Top 5 WrestleMania matches of Shawn Michaels

There is nobody that can come close to string of having great WrestleMania matches than Shawn Michaels. The HeartBreak Kid is often referred to as the greatest wrestler of all time, taking into account all of the pressures of being Shawn Michaels on WrestleMania and continually having great matches, that alone makes him one of the greatest of all time.Michaels not only had more great matches, but probably influenced more top WWE superstars over the last several years than anyone has in decades. He wrestled his last match at WrestleMania 26 against The Undertaker in a Streak vs Career match and the loss sent the Heartbreak Kid into retirement. In honor of the greatness known as Shawn Michaels, I take a look back at the Heartbreak Kid’s greatest WrestleMania matches.

#5 Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart, Wrestlemania XII

This was a Sixty minutes Iron-Man match, Shawn was the rising star in the company for two full years. Bret had been carrying the company essentially since just before Hulk Hogan took off for the acting world and WCW. These two wrestled a great match for a full sixty minutes. Neither one had pinned the other. Neither one had made the other submit. Bret tried to walk away with the title.

Gorilla Monsoon, the commissioner at the time, told Howard Finkel to announce that there must be a winner. They wrestled a sudden death overtime where Michaels nailed Bret with Sweet Chin Music and picked up the pinfall victory. No one would want to see two men wrestle for an hour, and no one could put up a good enough match to go sixty minutes until they are Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. Despite their differences, they wrestled an incredible match and one that is considered by many to be the best main event match of all time.

#4 Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho, Wrestlemania XIX

A dream match for many, Jericho was heralded as the ‘new HBK’ in some ranks and, as a Shawn fan growing up, he derided Michaels’ comeback and tried to outdo him on the way to this one-on-one match at WrestleMania. This was the Heartbreak Kid’s long awaited WrestleMania return and boy was it worth waiting for.

Jericho and Michaels went back and forth for almost thirty minutes, trading several near pinfalls. In the end, Michaels used a creative backslide to defeat the younger Jericho. It was certainly the show stealer and one of the best matches of all time, an excellent encounter between the veteran and young gun but these two would top this match five years down the line with the 2008 feud of the year.

#3 Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon, Wrestlemania X

Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon changed the course of wrestling with the match they put on in Madison Square Garden. It's one of the most talked about wrestling matches of all time. It was a ladder match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship.

The reigning champion Razor Ramon was defending the belt against the challenger and former Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels. Although it was not the first ladder match, it was considered the most exciting ladder match until that point. It was the first time the ladder match was featured on a WWF pay per view. Through their hard work and insane bumps,they catapulted the ladder and made it a star.

#2 Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker, Wrestlemania XXV

This was further emphasised by their spectacular entrances, with Michaels descending from above in a Heavenly glow while the Undertaker rose from depths in smoke and purple light. It was an all out war between these two. It defined the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania. Nothing was more fitting for this event. It should have gone on last. It was just that good. Shawn cut a great promo that was filmed in a mock cemetary where he talked about all of Taker’s past opponents that he had laid to rest.

A match with this sort of hype could have been the solo match on the card and still defined WrestleMania. The back and forth action of this match was unbelievable and it just got better and better, one of the those matches that no one wanted to end. Of course it did end and it ended with another sublime HBK finish a moonsault countered with a tombstone. They had already kicked out of each other's finishers, the top rope plancha which Shawn Michael dodged by pulling the cameraman in the way was pure awesomeness.

The two men in their mid-forties, put on a performance that men half their age only wish they could do. It was pure magic, and a high quality example of what pro wrestling should be. A mixture of sports and entertainment, with tremendous in ring action and outward personalities that the crowd can cling to. These two made history that night. It was so good that WWE realized their mistake and booked them for a rematch the following year and put them on as the main event.

#1 Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle, Wrestlemania XXI

This was in my opinion Shawn Michaels’ greatest WrestleMania match. This was a Dream Match that had been discussed for years amongst hardcore wrestling fans. Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels were at their best and the fans began demanding to see this great match.

The match itself start methodically with the submision based stuff but then it really kicked off in the second half. With HBK bringing the Moonsault and a brilliant counter sequence, finisher finale, the ultimate drama of the match came down to whether HBK would or wouldn't tap. The entire crowd was willing HBK to counter the ankle lock and make the ropes each time and there was that feeling of disbelief when he finally tapped.