Shawn Micheals is a name that is echoed in the halls of wrestling royalty. One of the absoute best performers of this day, and one of the greatest showmen in wrestling history. His legacy was built in the 90’s & 2000’s as Mr. Wrestlemania & as a member of the legendary D-Generation X faction alongside Triple H. Nowadays, he doesn’t wrestle anymore. He was retired by Undertaker at Wrestlemania 26 in an emotional Career vs. Streak match, and never wrestled ever again. Unless you count that weird DX vs. Brothers Of Destruction match from Saudi Arabia that no one wanted to see, and most fans refuse to acknowledge.
What Shawn Has Been Doing
With his running mate Triple H in charge of the NXT brand, it was only a matter of time before Shawn reported to the WWE Perfomance Center as a coach and to NXT as a producer. It’s been reported that Shawn works with the more experienced wrestlers at the Performance Center, and prior to NXT becoming the third brand of WWE, he would ensure call-ups were prepared for the big stages of the main roster. A talent like Shawn is surely a huge asset to the young talent, but with a mind like his for epic matches, his talent truly shines once again.
Shawn Micheals was the kind of wrestler who could play to anyones strengths to steal the show on any given night, he could brawl with Mankind, put on wrestling classics with Kurt Angle, and tell unforgettable stories with The Undertaker. This is something he’s done for the NXT Roster, helping put together matches like the 6 man ladder match to crown the inaugural North American Champion, and most recently the War Games match between Team Ciampa & The Undisputed Era.
His Obvious Influences
His influence showed perfectly in two iconic moments from those matches. In the ladder match, a match type he helped innovate, Velveteen Dream climbed to the top of the biggest ladder he could find, and dropped a diving elbow drop right onto his competition. The style and grace reminded many of Macho Man Randy Savage and of course, Shawn Micheals.
In War Games, when surprise entry Kevin Owens squared off against Adam Cole, they did a segment move for move from Micheals legendary clash with Stone Cold. After exchanging taunts, KO went for a stunner, Adam Cole reversed and went for a superkick, only for KO to counter that and finally nail a stunner for a near-fall which was broken up by Roderick Strong. They channeled the energies of legends gone past, and fans caught on very quickly.
The showstopper will never wrestle again, but he will groom the next generation of stars to fill his massive shoes, and while he can never be replaced, he can ensure his legacy lives on through that of his students and peers. I love that Shawn has found a passion in wrestling again by being a producer. It is the perfect role for him at this point in his career, his body is no longer willing, but his brain is better than ever for wrestling. Now if he can get someone to mimic his performance against Hulk Hogan at Summerslam, I will never ask for anything again.
