5 WWE Superstars who were injured going into big matches 

#1 Shawn Michaels (vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin at WWE WrestleMania XIV)

18 years ago today, Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels in the main event of WM XIV to win his first WWF Title. pic.twitter.com/oM7a7wcqol

— Wrestling History (@datawrestling) March 29, 2016

Shawn Michaels is one of the few Superstars who had the responsibility of carrying WWE (then WWF) through a dark phase following the departure of numerous top Superstars including Hulk Hogan. Michaels, along with Bret Hart and The Undertaker, did a fairly good job of holding the fort while Stone Cold, Triple H, and The Rock moved up the card.

In 1998, Austin was completely ready to lead the company and it was Shawn Michaels' responsibility to put him over in a convincing fashion in order for the Attitude Era to fully kick in, resulting in a boom period for WWE.

At Royal Rumble 1998, Michaels suffered a devastating back injury that would force him to retire from in-ring action (until 2002). However, The Heartbreak Kid would work through his injury and put on a stellar bout with Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV before temporarily stepping away from the action.

Given Shawn Michaels' over-the-top personality, he could have been a staple of WWE during the Attitude Era. Even though he didn't wrestle a match in WWE between WrestleMania XIV and SummerSlam 2002, he made several appearances in non-wrestling capacities.