Shawn Michaels: Hits from the Heartbreak Hotel

WrestleMania XXVI is a mere memory now. And as we all know, the illustrious career of the "Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels has come to an end. A 25 year career that started in San Antonio met its demise at the hands of The Undertaker. I've tried to come up with a list of the top five matches in his career, but I don't know that there truly is a way to gauge the five best matches over a 20-plus year career. So I'm picking a few of his best matches out of a hat and we'll go from there.

Being a wrestler of ten years myself, Shawn Michaels was one of the reasons I got into this wild and wacky world of professional wrestling. He was one name on a distinguished list of influences that made me realize I wanted to be in a line of work where I got the crap kicked out of me for a living and dish out my own beating and not get in trouble for it. So that said, five of my favorites involving The Showstopper, the Icon, the Headliner...and the Main Event. This is my own version of HBK's career. By the way, these are in no particular order.

The first one is going to take us back to 1994. The event was WrestleMania X at Madison Square Garden, and was the now infamous Ladder Match against Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) for the WWE I-C Title. This was the match that was an inspiration to former WWE World Heavyweight Champion and current TNA mainstay Jeff Hardy. Michaels nearly cost Ramon the gold a couple of months earlier at the Royal Rumble. They spent the time between the Rumble and WrestleMania debating on who the real champion was, so a match was made to determine the undisputed WWF I-C Champion. As if they weren't already established superstars, this match cemented their legacy in WWF/WWE history. It was a back and forth match that saw the classic missed splash from the top of the ladder by Michaels that is shown in several clips you see. Ramon would climb the ladder and capture the belts. It was a belt that Michaels wouldn't see until 16 months later. As a wrestler myself, it's a match that had its share of technical moves and was a classic encounter that I catch myself watching on a regular basis.

The second match on the list is the infamous Iron Man match from WrestleMania XII in Anaheim. Michaels was chasing the WWF Championship from then-champion, Bret "Hitman" Hart. He was following the lifelong dream of becoming WWF Champion, and spent several weeks training with Mexican legend Jose Lothario. Michaels was the winner of the 1996 Royal Rumble, which put him in the main event of WWF's grandest stage. A lot of people were surprised to see Bret almost outwrestled early in the match, as Michaels met him move for move, reversal for reversal. The controversial ending came with Michaels locked in the Sharpshooter as the 60-minute time limit expired. The stipulation was that there must be a winner, so the match was restarted. A couple of minutes into overtime, Michaels connected with a second dose of Sweet Chin Music, and was able to put the legendary Hitman away, capturing his first ever World Championship.

The third match goes way back into the archives. Michaels was a part of one of the greatest tag teams of the 20th century. He and Marty Jannetty comprised the Midnight Rockers. For the majority of the late 1980s, the Rockers were a leading force of the AWA's tag team division. There was a match in the summer of 1986 between the Rockers and the AWA World Tag Team Champions, "Playboy" Buddy Rose and "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers. These two teams battled viciously throughout the 80s until the Rockers were lured to the WWF at the end of the decade. They traded the AWA tag titles back and forth, and this match was felt by many to be the pinnacle of the feud. It has been recognized as the "AWA bloodbath" by many in the industry, with Rose and Sherri Martel being the only two that didn't shed any blood that night. The match ended in a double disqualification as all four men brawled throughout the building, and eventually had to be broken up by referees and other wrestlers. This match put the Rockers on the map as a legitimate tag team and led to the beginning of one of the greatest careers in wrestling history.

The fourth match goes back to the Attitude Era, as HBK defended the WWF Championship against "StoneCold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV in Boston. Michaels injured his back at the Royal Rumble in a Casket Match against The Undertaker, and many felt he was in no condition to compete against the guy that would lead the WWF into a new generation for several years. The outside factor here was the special enforcer, being boxing bad boy Mike Tyson. Michaels was facing back surgery and a four year hiatus from the WWF. Michaels struggled through a hard-fought match but passed the torch to the Texas Rattlesnake, and handed the WWF off to a new era of sports entertainment.

The last match on the agenda was a tough one. I thought about the 60 minute classic that HBK did with John Cena in London on Raw, or maybe the WrestleMania 24 match against Ric Flair. But ultimately, I had to go to WrestleMania 25 here in Houston against The Undertaker. A match that hadn't happened since the first-ever Hell In A Cell encounter back in 1997. Shawn spent several weeks trying to tell the WWE Universe that he could defeat the Undertaker and erase the undefeated streak that has claimed so many legends before him.

Michaels and Undertaker left everything they had in the ring, however neither were able to put each other down with multiple signature and finishers. At one point, the Undertaker dove over the top rope. But instead of diving onto Shawn Michaels, he collided with a cameraman and crashed to the arena floor of Reliant Stadium. Following a series of choke slams and an eventual Tombstone Piledriver, HBK came up short in his quest to end the undefeated streak.

These are just five random matches I picked. If you guys have a favorite match from his career, by all means post your favorites because I would love to see them. You can see all of the WrestleMania pics and videos from the 'Mania matches I mentioned at WWE.com's WrestleMania section. Over the next several weeks, I'll go through and pick favorite superstar matches from the past, favorite championship matches, or even highlight pay per view events. And if there's somebody you want to see featured, please let me know!