5 WWE Superstars Who Could Have a Shawn Michaels-Like Career

Shawn Michaels was a one-of-a-kind WWE superstar who every wrestler should want to imitate, but perhaps no one ever will.

Although Michaels held only four World titles while in the WWE, his career is one that wasn't defined by his number of WWE or World Heavyweight Championship reigns. He impacted the business in a different way.

He was the Heartbreak Kid, the Showstopper, the Main Event, Mr. WrestleMania.

HBK may be remembered as a two-time Royal Rumble winner and four-time World champion to others, but to most, he'll be remembered as someone who could play the role of heel or babyface and put on great matches night after night, winning 11-time PWI "Match of the Year" awards before calling it quits.

There will never be another Shawn Michaels, but there will be a number of superstars who could have a Michaels-like career.

Here are the top five.

5. Sheamus

Although Sheamus will never rival Shawn Michaels' in-ring ability, he will stick around the WWE as a top guy for another five years or more.

He may not win any "Match of the Year" awards, but he's as reliable in the ring as any big man in the WWE at the moment and has become one of its most popular superstars.

Like Michaels, Sheamus has gotten over big-time as a baby face, but he's also shown that he can be a very good heel when used in that role.

Sheamus is 34 years old and at the peak of his career, but to date, he's only had two WWE Championship reigns and appears to be on a similar career path to HBK.

Michaels won two Royal Rumbles, Sheamus just won his first one, and although both men deliver on a consistent basis, they were almost always viewed as the the third or fourth option in the WWE.

HBK was a big star no doubt, but he often found himself behind guys like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H and Chris Jericho on the WWE pecking order, while Sheamus has Randy Orton, CM Punk and John Cena to deal with.

Sheamus will end up being a huge asset to the WWE for the foreseeable future, but in true Michaels fashion, he may not end up with a boatload of World title wins or ever truly be booked like the top overall star in the WWE.

4. Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes is only 26 years old, but he's already been in the WWE for five years and is on the brink of superstardom.

Considering that Rhodes is among the company's top 10 stars but has yet to enter his prime, he may very well go down as one of the greatest superstars of our generation.

It's just hard to tell exactly where he's headed because, aside from a few tag team title runs, all he has to his name is his current run with the Intercontinental Championship.

That being said, Rhodes has shown some amazing talent both in the ring and on the mic, and he's accomplished more at age 26 than most wrestlers do in a lifetime.

Will he ever rival Shawn Michaels, though? I just don't know.

I have no doubt that Rhodes will end up with multiple World title runs, some stellar matches and perhaps a Royal Rumble win or two, but he's going to need to perform at an extremely high level for the next 15-plus years to catch HBK.

Of all the WWE superstars who have never won a World title, however, Rhodes has the most talent, and he also has age on his side.

If I had to pick one star to have for the next 10 years, it might very well be Rhodes, who just needs a more high-profile role to prove that he can be one of the WWE's top five in-ring workers. 

3. Dolph Ziggler

Type "Dolph Ziggler Shawn Michaels" on Google, and you'll see that there are thousands of wrestling fans out there who see similarities between The Heartbreak Kid and The Showoff.

The main link between the two? Their in-ring skills.

I remember reading this quote from Ziggler where he said he wanted to be remembered as the best wrestler ever, and I thought to myself, "Well, that's mighty ambitious."

The chances of that ever happening are slim to none, but I would make a case that, like Michaels, Ziggler will be one of the best (if not the best) in-ring performers in the WWE for most of his career.

Ziggler is absolutely phenomenal in the ring, and along with Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, is probably one of the top three wrestlers currently in the WWE. He will continue to wow the crowd with his performances every time he steps in the ring. It's only a matter of how far the WWE will push him.

Will Ziggler be an upper mid-carder for most of his career, or will he eventually get a sustained main event run that results in show-stealing matches?

I hope it's the latter because Ziggler has never won a World title (his joke 15-minute run on Smackdown) doesn't count, and the only way he's going to get a chance to put on "Match of the Year" candidates is if he continues his rise up that card.

If the WWE ever fully gets behind Ziggler, though, he will, in HBK fashion, become one of the standout performers of his generation and a multi-World champion. 

2. CM Punk

CM Punk has surprisingly already won more World titles (five) than Shawn Michaels did, and with the way the WWE flip flops its belts these days, chances are that Punk will blow Michaels out of the water in that category.

What will be interesting to see, however, is whether or not Punk will be able to continue to perform at the level he has been for the past year or so.

Regardless of whether titles were involved, Michaels made a career out of putting on unbelievable matches from the beginning of his WWE run to his last match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26.

Although the talent was there, it wasn't until recently that Punk was given the opportunity to put on show-stealing matches in the main event that could add to his already impressive resume.

Now that Punk is one of the WWE's top two or three stars, however, we could see him in high-profile matches for the next five to 10 years—matches that will certainly be up for "Match of the Year" honors.

It'll be almost impossible to win 11 such awards like Michaels did, but given his position on the card and incredible in-ring talent, Punk might have anywhere between five and 10 "Match of the Year" awards once it's all said and done.

If that is indeed the case, you better believe that wrestling fans will be talking about Punk in the same breath as HBK when Punk calls it quits.

1. Daniel Bryan

How fitting would it be for Daniel Bryan to one day be mentioned in the same breath as one of his trainers, Shawn Michaels?

I certainly think it's possible.

We all knew that Bryan was arguably the best pure wrestler on the planet, but it wasn't until a few months ago that he was given the opportunity to prove that as a main eventer in the WWE. Now that he has, however, his potential is limitless.

Just take a look at what Bryan's done in his recent matches with CM Punk, and you'll see that—given enough time and the right opponent—he's capable of putting on four-star matches on a consistent basis.

Considering that Bryan is just 30, too, that means he's got a long career ahead of him to build up a resume of matches similar to HBK's.

I don't think Bryan will have more than a few World title runs once his career is over, but neither did Michaels, and that didn't prevent him from becoming the best in-ring performer in WWE history.

Bryan can do the same.

He's so good in the ring that he will almost assuredly have a spot in the WWE as long as he wants it. The only question is whether or not the WWE will give him the high-profile matches and major feuds to become one of the best wrestlers ever.

I'm going to have faith, though, and say that 10 years from now, Bryan will have five or more "Match of the Year" winners and be widely recognized as the top wrestler on the planet.

He'll be the closest thing to Shawn Michaels since, well, Shawn Michaels.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions on Formspring.