by Craig Tello
15
HEARTBREAK KIDS, 7:16 p.m.
Fifteen years ago today, Shawn Michaels climbed into the ring to live a boyhood dream by capturing the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XII. Flash-forward to the present day, and opposing HBK in the squared circle are two rambunctious youths dying to expend their lingering energies. It’s hard to tell which March 31 match might mean more to the Showstopper.
“Over the last year, I’ve had the opportunity to look back on everything, the whole body,” Shawn reveals. “And what I think about most is being that nineteen-year-old kid who wanted to be a wrestler. Twenty-six years later, I’m playing with my kids in the ring. It’s really gone full circle and then some.”
In an empty ring set up for the nearby WrestleMania Axxess festivities, a handicap bout pits Michaels against his own children—a joust typically contested in the pool of their San Antonio home. HBK toggles between didactic, move-by-move training and administering tickles to both Cheyenne and Cameron, whose maneuver mimicry is “alarmingly Showstopper.”
After several quick tags by the younger competitors, sunset flips, middle-rope clotheslines, Boston crabs and belly flops, the match seems to end indecisively, though it seems the biggest winner might be vigilant mom Rebecca, who watches contentedly at ringside.
16
DAY TO REMEMBER, 7:39 p.m.
As Shawn points out, the relevance of this date extends past his great accomplishments inside the squared circle. On March 31, 1999, Michaels married his wife in a Las Vegas ceremony seen only by a costumed Elvis. The relevance of the day is not lost on Mr. WrestleMania.
“Today is also my twelfth wedding anniversary,” Michaels explains. “Obviously the significance of my wedding anniversary, playing with my kids, going into the WWE Hall of Fame on this day coinciding with my first WWE Championship—it’s pretty neat. That’s how my whole career has gone.”
He poignantly continues: “I oftentimes sit there and wonder if it’s just a storybook to me or a storybook to everybody—and it is.”
Citing a San Antonio location known as The Junction as his onetime fantasy setting for competition, HBK describes his humble mission as a teenaged dreamer.
“The place where they wrestled when I was growing up was The Junction down on Blanco Road. It held twenty-five people,” he says. “To be going into the Hall of Fame and to have had my last match in front of almost seventy-five thousand people, and in front of [my family] . . . all the words, all the clichés; nothing seems to do it justice.”
At the end of a surprisingly fast day, Michaels takes a glance into his immediate future, when he’ll take a stage during WrestleMania weekend that will, for once, not have four corners. Remarkably, rather than focus on the strange notion that Mr. WrestleMania will not perform at the Show of Shows, HBK offers his genuine perspective, dressed with his signature levity.
“I enjoy the excitement without some of the anxiety and the stress that I used to have,” Michaels divulges. “I’m still wondering what the heck it is that I’m going to say [on Saturday]. But I feel like even if I bomb overwhelmingly, I’ve still got twenty-six years of work to fall back on.”
DAY TWO: Friday, April 1, 2011
17
MEDIA MORNING, 8:16 a.m.
A sleek, sunray-soaked Excursion transports the Showstopper from his hotel to the Georgia Dome at the city’s World Congress Center for some media intermingling. Joined by fellow Hall of Fame inductee Sunny as well as Wade Barrett, Sheamus, Christian and others, Shawn barely settles in before he’s herded off to conduct a live interview with local TV network WXIA.
Engulfed by visual memories of so many WrestleManias gone by—Caesars Palace in 1993, SkyDome in 1990—Michaels relies on his trademark charisma (arguably an admiral’s rank to that of the “captain” mere yards away) to make the early-morning meet-and-greet with the rapt reporter seem more like banter between reacquainted friends.
Referring to the new, HBK-inspired attraction at WrestleMania Axxess, HBK boasts facetiously before signing off from the prefestivity Axxess booth. “You have to understand, I’ve got my own section,” he lightheartedly states. “You wear enough silly stuff, you get your own wing.”
18
“NOW IT’S STARTING,” 8:26 a.m.
Shawn continues several paces away from the local Atlanta reporter toward a gaggle of journalists and media from around the globe, including Poland, France and the United Kingdom. He passes by relics like Andre the Giant’s suit and a framed WrestleMania VIII program, likely revisiting some very special moments in his twenty-six-year career. Emotions percolate and stir a genuine feeling for responses to countless variations of questions from interviewers, many of whom expose their WWE fanhood following their Q&As.
Before one energetic media member produces a posed photo with the Showstopper from the previous year’s WrestleMania, the Rosetta stone–less Texan does his best to recite a German phrase, “Jetzt gehts los” (“Now it’s starting”), for those watching in Deutschland.
Shawn shifts from network to radio to print journalist, landing on a suitably named press marker for the Chinese media in attendance. HBTV inquires about HBK’s retirement and career highlights, segueing into WWE’s marquee event this Sunday.
After some parley, Mr. WrestleMania divulges his predictions for the main event match winners on the Grandest Stage of Them All: World Heavyweight Champion Edge, John Cena and—perhaps the most difficult call for him to make—Undertaker. If Michaels is correct in his final prophecy, then his best friend will have fallen to the Phenom in less than a handful of days at WrestleMania.
19
LIVE ON THE “HAIR,” 9:59 a.m.
As part of the media frenzy, the Showstopper checks in with an Atlanta FM rock station whose radio DJ whipping boy takes his WWE fandom to an extreme, asking Superstars to buzz off sections of his short, strawberry-blond hair and sign their names in the freshly manicured bald area. At the conclusion of his on-air discourse with a panel of radio hosts, HBK happily obliges and adds his three iconic initials to the sophomoric kidder’s scalp.
20
CLOTHES MAKE THE MAIN EVENT, 10:28 a.m.
Even in retirement, Shawn Michaels is recognized as a pillar of WrestleMania’s grandeur, which is exactly what makes the Mr. WrestleMania attraction a requisite feature at Axxess.
Long before the doors of the venue are opened to the WWE Universe, the very soon-to-be Hall of Famer approaches a rotating platform celebrating the Showstopper’s most unique—memorable, HBK admits, for better or worse—attire.
“[Years ago,] I knew I wanted to wear the biker hat,” Shawn confirms, peering at an outfit he brazenly wore in the mid-1990s. “It was sort of ‘Village People dropout,’ but you just knew that was going to get people to notice and hate me, which it did, I think.”
The cap, along with motorcycle boots and variations of his leather jacket, were the only salvaged articles of clothing from a post–Rockers marketing pitch to have Michaels compete as “the Idol.”
“I liked the look but couldn’t stand the name,” he candidly details. “I hated the idea of being typecast or set into a mold. I wanted to be Shawn Michaels. I was given advice once by Roddy Piper, who said, ‘Don’t ever stop being who you are.’ ”
Taking this sound wisdom from a veritable entertainment legend, Michaels cultivated an unparalleled career, simply based on being himself. He fulfilled his inner cowboy by way of elaborately decorated chaps that would evolve into the ring gear dreamed up by his wife and worn by Shawn throughout the final years of his WWE career—all in hues that would be associated with HBK for years to come: black, red and white . . . with the occasional neon green.
21
BREAKING DX DOWN, 10:34 a.m.
Betwixt the main events and the iconic performances is D-Generation X, leaving an indelible, lime-hued ooze in Mi
chaels’s legendary path. Navigating his own career via WrestleMania Axxess, Shawn breaks it down again, identifying the personal origin of the two-lettered revolution that altered WWE and sports entertainment forever: DX.
“In the beginning, it was an outlet for a behavioral pattern that wasn’t always positive,” Michaels acknowledges. “Later on, it was just absolute fun to do. It was a chance for Hunter [Triple H] and me to be who we are in the locker room. Neither one of us are really serious the majority of the time.”
As the two core members of DX, HBK and Triple H introduced a more mature level of high jinks in WWE that spat in the face of authority and dared those in power to stop their unruly and often lewd shenanigans. After the Showstopper’s departure from the ring, DX continued its “d-evolution” and rested until Michaels’s return. Then in 2006, the band was back together when The Game and the Showstopper rekindled their dominance as the defiant duo in WWE . . . with just a subtle difference, according to HBK.
“We were no longer young and hip rabble-rousers. We were two guys that were older, that were dads. That’s why we started to do more self-deprecating humor,” he explains. “Early DX was making fun of everybody else, and a lot of the ‘second’ DX was us making fun of me and the attempts at maturity in my life.”
“It was not what the first [DX] was,” HBK admits, “but you can absolutely never do another ‘first’ anything. Still, I think it was a good time.”
22
GO FIGURE, 11:05 a.m.
Although he’s displaying more restraint than a sticky-faced little boy with his face pressed against the window of a toy store, Shawn Michaels’s excitement is evident as he gets in tight and close for a sufficient glimpse of Mattel’s masterpiece-like HBK action figure. The miniature plastic replica of Michaels’s WrestleMania XXV ring gear is an appropriate addition to the world champion toymaker’s Defining Moments line of WWE products. Protected like a museum relic, as priceless as the moment it represents, the glass-encased toy substantially surpasses the detail and realism of his first-ever action figure from decades ago.
“There are a number of pivotal moments in one’s career,” Michaels says. “Your first title, your first check, your first Pay-Per-View. Getting your first doll—of course, they’re action figures now—was always big,” he adds, describing the hard plastic, spring-loaded toy of himself from 1991, when he was a member of The Rockers. “That’s when you feel like you’ve made it.”
According to the Showstopper, his mom’s collection includes one of almost every Shawn Michaels figure, which his children always want to see. He admits that when it comes to Cameron’s and Cheyenne’s own collections, Mr. WrestleMania doesn’t always come out on top.
“Daddy gets to win when it’s my daughter; I’m defended to the hilt,” HBK says. “When it’s my son, he just wants to beat me up. [Cameron’s] at the ‘throwing me under the bus’ stage . . . but every now and then, when someone asks him who’s his favorite, he has very secretly said, ‘My daddy’s one of the greatest that ever wrestled.’ ”
23
MUSIC TO HIS EARS, 11:48 a.m.
When WrestleMania comes to town, so do the revered names of sports entertainment’s present as well as those from its most distinguished past. Enter Jimmy Hart.
In a touching encounter, the Mouth of the South showers the Showstopper with praise and congratulations on his impending induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, alongside the likes of Hart himself. Sans signature megaphone, the sunglassed managerial genius describes his elation for Shawn’s massive moment on Saturday, especially since it was Hart’s own music that accompanied HBK for his entire WWE singles career.
Shawn respectfully absorbs the flattery and recalls his utter fright the day he learned it would be his voice laid throughout the track of his camp-gone-epic entrance music.
“We went into the studio, knocked it out and even did the backup, SEXAY BOY! ” recollects a high-pitched Hart, who both wrote and composed Michaels’s theme song. “I’m telling you, when he gets inducted, it’ll be like me getting inducted again.”
It won’t be only Jimmy who reacts with such enthusiasm on Saturday. Despite the lyrics that Shawn and his famed career have certainly outgrown, the familiar sound of the Showstopper’s tune will signal an unrivaled roar. It’s a tune the WWE Universe has learned to love—some are even guilty of singing it solo when no one’s looking. It’s the tune that’s now as iconic as its associated performer, the star of the 2011 WWE Hall of Fame class.
24
PARENTAL CONTROL, 5:12 p.m.
“Somebody tell him he’s not funny!” exclaims the salt-and-pepper-haired woman with a broad, beaming smile. Behind her is a gentleman who looks strikingly similar to the Showstopper, the Main Event. There’s a reason for the resemblance: they’re the parents of the incomparable Shawn Michaels.
HBK is joined today by his closest family, including his parents, Rebecca, Cameron, Cheyenne and more. Hugs abound, and booming laughter suggests that this impromptu reunion may have been long overdue. It’s clear that their presence enlivens the Showstopper, and on this meaningful weekend of friends and family, the main event is their proudest moment shared.
25
LIGHT IN THE DARK, 6:07 p.m.
Naturally, the Showstopper is pulled away from his family moment for his scheduled meeting with WWE producers for on-camera interviews. It’s a discussion of two of the ring’s most celebrated names: “The Million-Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and Stone Cold Steve Austin—both extremely relevant pieces in HBK’s career.
All mic’d up, Shawn relives his pre-Showstopper days in Mid-South Wrestling beside DiBiase, then segues into The Attitude Era’s peak with Stone Cold—who ended HBK’s career the first time around in their WWE title match at WrestleMania XIV—behind the wheel. He cites his “real-life issues” with WWE and with himself in the late 1990s, then moves into discussions of shared faith with DiBiase.
The honest discourse concludes with Michaels in a carefully lit seat, offering only a brief moment of silence before HBK cuts in with a line that draws chuckles from all within earshot.
“I want to get my ring so bad,” he exclaims. “It’s the only reason I came.”
26
A MATTER OF FAITH, 7:02 p.m.
In 2002, when Shawn Michaels returned to the squared circle, The Heartbreak Kid had clearly grown into a much respected man. Michaels would attribute his metamorphosis to his soul mate, Rebecca, but beneath their bond lay thick roots of faith: the same wielded by fellow WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase, as HBK described moments earlier.
“[My faith] gave me hope,” HBK asserts, evaluating a past ridden with behavior that was harmful to himself and those closest to the squared circle champion. “The idea that I survived all of that was a gift. It felt like a second chance, a new opportunity to make amends at the very least for some of the things I did in the past.”
Shawn cleansed his spirit by immersing himself in sound relationships with the woman he loved, with his children and with God. While he once used fame and other artificial, hollow crutches to find gratification, Michaels now finds fulfillment in the preservation and progression of his faith-grounded bonds. Flying elbows, fisticuffs, Sweet Chin Music—no other weapon in Michaels’s arsenal has proved to be as potent as his faith upon his WWE return almost nine years ago.
“I just wanted to bring resolution to whatever conflict or disagreement was out there,” he adds. “[Faith] brought a peace and a joy that I didn’t have before.”
27
GOING UP, 7:07 p.m.
As he quickly heads up to his suite before an informal cocktail party for all WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011 inductees, HBK’s elevator ascent is halted between the lower level and the top floor. In strolls a candid Pat Patterson, who selects his floor, greets the Showstopper—but then threatens to press all the number-emblazoned bu
ttons, just because he can.
The wildly laughing first-ever Intercontinental Champion is immediately seized by Shawn until a “ding”—almost a third of a ring bell—breaks the hold, and the mentor and mentee say good night, twenty-four hours before Michaels joins his longtime teacher in the Hall of Fame.
28
HEARTBREAK HOTEL, 7:10 p.m.
“You look great,” Shawn says, as the red door of his hotel suite swings open to reveal his gorgeous wife of twelve years and one day.
Serenity permeates the air of the multiroom spread, currently child-free. The Heartbreak Kid gets a download on any family transpirings missed while keeping up with his schedule. Rebecca finds relief from the slew of animated kids movies in her Hall of Fame–bound husband on the eve of his ceremonious induction. However brief, their interaction is sustaining in a turbulently enjoyable weekend back in the WWE spotlight. Mutual teasing turns into serious discussion about plans for what remains of the evening.
“The kids . . . the in-laws . . . my text message . . . the e-mails . . . T-shirt.”
Their words waft in between subtle glances that suggest a stronger connection than they’ll let on. With no ground left to cover and the time evaporating, Shawn must exit again, but only temporarily.
Then, before vanishing out toward the hall and the rest of the universe, The Heartbreak Kid contests his widely used namesake by taking one step in and connecting lips with his bride. His anxiety is null, and the immensity of tomorrow night suddenly seems far less overwhelming. The WWE Hall of Fame awaits. It can only get better.