10 Best Shawn Michaels WWE WrestleMania Matches
Mr. WrestleMania, huh? Quite.
As we draw closer to WrestleMania 39, one can't help but think about Shawn Michaels' final match at WrestleMania 26, where the Heartbreak Kid wrestled - and ultimately lost to - The Undertaker in a Streak vs. Career match.
Crown Jewel never happened, alright? This was it. This was Shawn Michaels' last ever WWE match. Got it? Good.
The Showstopper's Career versus Streak showdown with The Phenom was the last entry to his CV of impeccable WrestleMania performances. Over the years, Michaels had developed a reputation for being the standout performer at the Granddaddy of Them All whenever he was given the opportunity and he made sure to go out with another.
There are other wrestlers who boast some truly exceptional WrestleMania matches, but nobody has had more than Michaels. As we celebrate Michaels' birthday, it feels apt to revisit some of the most historic and best in the show's long and illustrious history, while also celebrating the career and legacy of the man who definitely didn't come out of retirement in Saudi Arabia.
10. Vs. Mr. McMahon - WrestleMania 22
Most of Shawn Michaels WrestleMania classics are simply incredible wrestling matches that illustrate why HBK is one of the best to ever do it.
His match with Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 22, however, was a little different.
Since the CEO has about as much natural athletic ability and coordination as a bag of wet cement, they were unlikely to exchange arm drags and suplexes and instead opted for pure theatre, employing every bell and whistle they could to disguise the chairman's shortcomings and create a spectacle fitting of his greatest creation.
Shawn's feud with the McMahons had made for great entertainment, as Vince in particular hammed it up something fierce in segments and promos. That continue into 'Mania, where he showed up buffed and bronzed and accompanied by a portrait of his recent Muscle and Fitness magazine cover.
Naturally, that portrait ended up smashed over his own head, in one of the many fun spots from this wacky No Holds Barred match.
The Showstopper took it to his boss by battering him with anything he could get his hands on and fought off the Spirit Squad and Shane McMahon (after inducting the son into his father's special club), before proceeding with the demolition job, hitting Vince with an incredible elbow drop from the top of a ladder, as he lay there on a table with a bin on his head.
A Sweet Chin Music to the bloodied Genetic Jackhammer got the job done for Michaels, though Vince managed to steal the show while being wheeled away after his beating by raising a defiant middle finger to his paying audience.
Written by Lewis Howse
Features journalist for Cultaholic.com and script writer for the Cultaholic YouTube Channel.
