wrestling / Columns
The Shimmy 07.06.09: Who Else Can Stop the Show?
OK, class. Raise your hands if you miss Shawn Michaels gracing your television screens. Yeah, that’s what I thought. Survey a bunch of people for ideas for how to better Raw, or any brand for that matter, and I guarantee that idea of bringing Ol’ HBK back from his time off is thrown about a bit. Michaels is arguably the best in ring competitor today (although those that would chose to argue against that point would be wrong) and his presence is sorely missed on Monday nights.
Unfortunately for us it appears as if Shawn Michaels’ appearances inside the squared circle may come fewer and farther between. There has been some speculation that he could return in time for SummerSlam, largely based around his image being used in the SummerSlam commercial WWE has been airing (teaming with Triple H against Chris Jericho & Edge for the Unified Tag Titles would have been a nice way to bring him back into the fold had Edge not gotten injured). Dave Meltzer had reported that there has even been the possibility that Michaels would take the rest of the year off and come back in time to set something big up in time for WrestleMania.
Now this adds a bit of extra pressure to the already high task of finding “Mr. WrestleMania” a suitable partner for the big dance. Michaels isn’t called “The Showstopper” and “The Main Event” for nothing. Every WrestleMania match he has been in since his return from a back injury in 2002 has been one of the featured main event matches on the show. He closed the show in 2005 and 2007, and managed to steal the show lower on the card in 2003, 2005, 2008, and 2009. He even had a great match with Mr. McMahon in 2006. And of course this isn’t even taking into account his “past life” WrestleMania main events/featured matches in 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1998. A match with Shawn Michaels at the Grandaddy of ‘Em All is a big deal and it will be an even bigger deal with HBK’s appearances are limited to a few times a year.
So who is befitting of this role opposite the best showman in the business? I’ve got who I would consider the top candidates to face off with “The Showstopper” at WrestleMania XXVI. Consider the possibilities and let me know what you think.
The Rematches
John Cena
I start here with what I would think to be the more unlikely of the picks. Two years ago Cena and Michaels tangled in the main event of WrestleMania 23. It was a good match, but not quite the class we were hoping for. A few weeks later they tore the house down in London on Raw, going 40-minutes in a Match of the Year Candidate. Since that match fans had been clamoring for Round Three. At the WrestleMania Rewind Night show in March 2008 they fought in a good match that was ultimately labeled a no contest following interference from Randy Orton. Earlier this year as part of the “HBK is JBL’s slave” storyline they met twice on Raw. On of their matches was one of the better free TV matches of the year and those matches kind of put the kibosh on looking for the “official” Cena-Michaels III. That being said they still have great chemistry and considering both men’s spot in the company it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to see them meet up in Phoenix.
Triple H
Shawn Michaels and Triple H feuded off and on for the better part of two years, from Michaels’ return in 2002 through 2004. Even after they met inside Hell in a Cell at Bad Blood 2004 Michaels would pop up from time to time to be a thorn in Triple H’s side. Time has passed since we saw that glut of matches between the two and they have patched things up as fellow D-Generates since then. Once last go around between them, especially with both as faces, might not be so bad. They had some pretty epic encounters, and while they did face off in the Triple Threat Match with Chris Benoit at WrestleMania XX (in fact they were the two participants that actually had issues with one another) they did not get to go toe-to-toe on such a grand stage. The match up would be fresh by now and the fans would eat it up. Both men certainly have the stroke to make this match happen if they wanted to.
Undertaker
Ask a bunch of wrestling fans to tell you what the Match of the Year of 2009 is so far, and chances are the majority of them will tell you Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker from WrestleMania XXV. There are few WrestleMania matches that really seem like a back-to-back sequel would work for, but I think this is one of them. WWE could easily build this up as the big rematch of what will surely win the Slammy/WWE Magazine Award for Match of the Year. There were a lot of people that were anxious to throw them inside Hell in a Cell for this year’s showdown, and while it wasn’t needed for their Houston match, it could be the proper setting for the big rematch. With the Hell in a Cell PPV in October a March/April PPV may be just about the only other time they could squeeze in such a match without them coming too close together. The only drawback is that Michaels would not likely win the match so there may be some lost intrigue in putting him against the Deadman for a second year in a row.
Chris Jericho
The feud of the year in 2007 was clearly Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho. Even after their big Ladder Match blowoff (followed by a Last Man Standing epilogue) many fans expected them to hook up one more time at WrestleMania XXV. While that expectation was a tad misguided revisiting their classic rivalry for the big show is not entirely out of the question. After a year apart the feud would seem fresh again, particularly if we have not seen a lot of Michaels. I could see Jericho as champion on SmackDown by the end of the year and a big title match between the two best wrestlers in WWE could be something special. If Michaels were going to win a World Title one last time I couldn’t think of a better person for him to win it from than the former Y2J.
Ric Flair
A month ago it seemed like a sure thing that the “Nature Boy” would be stepping back between the ropes for somebody. Whether it was WWE or Rikishi’s Nu-Wrestling Extreme in Europe Flair was going to wrestle again. Those rumors have been squashed a bit but that doesn’t mean that they are no longer true. If Flair does indeed come out of retirement I think we should see he and Michaels go toe-to-toe one last time. HBK could be indignant about the fact that Flair wrestled again when he promised he wouldn’t and vow to end Naitch’s career for real this time. While Flair probably wouldn’t be able to go as well as he did at WrestleMania XXIV (an ability still debated by many fans) I have faith in both men’s abilities to be able to tell a classic story regardless of physical ability.
The Line Crossers
Kurt Angle
There are a few contracts in TNA that expire later this year and that could potentially lead to some big matches for Shawn Michaels come WrestleMania time. This would be another WrestleMania rematch as Michaels and Angle stole the show with many people’s Match of the Year in 2005. Much like the Cena series fans waited for the big rubber match between the two, a match that was given away on Raw on Angle’s last night on the show. Time seems to bury things like that though so we could see the “real” rubber match at WrestleMania XXVI. If Angle does re-sign with WWE I think a match with HBK could be too tempting for creative to pass up.
Sting
This is the biggest longshot of the bunch, but one that I am personally pulling for. Rumor has it that this is Sting’s last year in TNA, and possibly his last year in all of wrestling. Sting has long shunned Vince McMahon’s attempts to come work for him, for various reasons. At this point I would think Sting would stay away out of sheer pride over the fact that he never worked for McMahon, and more importantly, that he never had to. Still, a nice paycheck, a Hall of Fame induction, and a lucrative DVD deal (where they could be fair to Sting’s legacy) might be enough to sway “The Icon.” If Sting did ever wrestle at WrestleMania there would only be two logical choices as opponents: Shawn Michaels or Undertaker. Of the two Sting could probably have a better match with Michaels, and their similar born again Christian beliefs may make working for the ‘E an easier endeavor. Sting vs. Michaels at WrestleMania could be a truly legendary moment in professional wrestling.
The New Ground
Edge
Edge and Shawn Michaels are no strangers to one another. They briefly feuded at the beginning of 2005 and even fought at the Royal Rumble. The feud seemed like it could have been big, possibly with WrestleMania worthy potential, but it was quickly dropped in favor of Michaels-Angle. They feuded again as part of the DX-Rated RKO feud that ran through the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007. During both of those feuds Michaels and Edge had a great Street Fight on Raw. Even still they never had a solid one-on-one feud, so seeing what they could do, especially at this stage in their respective careers, could definitely be interesting. Much like a Michaels-Jericho match this would pit two of the best wrestlers in WWE against one another. It would almost be a guaranteed Match of the Year Candidate and could easily be milked for a lengthy post-Mania feud as well.
Rey Mysterio
Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio have only ever faced each other one time in one-on-one competition. That was back in November 2005 during the Eddie Guerrero Tribute Show on Raw, and neither man was really looking to steal the show that night. Even with heavy hearts they put on a fine encounter, but you can only imagine what they could do with their heads in the game. Despite numerous injuries over the years Rey Mysterio has seemingly found his groove once again and a match with Michaels at WrestleMania could be seen as a dream match of sorts. It would be between two of the most popular superstars in WWE so you know the crowd would into the match, if quite divided. With both men’s careers surely winding down we may not have many opportunities to see this match again if it does not happen soon.
Jeff Hardy
Throughout the years there have been many wrestlers that have been called “the next Shawn Michaels.” One of those men was Jeff Hardy. In early 2003 they even did an angle where Michaels took Hardy under his wing as his protégé, but that was obviously dropped when Hardy was fired by WWE shortly after it began. Since that time Jeff Hardy as skyrocketed to the main event and now currently rests as one of the most popular, maybe even the most popular at this point, superstars in WWE. These two tore the house down on Raw in February of last year, just imagine what they could do at the Showcase of the Immortals. They could even play up the fact that Jeff has never won at WrestleMania whereas Shawn Michaels is “Mr. WrestleMania.” I know I used the term in reference to the Mysterio match, but this could also be considered a dream match by many.
CM Punk
This is a match that I am getting much more excited about the prospects of. CM Punk’s potential as a heel seems sky high in the early going, and matching him up against such a beloved figure as Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania would only build his credibility. These two could have a classic match and I do believe that it is one of the few matches that WWE has not run. Keeping them on separate brands could be a nice way to keep it that way until Mania. This could either be a grudge match or a title match, but much like a match up with Edge the potential for a long term feud after WrestleMania is certainly there.
The Young Gun
John Morrison
Another person that could fit that “next Shawn Michaels” billing is John Morrison. Jim Ross in particular has been pushing that phrase a lot lately on SmackDown. Might Good Ol’ JR be anxious to see these two meet up? I wouldn’t be surprised. Morrison has really grown as a wrestler and spending the next few months tearing things up on SmackDown could help develop him even more; a match with Shawn Michaels on the biggest show of the year could finish the job. Morrison wouldn’t need to win the match either to get the ultimate rub as hanging with “The Showstopper” on such a big stage will get him noticed like none other. I think WWE is smart enough to realize that this match needs to happen sooner or later, the question is whether or not WrestleMania XXVI is the place for it.
The Legend
Ricky Steamboat
And finally we have one last option. Ricky Steamboat wowed wrestling fans all over by his awesome work at WrestleMania, the night after on Raw, and at Backlash this year. Since then Steamboat has continued to wrestle every now and then on WWE house shows, including this past weekend against Chris Jericho in Honolulu. With Steamboat looking great against Jericho just imagine how good of a match he could pull off with Michaels. The dream match tag may fit a bit loosely around the Hardy and Mysterio matches, but it surely fits the bill entirely here even at Steamboat’s age. I can only imagine that both men would be excited for the match and be willing to pull out all the stops to ensure a classic encounter.
Well there you have it, the matches that I at least have come up with for the “Heartbreak Kid.” It’s obvious that there are a number of potentially great matches awaiting Shawn Michaels’ return and over the next few months I’m sure there will be even more worthy opponents and interesting match up developed in time for WrestleMania. Be sure to drop me an e-mail or leave me a comment letting me know your ideas for HBK at the big show.
The Shimmy Likes it Raw!
What’s on tap for tonight’s show?
That wraps up this week’s column, thanks for reading. Until next time, don’t die. Clark…out.
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