From his 1987 debut all the way through current in ring appearances, Shawn Michaels has enjoyed a storied career in the WWE which few could rival. Vince McMahon’s “golden child” of the 90s, “The Heartbreak Kid” has been an almost constant actor in many of the most high-profile rivalries of the past three decades.
While anyone who has witnessed “The Showstopper” in the ring will acknowledge Shawn’s in-ring ability, many aren’t as familiar with the many ways Shawn has used his superstardom to influence the careers of others. Whether in the main event scene, or backstage politics, all ten of these superstars either saw their careers flourish, fade away, or (at least temporarily) falter at the hands of “Mr. WrestleMania.”
10 Held Back: Mike Knox
In November of 2006, Mike would team with Edge, Randy Orton, Gregory Helms, and Johnny Nitro as Team Rated-RKO in the annual elimination tag match at Survivor Series. During this bout, Team Rated-RKO would take on Team DX, which consisted of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Matt and Jeff Hardy, and CM Punk.
Roughly 40 seconds into the match, Knox received a Sweet Chin Music from HBK which put him down for the three count. As the time would imply, Knox had no time to mount any offense, set up for a distraction by Kelly Kelly. To make matters worse, Michaels went to the DX corner asking who Knox was after the elimination, highlighting the small role Knox played in the WWE at the time. While this example of poor booking may not have ended Knox’s career, he was removed from television shortly after this event, failing to find traction again until late 2008.
9 Pushed: Marty Jannetty
The Midnight Rockers made their way through Central States Wrestling and the American Wrestling Association before debuting in WWE as The Rockers in 1988. A young, energetic tandem, Michaels and Jannetty saw fast success which would follow them through any promotion they found themselves.
Though the two started and grew together, Michaels would eventually be the face that WWE pushed. Given the constant callbacks to this period in later returns by Jannetty, it is clear that HBK built a foundation for his partner. What is unclear is how either of their careers may have progressed without the infamous Barber Shop segment.
8 Held Back: Vader
“The Man They Call Vader” arrived in the WWE in 1996 following a successful decade wrestling in various other promotions. An impressive competitor who had held the top titles at WCW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Vader had a strong foundation for success. Added to his past accomplishments, Vader began his run in the WWE showing dominance over talent such as Yokozuna, Ahmed Johnson, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. His build-up even saw him earn a pin over WWE Champion Shawn Michaels in a six-man tag match which included Owen Hart and The British Bulldog in his corner.
Unfortunately for his future with WWE, that would be where Vader’s push ended. Booked for a title shot with HBK at Summerslam 1996, Vader dominated, and initially won the match TWICE – by count-out and disqualification – before being pinned by Shawn Michaels for the loss following a series of back and forth attempts and a lackluster moonsault from HBK.
According to backstage rumors, Michaels didn’t feel that Vader should take the title. Whether or not this main event loss was the result of backstage politics, it certainly served as the catalyst for Vader’s downfall with WWE. The remainder of his time with the organization would see rivalries with The Undertaker, a failed Tag Team Championship run with Mankind, a loss as the leader of Team USA at Summerslam 1997, and various smaller feuds. All told, before Vader could gain any real legitimacy, Michaels buried him and effectively ended any potential he had with the company moving forward.
7 Pushed: Triple H
Since his 1995 in-ring debut, Hunter Hearst Helmsley displayed uncanny ability and an amazing physique. While it is absolutely possible that “The Game” would have found success on his own, that path was never fleshed out. Plucked up almost immediately by “The Kliq,” Triple H found himself in the company of headliners from the start. While this membership would initially cost him the 1996 King of the Ring, Helmsley’s relationship with Shawn Michaels would vaunt him into the next level of his career time and time again.
Outside the ring, HBK helped Triple H sell the concept of adding Chyna as his bodyguard, which would usher in Triple H’s dominance of the mid-card. As monumental as this was for Triple H, it was the in-ring relationship with Shawn Michaels which pushed Triple H into the main event scene. Following Shawn’s exit at WrestleMania XIV, Triple H would emerge as a leader of D-Generation X, riding the wave of superstardom ushered in with HBK. This foundation would maintain Triple H’s status as a top talent for the rest of his career.
6 Held Back: The British Bulldog
Most know the story of One Night Only in 1997. For those who don’t, this was a PPV event held in Birmingham England. For the main event and One Night Only, HBK was booked to challenge The British Bulldog for the European Champion. While Bulldog was initially planned to retain his title in his home country, Michaels convinced Vince McMahon to give him the title in the match.
This win marked a few points. For starters, this was the first time The British Bulldog had lost in the UK. If that wasn’t bad enough, less than two months later, Michaels would take the WWE Championship from Bret Hart in the infamous Montreal Screw Job. He would then give the European Championship to Triple H, completely negating any purpose to his reign. In exchange, these events would culminate in The British Bulldog departing the WWE.
5 Pushed: Razor Ramon
Following HBK’s 1993 suspension for steroids, Razor Ramon would defeat Rick Martel to claim Michaels’ vacant Intercontinental Championship. Upon his return to the ring, Michaels pointed out that he had never lost the title, and entered into a rivalry with Ramon to determine the legitimate champion.
Surprisingly, given his penchant for holding other talent back, Michaels would lose his claim to the belt in one of the most legendary matches of all time at WrestleMania X. This ladder match would serve to legitimize Ramon’s reign and set up another HBK push which we will look into later on.
4 Held Back: Dolph Ziggler
While the Spirit Squad wasn’t considered a serious wrestling stable at the time, all five of these individuals possessed a strong measure of talent. Notable among them was Nicky, who would move on to repackage himself in 2008 as Dolph Ziggler.
Given the amount of success he would find three years later in his new role, one has to wonder what Dolph could have done with his original run in the WWE if he had served as more than a whipping boy for Shawn Michaels and the newly reformed DX.
3 Pushed: Diesel
The third member of The Kliq to make this list, “Big Daddy Cool” saw his WWE debut as the bodyguard of HBK. While this immediately placed him in the spotlight, this relationship with Michaels would see Diesel win his first Intercontinental Championship less than one year after his debut.
Michaels and Diesel would go on to win tag team gold before dissolving later that same year. Three days after this dissolve, the real-life Kevin Nash would go on to win his first WWE Championship. Not a bad start, riding on the momentum of his friend Shawn Michaels.
2 Held Back: Damien Sandow
In April 2012, Damien Sandow debuted his “Intellectual Savior” character to moderate success. Seeing an initial winning streak, Sandow was gaining notoriety as a popular and successful heel in the WWE, even seeing placement in the 2012 Money in the Bank ladder match.
At Raw 1000 in July of 2012, Sandow would come face to face with DX. Following this interaction, where Sandow was beaten up by the group, dissolving his singles career. After a disappointing tag team run, Sandow would eventually degrade back to NXT, where he wouldn’t find another legitimate boost until 2014 as an impressionist.
1 Pushed: Stone Cold
Following a heated rivalry which included Mike Tyson, Stone Cold would win his first WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XIV. According to many sources, it was unclear if HBK would drop the title clean in this match, spurring The Undertaker to wait backstage in case Michaels refused. Nevertheless, Michaels dropped the title to Austin, ushering in the first title reign of one of the most iconic superstars in WWE history.
After this match, Michaels wouldn’t see in-ring action for two years. This time allowed new megastars in the company such as The Rock, Triple H, and Steve Austin. All told, this passing of the guard of sorts was the ultimate push that Michaels ever gave to anyone in his career, as it allowed the icons of that era to truly shine without the shadows of the past hanging over them.