WWE: Which Superstars Life Story Would Make a Great Movie

With the popularity of the wrestler in theaters a couple years ago I thought it would be a good idea to write something about a wrestler with a story worthy of a Hollywood movie.

The lives of professional wrestlers are filled with more drama than most soap operas, and some of the most famous superstars of the past and present also have the most interesting stories in their real lives.

Biopics are some of the most successful movies in terms of awards and critical acclaim, and some pro wrestlers have just of an interesting back story as any musician or athlete, if not more so.

The story of Shawn Michaels is as intriguing and dramatic as anyone out there.  To go from one of the biggest high school football players on his team to being one of the smallest guys in wrestling is a big transition to make.

Shawn began wrestling at a very young age, and from the start he had the odds stacked against him.  In the 80’s wrestling was a big mans game.  Guys like Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant were the top dogs due to their massive physiques.

Shawn used his size to his advantage and began utilizing high flying moves to attract the crowd’s attention.  In a time when going to the top rope more than once a match was rare in America, Shawn was doing moonsaults, elbow drops and drop kicks from the top turnbuckle on a regular basis.

One memorable quote was from Ric Flair’s Hall of Fame speech.  He said when his son was young he said his favorite wrestler was Shawn Michaels because he could do a moonsault, Ric could not and because of that he said Shawn was the better wrestler.

This may have been just a small bit of why Ric held Shawn in such high respect, but coming from Ric Flair that is like praise from Caesar.

Shortly after Shawn started wrestling he was paired up with someone with more veteran knowledge, as well as another high flyer in Marty Jannetty.  The two formed the highly popular tag team The Rockers. 

Shawn and Marty would get noticed for their acrobatic moves by then WWF officials, and were given a contract.  There is debate as to the exact story, but not long into their contract Shawn and Marty were supposedly fired for a bar fight, but rehired not long after.

Soon it became clear that Shawn was the standout of the two wrestlers.  WWF decided to turn Shawn heel and have him turn on Marty in one of the most famous segments in WWE history.  It was during an episode of The Barber Shop, Brutus Beefcake’s interview show.

Shawn made it seem as if he had made up with Marty, then proceeded to Super kick him and throw him through the barber shop window.  This moment is where it all started for Shawn.

He became a cocky heel who would use his superior speed and dirty tactics to win matches.  He adopted the persona of a self obsessed pretty boy who would be accompanied to the ring by a large mirror so he could check his hair and looks before his matches. 

This cocky attitude made Shawn one of WWF’s most hated heels of the time.  Eventually Shawn was paired with Sensational Sherri, a legend in her own right.  The two became one of the most magnetic pairings in wrestling history.  Sherri managed Shawn to become the Intercontinental Champion.

As the IC champion Shawn became the WWF’s workhorse.  He would often perform the best match of the night with whoever he was facing.  Memorable feuds include Razor Ramon and Marty Jannetty, his former partner.

There are stories that during this period in time Shawn became involved in drugs and excessive drinking, as many wrestlers have been known to do in order to deal with the extreme travel and work schedule.

As time went on Shawn became more and more innovative with his matches.  He is credited with bringing ladder matches into the mainstream by going against Razor Ramon at WrestleMania X.  Even though he lost his performance in the match it made him a star.

After teaming up with the new giant of WWF Diesel, Shawn became unstoppable.  The two dominated the tag team division, as well as the Intercontinental Championship.  Their real life friendship with each other and a couple of other wrestlers led to the formation of a group known as The Cliq.

They became infamous for using their clout with management to book themselves into better matches and storylines.  The group included Sean Waltman, Scott Hall, Paul Levesque, and Nash and Michaels.

To this day it is unknown how much power they really had but HHH is being groomed to take over for Vince and Shawn is held in very high regard with WWE to this day.

After Hall and Nash left WWF for the bigger paychecks of WCW, Paul (HHH) and Shawn formed a duo known as DX.  They went on to become the most popular stable in WWF history.  Their censor inducing antics brought in a whole new crop of wrestling fans.

Once Billy Gunn and Road Dogg and joined the crew, they became untouchable.  They even went as far as to run a full on assault with a military vehicle and bullhorn on a competing taping of Monday Nitro, but this happened after Shawn had been put on the shelf for a back injury. 

Shawn was also involved in one of the most controversial and talked about events in the history of wrestling, The Montreal Screw job.  Vince McMahon plotted against his exiting Champion Bret Hart by ending the title match early and awarding Shawn the Title. 

The incident turned Vince into a real life villain for WWF fans.  As the genius he is, Vince capitalized on the Mr. McMahon persona and became a maniacal villain hell bent on profits and control.

Shawn would eventually suffer a thought to be career ending injury during a WWF Pay per View.  His back injury forced him into early retirement.  Shawn would not be seen in a wrestling capacity again for around four years. 

He returned to face his real life best friend Triple H four years later.  The match was hyped as the return of one of the best wrestlers in the history of the business.  Shawn would not disappoint fans as he and Hunter performed and incredible match together.

Shawn knew after that match that he could no longer sit on the sidelines.  He made the decision to return to full time wrestling, and shortly after returning he won the World Heavyweight Championship in a Hell in the Cell match.

Over the next six years Michaels created some of the best moments in wrestling.  He reformed DX with hunter a couple of times, ended the WWE career of Ric Flair and retired after losing to the Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI for the second year in a row.

Shawn’s in ring career is as interesting as any, but his life outside the ring is just as interesting.  Shawn became involved with drugs and alcohol and was at one point one of the more hated guys in the locker room. HE has admitted that at one point the only person who would even talk to him was Triple H.

After retiring from Injury Shawn found religion and embarked on speaking engagements to various churches around the country, sometimes teaming up with Steve Borden, otherwise known as Sting, another known Christian wrestler.

Shawn married his current wife and had two kids, and made the right decision to retire while he was still healthy in order to see them grow up. 

His legacy and impact on the business is undeniable, and while some people may not like Shawn due to incidents in the past, many think of him as an inspiration. 

Shawn Michaels proved that even if everyone tells you you’re too small, you can prove them wrong.  He proved that you can overcome addiction and injury to come back even better than you left, and he proved that even if you have made a million mistakes, there is always time to make up for them.

Shawn had a moment where he and Bret Hart had a confrontation in the ring after more than ten years from the Montreal Screw job.  Shawn and Bret had both had bad words for the other in the press during those years, but after both men had suffered and prevailed from near crippling injuries, they decided it was time to bury the proverbial hatchet.

Bret had returned to WWE after ten years of bad blood.  Vince and Bret had made up and Bret was inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Shortly after Bret agreed to do some appearances and matches for WWE in a part time capacity.

One thing that everyone knew would have to be addressed was the bad blood between Shawn and Bret.  They decided to do it in the ring.  The real story behind the confrontation is that while there was a general outline of what would happen, Shawn and Bret were told to say what they really felt.  The two men had little contact before the in ring segment to make it more realistic.

Shawn and Bret said their peace, shook hand and hugged in the ring.  The fans cheered, but Shawn said that when that moment happened, he felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.  These two men showed the world that forgiveness is possible.

Shawn Michaels is now living his life with his wife and kids.  He makes numerous charity and church appearances, and occasionally returns to WWE TV to help out his old friends.

He recently began hosting his own outdoor show called Shawn Michaels Macmillan River Adventure.

His story is truly one of a man who accomplished his dreams, fell from grace, and clawed his way back to the top through grit and determination.  He turned his life around and found happiness, and what more of a happy ending could one ask for from the most dramatic life story in wrestling?

Honorable Mentions

Kurt Angle: A Life of Gold and Drama

Eddie Guerrero: Latino Heat

Jerry Lawler: A King's Tale

Edge: A Rated-R life

Vince McMahon: The Golden Boy

Mick Foley: Hardcore Legend

Bret and Owen Hart: Brothers in Arms

Hulk Hogan: Fallen Hero

The Rock: The Sinatra of SmackDown