smith Harassment Angle

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On the April 29, 1996, episode of Raw, WWE Champion Shawn Michaels was accused by Diana Smith, then-wife of The British Bulldog, and Jim Cornette of harassment towards Diana stemming from the In Your House PPV the prior night. This story was an attempt to have Shawn overcome the adversity of the accusations, prove his innocence, and get revenge on those who orchestrated the plan.

Cornette came at Michaels like a bat out of hell, calling him a "pervert", claiming Shawn tried to sleep with Bulldog's wife by steering her into a corner and propositioning her. Jim also called Michaels a "sexual deviant", a "sleaze bag", and a "fornicator". Diana took to the microphone to say that Shawn wanted her, to which Michaels told her to not flatter herself, earning him a slap from a Diana and a subsequent brawl with Bulldog.

4 Little People's Court

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Jumping more than a decade ahead to 2009, the December 21st Raw featured a segment known as The Little People's Court. Hornswoggle was attempting to get the good graces of Shawn and Triple H in order to join D-Generation X. Shawn and Hunter would get 'Swoggle's hopes up but would attack him in a comical fashion.

Hornswoggle summoned DX to court for their misdeeds. The segment was a parody of the courtroom television show The People's Court, but heavily mocked little people who comprised the court personnel. Michaels and Hunter would continuously make wisecracks about their height with derogatory terms. The show had a happy ending though as Hornswoggle was granted membership into DX.

3 Crown Jewel 2018 Appearance

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Michaels drastically changed his appearance in April 2018 when he cut off the long hair that he had for most of his career. Shawn's hair loss and receding hairline were no secret and, to be fair, it is a natural occurrence. Albeit the reason, the hair began to become less and less over the months and by fall, it was all gone. Around this time, a dream match was being built for Crown Jewel between D-Generation X against Kane and The Undertaker.

The four made weekly appearances on Raw where Shawn's baldness would begin to be seen despite wearing a headband. At Crown Jewel, there was no headband and Michaels appeared with a completely bald head. It was hard for fans to focus on the action with such a major change for a legend being fully seen for the first time. The match itself was not without flaws, but Shawn's appearance certainly got lots of attention.

2 No-Selling Randy Orton's Punt

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No-selling a finisher is a very bold move to do in professional wrestling. It has been done sporadically around the world for decades and usually never receives a positive review. A wrestler going into business for themself is always frowned upon and it is no different when a no-sell is planned in a match or segment. En route to his WWE Championship match at SummerSlam 2020, Randy Orton attacked special guest Shawn Michaels on the August 17th Raw.

Michaels gave his endorsement to Orton's opponent and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. Orton would sneak up behind Michaels and deliver an RKO before punting Michaels in the head. Michaels would only stay down for a few seconds before he started to slowly get up. Fans were immediately critical of Michaels, questioning how he could get up so soon following a kick to the head.

1 Canadian Home Shopping Network Appearance

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Home shopping television networks were a major marketing tool in the 1990s. The concept still exists today, but in a time when online shopping was non-existent, companies strongly pushed their products through television adverts. In 1995, Shawn Michaels was asked to help endorse WWE products internationally by appearing on the Canadian Home Shopping Network in a one-hour block. It started off smoothly by advertising Shawn's products but eventually, Bret Hart's products were brought out.

Shawn did not seem to care much for endorsing Bret's products, especially to Canadians, but it also did not help that the show's hosts were acknowledging that Shawn was a former champion and was asking him to confirm that he was beaten by specific wrestlers. The hosts did not come off as wrestling fans and seemed to be expecting over-the-top promo responses from Shawn. To give HBK credit, he did stay on the entire hour, but it was clear he was not having a fun time.