Shawn Michaels Talks WWE Return, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, New Book and More

WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, but one of his biggest achievements has been the happiness he has found outside the ring with his faith and his family.

At 49 years old, Michaels has nothing left to prove to the wrestling industry, but his endless knowledge of the sport and its nuances are still invaluable to the WWE and the athletes who look to him for advice.

In Michaels’ new book, Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar, he talks about how religion has helped him find peace in his life and the impact it had on his career.

To celebrate the release of his book, Michaels sat down with the boys of Ring Rust Radio (quotes courtesy of the News of Delaware County’s Joe Arcidiacono) and talked about his return to WWE in 2002, the pressure on Roman Reigns if he makes it to WrestleMania, what makes Daniel Bryan so good, his new book and so much more.

Shawn Michaels Talks WWE Return and His New Book

When looking back on the legendary career of Michaels, it can easily be divided into two portions. As great as his first run at the top was during the 1990s, his 2002 return from retirement following a serious back injury was the renaissance he needed.

Whether it was fighting against Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship, squaring off with Chris Jericho or taking on a legend like The Undertaker, Michaels' performances in the ring and on the mic following his return were as good or better than at any other point in his career.

When asked how he wanted to make his return to WWE, Michaels said the company threw him right into the fire, and that he thrived under the pressure:

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I wasn’t looking to come back in some big fashion. Just like a couple of exciting matches something a little lower on the card. Just so this way all the focus wouldn’t be there and if I’m going to stumble and fall that it’s done a little lower on the card without the spotlight. The opportunity was there to do it with Hunter and I guessed that would be fantastic but it turned into a much bigger and promoted match than what I originally had anticipated. As far as knowing if I could come back I didn’t. That was the million dollar question. Those are all great ideas but you still gotta deliver. Haven’t been in the ring in almost four and a half years, how is it gonna be, and clearly I didn’t know. That soon after my salvation and everything of that nature I was feeling pretty confident that it was either gonna be there or it wasn’t. It really was a sink or swim moment. Thankfully, everything went well when we got out there.

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One of the reasons the return from retirement worked so well for Michaels was the true happiness he felt. During his time off, Michaels became very religious and turned his focus to his wife and children.

With wrestling becoming more of a job than an obsession, Michaels was able to appreciate his time in the business more and was even more productive with the company due to his new mindset.

Michaels wrote his latest book explaining how religion helped him through trouble in his life and helped him prioritize what is most important to him. He explains why now was the perfect time to write:

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It’s certainly a book I’ve wanted to do for quite some time but it’s very hard to do that when you are in the throes of a WWE career. It’s a wonderful, wonderful line of work but it keeps you very busy but obviously takes the forefront and spotlight of everything you do. In the truest sense, my faith and my family have been the biggest and most impactful parts of my life. They have the tendency though to take the back seat to the WWE since it is so big and grandiose. Really since 2002 it was just my job, and rarely does someone’s job take the forefront of everything they do in their life. I wanted to do a book that certainly gave them what I thought was the just due for their wonderful and positive influence and impact they had on my life.

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After a career that featured show-stopping matches and unforgettable moments, it’s good to see that Michaels has found true happiness outside the ring. It’s a hard transition away from the industry for many stars, but he has the family and faith to be satisfied.

Wrestling fans will always remember Michaels as one of the best in-ring performers the sport has ever seen. He is proud of the legacy he has built as a WWE Superstar but even more proud of the life he has built for his family and himself.

Michaels still loves wrestling, but it doesn’t define him anymore.

Michaels on Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan

As one of the greatest performers in wrestling history, Michaels knows what it takes to find success on the WrestleMania stage. After so many memorable matches on the biggest pay-per-view of the year, the legend has been dubbed “Mr. WrestleMania.”

With WrestleMania approaching fast, fans are interested in what Michaels has to say about this year’s event and the talent who will be working the show.

The biggest story coming into this year’s event is the meteoric rise of Royal Rumble winner Roman Reigns. When asked what kind of pressure awaits Reigns if he makes it past Daniel Bryan at WWE Fastlane, Michaels spoke candidly about the questions the young star must answer in the ring and behind the scenes:

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As far as the pressure, it’s going to be tough. WrestleMania is pressure filled anyway and more so when you’re going for the first time in what might be the main event. If you are being dubbed, or people seeing you as the next guy, those things mount up. They are important and you want to live up to them and it’s especially hard. Back in my day it was the beginning of the Internet and we had the newsletters, but I imagine now with social media it’s all right there at your fingertips. I’d imagine it’s even tougher nowadays. Our line of work is very cynical and a lot of it is driven by cynicism, cruelty, and meanness. It’s easier to believe the negative stuff than the positive stuff. The feel good stories don’t usually spend a lot of time on the front pages. It’s gotta be a pretty tough row to hoe for the guys nowadays. Along with the great notoriety and the good stuff that comes with it, there’s always some negative that comes with it and you have to do your best to balance it along the way.

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The rise of social media and the explosion of the Internet has spawned one of the most immersive fan communities in sports. The vast majority of wrestling fans watching at home or in the arenas know the backstage chatter and understand the intricacies of the sport.

Reigns already has the pressure from the company to blossom into one of its top stars moving forward, but the seeing the fans turn on him recently has only added to the weight on his shoulders. Michaels understands the rigors of the job and would be a good person to advise Reigns.

Another star fighting to earn his way back into the WrestleMania main event is Bryan. After beating Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton en route to winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship last year, Bryan wants to reach the top again.

Michaels helped Bryan when he was first breaking into the business, and the two have worked together on screen in the past. As a smaller performer himself, HBK and Bryan have a lot in common.

Michaels talked about what makes Bryan such a fan favorite:

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I think what separated him is what people see in him. They see a real love and a real passion in him. It doesn’t hurt when you find a very simple catch phrase or something that connects with people like the yes thing. It’s easy, it’s simple, and the fans connected with it so that doesn’t hurt. For everyone that will jump down my throat for trying to take something away from Daniel I’m truly not. Clearly the nifty little catch phrases will not last long if you don’t have the ability to back it up and he clearly does. I think they can see the genuine enjoyment he has for the job and that will always separate the long standing guys from the guys who are flashes in the pan. They know when you are doing it just for the money, and they know when you are a guy that would do it for free. I was once one of them, those guys are smart and you can see it in their eyes. It makes a huge difference.

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The WWE Universe has fully thrown its support behind Bryan and helped bring him to the top of the card. Michaels was once a wrestler in a similar position, and fans latched onto his pure love of the sport and his desire to be the best.

While Bryan doesn’t have the prototypical good looks that Michaels had during his career, his work ethic, skill in the ring and drive to be better than everyone else makes him very similar.

Regardless of whether Bryan or Reigns walks out of WWE Fastlane with the right to main event WrestleMania, Michaels understands what it takes to reach the top of the mountain and can see that desire in both men.

Michaels knows wrestling, and his comments about Reigns, Bryan, his WWE return and what his faith means to him prove that he is wiser now than he has ever been in his life. His book, Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar, is a must-read for anyone who is a fan of the WWE Hall of Famer.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player below (some language NSFW).

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