Shawn Michaels (wrestler)

Everyone knows Shawn Michaels as "The Heartbreak Kid". People know him for doing a sort of Chippendales-style striptease act before wrestling. Most of all, they know him as being the bitter rival of Canadian pro wrestler Bret "The Hitman" Hart and being part of the famed "Montreal Screwjob". But, there are many sides to this person, as there are to all people. What you see is not necessarily what you get with him.

Birth name: Michael Shawn Hickenbottom

DOB: 07/22/1965

Where: Phoenix, Arizona

Trivia

-He was trained by Jose Lothario, a wrestling legend

-He started training in Kansas, where he met his future tag team partner Marty Jannetty. A year later, the AWA contacted him after he sent them videos and they suggested he team up with Jannetty again. They became known as "The Midnight Rockers" because of their habit of staying out past midnight. Their entrance theme was "Living After Midnight" by Judas Priest. Because of their raucous, rowdy habits, they earned a bad reputation. The tag team was hired by WWE CEO Vince McMahon, but they were fired after an incident at a bar in Buffalo, New York

-He won the first 60 minute "Iron Man Match" against Bret Hart at WrestleMania XII

-Was involved in the famous "Montreal Screwjob" at Survivor Series '97 in Montreal. Bret Hart refused to lose in front of his Canadian fans and lose their respect. It's been said that Michaels worked with referee Earl Hebner and Vince McMahon, who were both listed as being involved in addition to Triple H and Shawn McMahon. This list of conspirators worked together to strip Bret Hart of the title because Hart refused to lose the respect of his Canadian fans. It was engineered that Michaels would perform Bret's own signature move, the sharpshooter, against him and when Bret was down, the bell rung and Michaels declared the winner

-He wrestled his first match in over 4 years on 08/25/2002. It was Summer Slam at Nassau Collisseum in New York. His opponent was fellow wrestler and friend Triple H. He defeated his opponent in a pin-fall move in a non-sanctioned match. When the match ended, Triple H attacked Michaels by hitting him in the head and lower back with a sledgehammer

-In 1998, at the Royal Rumble, his opponent was The Undertaker. It was a casket match for the WWE title. Michaels hit the casket with his back, which would lead to his retirement. He stayed out of wrestling for years until WrestleMania 14, where he would wrestle his last match in close to four years

-In high school, Michaels and a friend of his, Kenny Kent, decided their act in their school's talent show would be a 30 minute wrestling bout. They won second place and Michaels notes it's hard to win against cheerleaders

-His interest in professional wrestling began at age 12 when he watched it on TV. Later on, he and his friends would practice wrestling moves in their swimming pool

-He was one of the few wrestlers who never made the switch from WWE to WCW. He stayed with WWE for 17 years

-NWA/TNA wrestler Michael Shane (now known as Matt Bentley) is a cousin of his

-With his father being in the Air Force, he and his family were forced to move constantly. The family finally settled in San Antonio, Texas when he was a teenager

-He is the youngest of four children. He has a sister named Shari and brothers Scott and Randy. His mother hoped he would be born a girl

-Michaels is an officially licensed and ordained Pentecostal Minister

-Things between Jannetty and Michaels had been rough since Michaels went into singles matches. He patched things up between him and Jannetty in 2004. He baptized Jannetty, who later became a Christian

-Michaels is listed as the inspiration/reason for becoming a wrestler by wrestlers Edge, Christian, Chris Jericho, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy

-At the March 26, 2010 WrestleMania 26, he was retired by The Undertaker

-Despite his birth name being Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, he's always gone by Shawn because doesn't like the name Michael.

-He gives his son Cameron credit for being the one to get him off drugs. He says that his son seen him passed out on the sofa. Michaels recalls crying like a baby in the bathroom later knowing his son was aware of the clearly bad state of mind

-He defeated Dave "Davey Boy" Smith aka "The British Bulldog" at the Saturday Night Main Event in October 1992

-His drug addiction began in 1986, when, as a 20 year old wrestling rookie, he was in Las Vegas and won $750 on a slot machine. Later on, that money went towards cocaine, which he tried for the first time. This would lead to a nearly debilitating drug problem

-He and Bret Hart patched things up in 2010 when they met on air and shook hands, thus ending the bitter feud between the two

-In 2004, he was in a No Disqualification match against Kane. He injured his eye after taking a nasty hit to the head. The hit damaged his retina. At the time, the injury wasn't considered severe enough to warrant taking time off work. But, as time progressed, it became more noticeable. As a result of the detached retina he now has, he now suffers from amblyopia, better known as simply lazy eye. People nowadays call it "the Shawn Michaels lazy eye".