Shawn Michaels' 5 Greatest WWE Rivalries

The Showstopper. The Icon. The Main Event. Mr. WrestleMania. When you consider how many times Shawn Michaels has delivered marquee-level performances in clutch situations over the years, there's little doubting his residence in WWE's theoretical God tier. For most wrestlers, to be listed as a participant in the "match of the year" is a humbling honour. For Michaels, it was business as usual back when he donned the tights. And generally, his name dotted the runners-up list as well.

But Michaels' greatest matches weren't just one-offs with the best in-ring performers around - there were stories, scintillating builds that made the eventual match-ups even greater. You either wanted to see babyface Shawn use his athletics and guile to take down his nemesis, or you wanted to see heel HBK get ripped apart like a mulleted pincushion. Michaels was every bit as effective a storyteller as he was a wrestler.

As a headline talent with a diverse array of opponents, Shawn Michaels has worked with some of pro wrestling's best and brightest. Here are his five greatest rivals ever.

The Showstopper. The Icon. The Main Event. Mr. WrestleMania. When you consider how many times Shawn Michaels has delivered marquee-level performances in clutch situations over the years, there's little doubting his residence in WWE's theoretical God tier. For most wrestlers, to be listed as a participant in the "match of the year" is a humbling honour. For Michaels, it was business as usual back when he donned the tights. And generally, his name dotted the runners-up list as well.

But Michaels' greatest matches weren't just one-offs with the best in-ring performers around - there were stories, scintillating builds that made the eventual match-ups even greater. You either wanted to see babyface Shawn use his athletics and guile to take down his nemesis, or you wanted to see heel HBK get ripped apart like a mulleted pincushion. Michaels was every bit as effective a storyteller as he was a wrestler.

As a headline talent with a diverse array of opponents, Shawn Michaels has worked with some of pro wrestling's best and brightest. Here are his five greatest rivals ever.

5. Marty Jannetty

The stop-start nature of the feud (due to Jannetty's personal issues) hindered what still managed to be an enjoyable grudge between ex-partners. Everyone remembers the beginning, where a sneering Michaels launched his Rockers partner through a plate-glass window.

It took months before Jannetty showed up looking for revenge, and the first half of 1993 pitted the two against each other in high profile bouts for Michaels' Intercontinental title. Jannetty's capturing of the gold marked the first title change in Monday Night Raw history.

4. Triple H

Between 2002 and 2004, you could count on Michaels and "The Game" to be on opposite sides of whatever acrimony was headlining Raw, but really, they got their fight right on the first go-around. Shawn's comeback brawl at SummerSlam 2002 is legendary, their best-shared match.

Other worthy matches followed, but some (their end of 2003 Raw classic) proved to be better than others (the incessant 47-minute cage war). Nonetheless, the Kliq brothers cultivated some great moments in the ring with each other, which is no surprise.

3. Bret Hart

Michaels vs. Hart is always going to be remembered more for what happened behind the scenes than what was written, although fiction and reality sure grapevined each other plenty. Solely inside the confines of kayfabe, the bitter rivals still managed to compel plenty.

Earlier on, Michaels struggled to overcome "The Hitman", falling short in Intercontinental and World title bouts as he rose through the company ranks. The "boyhood dream" culmination at WrestleMania 12 was fairytale-worthy. Then came the ugly injection of real-life, and, yeah.

2. Chris Jericho

Like any great rivalry, there were different stories told over the years. In 2003, Jericho was a snooty egomaniac that endeavoured to leapfrog Michaels, asserting his own place as a certified living legend. What ensued was a well-told story centered on competitiveness and envy.

Five years later, Michaels found himself dealing with a different Jericho: a darker, more malignant-minded villain dead set on driving the old vet out of the company. The palpable hatred and highly-personal remarks greatly improved on their original feud.

1. The Undertaker

Another "tale of two feuds", although the more hate-filled stuff came in part one. Undertaker set his sights on an unapologetic DX in 1997, as "The Deadman" vowed to make Michaels pay for his misdeeds. That issue begat the birth of Hell in a Cell, for which we are mostly grateful.

A decade later, a humbler, more mindful HBK sought to be the man to "pull the sword from the stone" by breaking Undertaker's WrestleMania streak. Both ensuing efforts rate among the greatest WrestleMania matches ever, and gave Michaels a curtain call worthy of his resume.