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1* AmericansHateTingle: The pro wrestling equivalent might as well be named "Canadians Hate Shawn Michaels", due to the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob. When he fought Chris Benoit and Triple H at ''Wrestling/{{Backlash}} 2004'' in Canada, he was treated as the worst of the lot despite Triple H being the monster heel. However, this does not apply when he's in DX. He even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] it one night in Montreal:
2-->'''Shawn Michaels:''' And because for one night, Montreal forgave me.
3* AwesomeEgo: A general consensus among many fans and his past coworkers is that in his '90s heyday he was a huge jerk about how great of a wrestler he was, and that they couldn't help but agree with him, because he could actually back up his bragging with genuine skill and competence. He seems to have mellowed out on the jerk part since.
4* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
5** "I'm just a sexy boy! (Sexy boy...) / I'm not your boy toy! (Boy toy...)" Originally sung by his then manager, Wrestling/SherriMartel, they re-dubbed him singing it as a heel after he put her in harm's way in a feud with Wrestling/MartyJannetty. By extension, even though it was a mockery, Wrestling/KurtAngle did a hilariously awesome parody called "Sexy Kurt" also including Sherri Martel.
6** His original [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q23uzTeSJbE retirement video tribute]] with "Chances" by Five for Fighting, which no doubt will see a lot of traffic on Website/YouTube due to the results of ''[=WrestleMania=] XXVI''.
7** His "White" theme from ''[=WrestleMania=] XXV'' could probably fit well inside a ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' movie.
8** Though it's not his exclusively, the DX theme, "Break it Down", is definitely a contender.
9* BadassDecay:
10** He didn't win a solo title from 2003 despite many opportunities. That said, he was still always presented as a credible threat and scored meaningful non title wins over folks like Randy Orton, John Cena, and Triple H. As it turns out, the writers and Vince kept wanting to put the World Title on him, but [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Shawn turned them down flat]], saying he wanted to [[TheMentor give other wrestlers a chance]].
11** Also subverted somewhat, as he DID cleanly beat Cena, HHH, Orton, Edge, and basically every other main-eventer of the era in non-title matches during that period. He even beat both HHH and Orton in a few title matches only to be screwed out of the title by technicality or intervening authority figure. He also defeated Ric Flair in the latter's most impressive match in decades.
12* BaseBreakingCharacter: Both among the fans and other wrestlers. There seems to be a general consensus among many of his past coworkers of "He was a great wrestler but he was also a huge jerk." If nothing else, he subjected the world to [[Wrestling/SeanWaltman X-Pac]].
13** Wrestling/BamBamBigelow, one of the victims of Wrestling/TheKliq's reign of terror, [[http://thesmartmarks.com/old_site/artman/publish/article_920.shtml said]] that they, and Shawn in particular, would go up to Wrestling/TheBushwhackers and berate them and that Shawn really didn't like to do jobs.
14** Wrestling/JimCornette [[http://thesmartmarks.com/old_site/artman/publish/article_1093.shtml called]] Shawn the greatest in-ring performer of the 90s but an immature prick backstage, and wishes he'd "grow up a little." He also said that Kevin Nash's only good match was one with Shawn, who Cornette claims "could have a good match with a couch."
15** [[Wrestling/TammyLynnSytch Tammy "Sunny" Sytch]] [[http://thesmartmarks.com/old_site/artman/publish/article_583.shtml said]] that the Kliq tried to get her to breakup with [[Wrestling/ChrisCandido Chris "Skip" Candido]] backstage and join with them, and, when she didn't, they would rib her nonstop, with Shawn being the ringleader.
16** Wrestling/{{Vader}} [[http://thesmartmarks.com/old_site/artman/publish/article_842.shtml said]] that he was surprised by the temper tantrum Shawn threw during their match at ''Wrestling/SummerSlam 1996'' since he had thought Shawn was more professional than that.
17** Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors [[http://thesmartmarks.com/old_site/artman/publish/article_358.shtml said]] that, while Shawn and HHH were easy to work with in the ring, Shawn was an asshole backstage and "got away with more crap than anyone I've ever seen."
18** Even his Kliq compatriots Wrestling/ScottHall and Wrestling/KevinNash conceded that he was a pain in the ass sometimes and deserved the backstage backlash he received from other wrestlers, all while lauding his in-ring talent. Nash even half jokingly later said he missed "prick-Shawn" sometimes.
19* FanonDiscontinuity: A ''lot'' of people would like to pretend that his in-ring return at Crown Jewel 2018 never happened. It wasn't so much the fact that he decided to come out of retirement (people had been clamoring for a match between him and Wrestling/AJStyles for years), but rather that the match itself (a tag team match between DX and the Brothers of Destruction) was ''dreadful''. Triple H tore his pec early into the match, taking him out of it and forcing him to stay outside on the floor for most of it, while both 'Taker and Kane weren't able to keep up and take charge due to their bodies being far out of their primes. This left Shawn having to carry things, and while Shawn looked good for most of it despite having some visible ring rust (and landing on his face during a botched moonsault where his opponents didn't catch him), he was the only one, which wasn't enough to salvage the situation.
20* FranchiseOriginalSin: When Michaels turned heel and betrayed his Rockers tag team partner Marty Jannetty, the intention was for the both of them to become major singles stars. However, it only worked out that way for Michaels, as Jannetty became the poster boy for "the guy left in the dust after the double act is over". Since then, however, Michaels' success was interpreted as part of a formula, resulting in all too many tag teams (especially in WWE) being created and broken up with the intention on forcing the BreakupBreakout trope, to varying results. Ultimately, the minute it became clear Shawn would go much further than Marty, the devaluing of tag team wrestling in WWE was all but inevitable.
21* HarsherInHindsight: Watching his ''[=WrestleMania=] XII'' entrance down a zipline can be quite uncomfortable after ''Over the Edge '99'' and what happened to Wrestling/OwenHart.
22* HoYay: He and Triple H are the walking, talking embodiment of the trope, especially in DX. He also has it with Chris Jericho, John Cena, and The Undertaker.
23* IronWoobie: By the end of some of his matches, all you want to do is wrap the guy in a blanket and stop the bleeding.
24* LauncherOfAThousandShips: He's almost as bad as Wrestling/JeffHardy.
25* MandelaEffect: Wrestling/MartyJannetty wasn't kicked through the barbershop's window by Shawn Michaels, like many fans remembered, but instead thrown through the window ''after'' the superkick.
26* MemeticMutation:
27** ''"OK, so who's been built up since I've been gone?"'' This one [[StatusQuoIsGod just gets funnier]] the more you tell it.
28** "I've lost my smile." This has certainly become a popular reference among wrestling historians.
29** Achieving the "boyhood dream"
30** "LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDER MATCH"
31** "I JUST KICKED STAN!"
32** Perhaps the biggest is his contribution to the vocabularies of twelve-year-old boys everywhere - [[Wrestling/DGenerationX "SUCK IT!"]].
33** The photo of Shawn working as a line cook has become memetic since he's taken over the creative in NXT, producing top-notch matches and storylines, with fans claiming he's "cooking" every show.
34* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound:
35** The "bah-bah-bah-bah" drumbeat and "OOOOH OOOH" opening to "Sexy Boy".
36** [[Wrestling/DGenerationX "ARE YOU READY?"]] *cue crowd losing their collective minds*
37** The stomps (and accompanying sing-along from the fans) preceding Sweet Chin Music also counts.
38** The "click" sound of the Sweet Chin Music connecting.
39* NeverLiveItDown:
40** His part in the Montreal Screwjob, obviously.
41** There's also the thing about him posing for ''Playgirl'' only to later find out it has more of a gay readership than female (which even got referenced during DX's 2006 reunion).
42** If you ask the internet, Shawn was doing coke every night between WM 12 and his first departure, and the real reason he didn't wrestle for 4 years was Vince telling him to get clean or get out.
43* ShockingMoments:
44** The probability of these increases exponentially when you put him in a gimmick match.
45** The dude main-evented ''[=WrestleMania XIV=]'' with TWO CRUSHED VERTEBRAE. It's largely considered the match of the night.
46* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The chord progression from "Sexy Boy" sounds a lot like "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer. It also brings to mind "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)" by Quiet Riot.
47* UnintentionallySympathetic: He was the heel in the inaugural Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker. Given that the entire match is basically [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown Shawn getting the snot pounded out of him while scared and bleeding,]] it can be easy to forget that.
48* VindicatedByHistory: Ironically, in his first reign as WWF Champion, HBK is one of the worst drawing champions in WWF history. This isn't really due to Michaels's performance, but more because said reign lasted through 1996, meaning that he had to compete against WCW forming the nWo.[[note]]In a further irony, Wrestling/KevinNash as Diesel was an even worse draw as champion, but then went to WCW and founded the nWo.[[/note]] Could anyone else in WWF at that time have done better? Not likely. This also takes a whole new meaning nowadays with the introduction of an even lower time of drawing attendance for WWE shows along with the introduction of many even lesser-drawing WWE Champions, including [[Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield JBL]], Wrestling/JinderMahal and Wrestling/KofiKingston. This moved Shawn's reigns[[note]]and Nash's[[/note]] all the way to the middle of the table.[[note]]Ironically, both Mahal and Kingston (but especially Mahal) would also improve JBL's standing.[[/note]]
49* WTHCostumingDepartment: HBK has had quite the eclectic and memorable wardrobe throughout his career, but one infamous blemish -- primarily due to the fact the match itself was memorable for Michaels in all of the ''right'' reasons -- was his ''brown'' tights in the Elimination Chamber match at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'' 2002. Not only were they in an uncharacteristically unflattering color, [[ObviousBeta they also weren't even finished]] -- they were supposed to spell out "HBK" in blue/white letters, but only the "H" was properly stitched on by the time of the match and he had to make do. Funnily enough, he never would wear this gear again, likely because even if finished as intended, it wouldn't be that much of an improvement.

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