When fans start laying out their respective wrestling Mount Rushmores, there is an almost endless list of potential names that could come up. The Undertaker, Ric Flair, The Rock, and naturally, Shawn Michaels.
The Heartbreak Kid tore up the wrestling ring for years, both as a member of different teams and factions, as well as one of the most popular singles competitors of all time. But that doesn't mean that his career has been all great. Like anyone who has been in the business as long as Shaw Michaels, there have been a lot of ups and downs, with a strong case for him getting better or worse, over the years.
8 GOT WORSE: Leaving Marty Jannetty Behind
When fans first got to know Shawn Michaels, he was part of a fan favorite tag team called The Rockers. They were colorful, energetic and had great chemistry in the ring. But it became apparent quite quickly that Michaels was going to be a singles star, particularly after he threw Jannetty through the window of Brutus Beefcake's Barber Shop.
The move saw Michaels put to the forefront of the company, which may have gone to his head quite quickly. There have been many wrestlers who have made some nasty allegations about his backstage attitude during that era.
7 GOT BETTER: Going Solo
While splitting up The Rockers more or less ended in the utter decline of Jannetty's career, it was certainly the beginning of big things for Shawn Michaels. If he had stayed with The Rockers, it's unlikely that he ever would have become a single champion.
Shawn Michaels has always been at his best as a singles competitor, though he was still great in tag teams. After leaving The Rockers behind, Michaels would become one of the most popular and celebrated in ring performers of all time. It's just unfortunate that someone as talented as Jannetty didn't make the same leap.
6 GOT WORSE: The Kliq
Backstage life in professional wrestling was, and is, managed by a rigid hierarchy and steeped in long standing traditions. Wrestlers inevitably seem to form groups of running buddies, who watch each others backs and help push each other forward. For Shawn Michaels, that group was The Kliq.
It consisted of names like Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman and Paul Levesque alongside Shawn Michaels. But their reputation was not always positive, as they were alleged to have been involved in terrible bullying of several wrestlers backstage.
5 GOT BETTER: Mr. WrestleMania
As Michael's solo career picked up steam, he became an increasingly prominent player in the WWE. As time went on, fans realized that a match with Shawn Michaels was almost always guaranteed to be a historic one. He was one of WWE's top performers, and remains a legend that new superstars want to live up to.
In particular, Michaels became associated with huge matches at WrestleMania. His final two bouts on The Grandest Stage of Them All were against his long time rival, The Undertaker. Both matches were absolutely incredible.
4 GOT WORSE: Joined The WWE Version Of nWo
Joining the watered down WWE version of the nWo was not what Michaels or WWE needed. After buying WCW, Vince McMahon spent a long time trying to put his new assets to good use. Some of those endeavors were more successful than others.
The WWE's attempt to bring back the nWo fell flat on its face. The only reason Shawn Michaels was part of it was because he would most likely have joined the nWo with his friends, had he jumped ship to WCW back in the 1990s. It was a giant dud, and a waste of everyone's time, especially Shawn's.
3 GOT BETTER: Stayed Retired...Mostly
Wrestler retirements are about as firm as superheroes dying in the comics. They almost always come back, and not usually as good. All one has to do is look at Ric Flair's post-retirement TNA run to see how bad things can get.
After Shawn Michaels faced off against The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI and lost, he retired from in ring competition. It was a smart move on his part because it was a great match to go out on. Plus, he made the right choice to step away from the ring while he was still on his game, and could leave fans with great memories.
2 GOT WORSE: One More Match
Unfortunately for those same fans, Michaels got tempted back to the ring for one more bout. It was a tag match that pit him and Triple H against The Undertaker and Kane at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia.
The problem was that none of the four men in the match were anywhere near their best. At that point, it had been eight years since Michaels had wrestled and it showed. The bout was a botch fest that was hard for people to watch. Hopefully, wrestling fans remember WrestleMania XXVI as his last match and not this one.
1 GOT BETTER: Working In The Performance Center
NXT has proven to be the brightest light in the booking nightmare WWE has become for the most part. Triple H spearheaded the initiative, pushing WWE's training ground into becoming a brand all on its own.
Shawn Michaels has become heavily involved over the years, working as a trainer at the Performance Center, and as a producer with NXT. His contributions in helping build the next generations of professional wrestlers will, without question, be the greatest legacy he leaves behind in the business.