Shawn Michaels Michael Shawn Hickenbottom ( July 22 , 1965 ) , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels , is an American former and retired professional wrestler , currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) , where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December 2010 . He actively wrestled for WWE , formerly the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) , in every decade from the 1980s onward , officially retiring in 2010 . He is considered one of WWE ' s senior performers , having consistently performed for the organization from 1988 to 2010 , albeit in non - wrestling roles from 1998 to 2002 . Hickenbottom began his wrestling career with Mid - South Wrestling , now known as Universal Wrestling Federation , and American Wrestling Association ( AWA ) . During his time with AWA , he performed in partnership with Marty Jannetty , as The Midnight Rockers ; winning the AWA World Tag Team Championship twice . Hickenbottom and Jannetty briefly signed with World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) in 1987 , while in contract with AWA . They returned to AWA , only to go back to the WWF in 1988 . Hickenbottom later worked as a single performer , taking on a new persona of " The Heartbreak Kid " and , first as a villain and later as a fan favorite , moved into the main event sphere . He yielded considerable influence on booking decisions as the leader of The Kliq , a backstage group , which however fell apart in 1996 . The following year , he teamed up with Hunter Hearst Hemsley , who often was referred to as Triple H ( HHH ) , Chyna and Rick Rude to form D - Generation X ( DX ) . This group of wrestlers was known for their sophomoric crude humor . That same year , Hickenbottom took part in one of the most controversial matches in wrestling history , dubbed as the " Montreal Screwjob . " After a back injury forced him to retire following his WWF Championship loss at WrestleMania XIV , Hickenbottom opened a wrestling academy , called The Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy , in which he trained upcoming wrestlers . He made his in - ring return at SummerSlam in 2002 . In 2006 , Hickenbottom and Triple H briefly reformed DX , but after an injury that Triple H sustained , Hickenbottom returned to singles wrestling . Although as of 2009 , the duo reunited as a tag team once more , with the two capturing the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship . At WrestleMania XXVI , Michaels was forced to retire from in - ring competition when he lost a career - threatening match . In December 2010 , he signed a long - term deal with WWE , making his first live appearance at a WWE show since WrestleMania later that month . He will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2011 . Among other accolades , Hickenbottom is a four - time world champion : a three - time WWF Champion and a former World Heavyweight Champion . He was also the winner of the 1995 and 1996 Royal Rumble s and was the company ' s first Grand Slam Champion . He has also won the Slammy Award a record 11 times . Hickenbottom currently resides in San Antonio , Texas with his wife , Rebecca , and their two children . Career . Early career ( 1984 – 1988 ) . Hickenbottom began to train under Mexican professional wrestler Jose Lothario . During his training , Hickenbottom adopted the ring name , Shawn Michaels , a stage name used by a professional wrestler to hide their true identity from the wrestling fanbase . After his training with Lothario , he debuted as Shawn Michaels , with Mid - South Wrestling and Texas All - Star Wrestling ( TAW ) promotions in 1984 . During his time with TAW , Michaels and Paul Diamond ( Tom Boric ) were awarded the TAW Tag Team Championship by Chavo Guerrero , Sr . ( Salvador Guerrero Llanes ) . He also worked for Central States Wrestling . There , he and tag team partner Marty Jannetty ( Frederick Jannetty ) defeated The Batten Twins for the Central States Tag Team Championship , later losing it back to the Battens . Michaels also made several appearances in the Dallas , Texas - based World Class Championship Wrestling throughout 1985 . Michaels made his national - level debut at the age of twenty in American Wrestling Association ( AWA ) , once again teaming with Marty Jannetty . The pair were billed as " The Midnight Rockers " , and held the AWA World Tag Team Championship , defeating Doug Somers and Buddy Rose ( Paul Perschmann ) . In 1987 , The Rockers were signed by a competing promotion : the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) . They were fired from WWF two weeks later , for a bar incident ( a misunderstanding , according to Michaels ' autobiography ) . They then returned to AWA , but were re - signed by WWF a year later . World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment ( 1988 – 1999 ) . The Rockers ( 1988 – 1991 ) . The Rockers redebuted at a WWF house show on July 7 , 1988 . Due to WWF chairman Vince McMahon ' s desire to have his performers carry WWF - exclusive ring names , they were renamed , as simply " The Rockers . " The team proved popular with both children and women . The team was a mid - card stalwart of television and pay - per - view shows for the next two years . In October 1990 , The Rockers were scheduled to win the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Hart Foundation ( Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart ) , as Neidhart , half of the championship team , was in the process of negotiating his release from the company . The match was taped with The Rockers winning the belts , but soon after , Neidhart came to an agreement with management and was rehired . The belts were returned to the Hart Foundation , while the title change was never broadcast or even acknowledged on television . When news spread , WWF explained that the original result was void due to a collapsed turnbuckle in the ring during the bout . A buckle had indeed broken , but not to a noticeable or dangerous extent during the match . The Rockers plodded along , eventually splitting on December 2 , 1991 during an incident on Brutus " The Barber " Beefcake ' s ( Edward Leslie ) televised " Barber Shop " talk show promotional segment . Michaels superkick ed Jannetty and threw him through a glass window on the set of Beefcake ' s talk show . Jannetty disappeared from the company , and Michaels became a villain as " The Boy Toy . " Heartbreak Kid ( 1992 – 1995 ) . At the suggestion of " Mr Perfect " Curt Hennig , Michaels adopted the nickname " The Heartbreak Kid . " Along with his new name came a new gimmick as a vain , cocky villain . He was put together with mirror - carrying Manager , Sensational Sherri ( Sherri Schrull ) , who , according to the storyline , had become infatuated with him . Sherri even sang the first version of his new theme music , " Sexy Boy . " During that period , Michaels normally wrestled during the first half of house shows , and his departure was announced with the words , " Shawn Michaels has left the building " ( alluding to the phrase " Elvis has left the building " ) . Michaels failed to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Bret Hart in July 1992 , even losing the WWF ' s first - ever ladder match against him at a house show , a match where the objective was to climb a ladder and reach an object hanging above the ring . He , however , won the title from The British Bulldog ( David Smith ) on the October 27 , 1992 edition of " Saturday Night ' s Main Event " , which aired on November 8 . Shortly thereafter , he was in a pay - per - view main event for the first time , in which he lost to Hart , for the WWF Championship at the 1992 Survivor Series . Michaels and Hart were moved to the main event after The Ultimate Warrior ( Brian Hellwig ) was unable to compete in the tag team match that involved Randy Savage ( Randall Poffo ) against the team of Ric Flair ( Richard Fliehr ) and Razor Ramon ( Scott Hall ) . During this time , Michaels and Sherri split and he engaged himself in a feud with former tag team partner Marty Jannetty . Michaels lost the Intercontinental Championship to Jannetty on " Monday Night Raw " on May 17 , 1993 . He then regained it on June 6 with the help of his debuting " bodyguard " ( and off - air friend ) Diesel ( Kevin Nash ) . In September 1993 , Michaels had quit the company , after it was announced that he had failed to defend his title enough times during a set period ; in reality , he had been suspended for testing positive for steroids – a charge that Michaels denies to this day . After turning down World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) ' s advances , Michaels returned to the WWF and made several appearances in the United States Wrestling Association ( USWA ) during a WWF / USWA cross - promotion . He returned to WWF television for November ' s Survivor Series pay - per - view , substituting for Jerry Lawler , who was dealing with legal issues , in a match pitting himself and three of Lawler ' s " Knights " against the Hart brothers , Bret , Bruce , Keith , and Owen . He soon entered a staged rivalry with Razor Ramon , who had won the vacated Intercontinental Championship , during Michaels ' absence . Since Michaels had never been defeated in the ring for the title , he claimed to be the rightful champion and even carried around his old title belt . This feud culminated in a ladder match between the two at WrestleMania X . Michaels lost the match , which featured both his and Ramon ' s belts suspended above a ladder in the ring . This match was voted by fans as " Match of the Year " by " Pro Wrestling Illustrated " . Over the next few months , Michaels battled various injuries and launched the " Heartbreak Hotel " television talk show segment , mainly shown on " WWF Superstars " . On August 28 , 1994 , Michaels and Diesel captured the WWF World Tag Team Championship from The Headshrinkers ( Samu Samula Anoa ' i and Fatu Solofa Fatu ) . The next day , at SummerSlam , Diesel lost the Intercontinental championship to Ramon when Michaels accidentally superkicked Diesel . This triggered a split between Michaels and Diesel , a storyline that was drawn out until Survivor Series that November . Michaels went on to win the Royal Rumble in 1995 , which set up a championship grudge match at WrestleMania XI against Diesel ( who had gone on to win the WWF Championship from Bob Backlund ) . As part of the storyline , Michaels recruited Sycho Sid ( Sid Eudy ) as his bodyguard for the build - up , lost the match , and was attacked by Sid the following night . After this , Michaels took time off , because Vince McMahon wanted Michaels to become a crowd favorite . Clique ' s influence ( 1995 – 1997 ) . Michaels returned to the ring , as a crowd favorite , in June 1995 . He went onto defeat Jeff Jarrett at the July pay - per - view event , , to win his third Intercontinental championship . This led to a title defense against Razor Ramon at SummerSlam , in a ladder match , which Michaels won . Around this time , Michaels became the alleged leader of a backstage group known as The Clique . Others perceived the group to have sufficient clout with WWF owner Vince McMahon , becoming dominant wrestling figures in WWF for several years in the mid - 1990s . Michaels disputes the perception , saying that McMahon pushed only deserving wrestlers . Michaels ' fan base was later nicknamed " The Kliq " as an inside reference to the real " Clique " . In October 1995 , he was legitimately attacked by several men outside a bar in Syracuse , New York . Shortly afterwards , at the pay - per - view , Michaels forfeited the Intercontinental championship to staged rival Dean Douglas ( Troy Martin ) because he was , according to WWF , unable to compete . Later in the night , Douglas lost the championship to Clique member Razor Ramon . The next month , during a match with Owen Hart on an episode of " Raw " , Owen performed a kick that struck the back of Michaels ' head . They continued the match , but Michaels collapsed in the ring , supposedly because he had suffered a concussion in the Syracuse incident . The concussion was scripted , which was kept from most fans at the time . After teasing a retirement , Michaels returned to WWF at the Royal Rumble match in 1996 , which he wound up winning for a second year in a row , to receive a WWF Championship match in the main event at WrestleMania XII . Around this time , Jose Lothario became Michaels on - screen manager . At WrestleMania XII , Michaels defeated Bret Hart in the ' sudden death ' overtime of their sixty - minute Iron Man match , a match where the winner is determined by the number of scoring conditions by a certain time limit , which had ended in a 0 – 0 tie . On May 19 , 1996 in an incident known as " , " Michaels won a steel cage match , a match where the ring is surrounded by a steel cage , against Kevin Nash . After the match ended , Scott Hall , who was about to leave WWF to company rival WCW , came to the ring and hugged Michaels . Although , Hunter Hearst Helmsley ( Paul Levesque ) and Nash were seen as villains at the time , in contrast to Michaels and Hall , they were also members of The Clique , and group joined in the good - bye hug . The incident was seen as a rare breach in " kayfabe " , which is the faux action and storylines that promoters wanted the fans to see as real . As WCW gained momentum due to the signings of Hall and Nash , Michaels held the championship for most of the year . Michaels ' championship reign ended at the 1996 Survivor Series event , where he lost to Sycho Sid , his former bodyguard . Michaels recaptured the championship from Sid in January 1997 at the Royal Rumble . On a special episode of " Raw " , dubbed " Thursday Raw Thursday " , Michaels vacated the WWF championship ; he explained to fans that he was informed by doctors that he had conjured a knee injury , and that he had to retire . His speech was regarded as controversial , as Michaels was allegedly unwilling to lose to Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 ( since it was noted that he was going to have a rematch with Hart at WrestleMania ) . Michaels contemplated thoughts of retirement and stated that he " had to find his smile again , " which he had " lost " somewhere down the line . After knee surgery by Dr . James Andrews , Michaels returned a few months later , briefly teaming with Steve Austin ( Steven Williams ) to win the WWF Tag Team Title . In his autobiography , Michaels reveals about his real - life feud with Bret Hart , claiming that Bret did interviews on live television claiming that he ( Michaels ) was faking his whole injury . At SummerSlam , Michaels officiated the WWF championship match between champion The Undertaker ( Mark Calaway ) and Bret Hart . The match ended in controversial fashion , with Michaels hitting Undertaker with a chair ( unintentionally , as he was aiming for Bret after he spat in his face ) . Michaels was then forced to award the championship to his nemesis , Bret Hart . At WWF One Night Only , held in Birmingham , England in September , Michaels defeated The British Bulldog to capture the WWF European Championship . The fans at the event were so appalled at the result of the match they booed Michaels out of the building , to the extent that they littered the ring with rubbish . With this win , Michaels became the first Grand Slam Champion , a distinction made to a professional wrestler who has won all of the major titles in a promotion . During the 1997 SummerSlam event , a feud culminated between Michaels and The Undertaker , after Michaels struck The Undertaker with the usage of a steel chair . At the October pay - per - view event , In Your House : Badd Blood , Michaels and Undertaker participated in the first Hell in a Cell match , a match contested in a ring surrounded by a steel cage made of metal . During the match , it saw Michaels fall off the side of the 15 foot high structure through a table and saw him as the winner in the match . D - Generation X ( 1997 - 1998 ) . In the summer , Michaels joined forces with real - life friend , Hunter Hearst Helmsley , Hunter ' s then - girlfriend , Chyna , and Rick Rude ( Richard Rood ) to form the stable , a group of wrestlers , D - Generation X ( DX ) . Moving away from the family - oriented product , this marked the beginning of the WWF Attitude Era . Michaels continued his rivalry with Bret Hart and his reformed Hart Foundation , which was now a pro - Canada stable . Michaels taunted the group and Canada by engaging in acts , such as blowing his nose with and humping the Canadian Flag . Michaels later claimed the flag desecration was Bret ' s idea . Michaels ' feud with the Hart Foundation culminated in a championship match at Survivor Series in 1997 against Bret Hart . Michaels came out of this match , dubbed by fans the " Montreal Screwjob " , as the WWF Champion . Michaels now held both the WWF and European championship at the same time . Michaels , however , lost the European championship to group member , Hunter Hurst Hemsley , who often was referred to as Triple H ( HHH ) , when he pinned him during a farcical match , making Triple H the European Champion . At the 1998 Royal Rumble , Michaels received a legitimate back injury in a Casket match against The Undertaker , a match where the objective is to place the opponent inside a casket . Michaels took a back body drop to the outside of the ring and smashed his lower back on the casket , causing him to herniate two discs and crush one completely . This forced Michaels into retirement after losing the WWF Championship to Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV . Commissioner ( 1998 – 1999 ) . Michaels returned to the WWF on November 23 , 1998 , but not as a wrestler ; instead , he replaced Sgt . Slaughter ( Robert Remus ) as the WWF Commissioner , a portrayed match maker and rules enforcer , joining Vince McMahon ' s group of wrestlers called the Corporation as a villain . Throughout late 1998 and early 1999 , Michaels made regular television appearances on " Raw " , in which he scheduled matches , throwing around his authority , and sometimes even deciding the outcome of matches . In early 1999 , Michaels re - joined DX as a crowd favorite , but disappeared from WWF television for a few months to have back surgery , and by the time he had returned , DX had broken up . Michaels made occasional appearances on WWF television as the commissioner during the spring and summer of 1999 . Michaels was absent from WWF television until May 21 , 2000 when he returned to officiate the Iron Man match between The Rock ( Dwayne Johnson ) and Triple H . One month later , Michaels briefly reappeared to hand over the role of commissioner to Mick Foley and afterwards was absent from television for nearly a year . During this time , believing that his wrestling career was over , Michaels was interested in training individuals who wanted to become professional wrestlers . Michaels eventually left the academy . During this time , Michaels was a sportscaster for San Antonio ' s local news for a short time during his retirement . Return to World Wrestling Entertainment ( 2002 – 2010 ) . Return to wrestling and feud with Triple H ( 2002 – 2004 ) . In 2002 , Michaels returned to wrestling and was brought into the New World Order ( nWo ) by Kevin Nash as a new member of the group . After the nWo had disbanded , Triple H appeared to make amends with Michaels . This was solidified when Michaels pleaded Triple H to return to " Raw " . Later on , they came down to the ring sporting their DX music and attire . When the pair was about to perform their trademark " Suck It " taunt , Triple H tucked Michaels ' head between his knees and lifted him up to slam his head to the mat , a move Triple H calls the Pedigree . Continuing the angle , a week later , Triple H attacked Michaels from behind in a parking lot and put his head through a car window , in storyline . In response , Michaels challenged Triple H to " a fight " ( a non – sanctioned match ) at SummerSlam , which Triple H accepted , laying the foundation for a rivalry that lasted for years . Michaels won at SummerSlam , but was attacked by Triple H with a sledgehammer after the match . At Survivor Series , Michaels won the World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H in the company ' s first - ever Elimination Chamber match , where the ring is surrounded by a steel structure of chain and girders . Michaels ' reign as champion came to an end when he lost the championship to Triple H in a Three Stages of Hell match , a series of three matches in which wrestlers attempt to win the majority of matches , at Armageddon . Michaels then began a rivalry with Chris Jericho ( Christopher Irvine ) , after Jericho claimed that he was the next Shawn Michaels . On January 13 , 2003 , after Jericho won a Battle royal , a multi - competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared the winner , to select his entry number for the Royal Rumble , choosing number two in order to start the match with Michaels , who had already been named number one . At the Royal Rumble , Jericho , with the help of Christian ( William ) , eliminated Michaels . Michaels defeated Jericho at WrestleMania XIX . After the match , Michaels offered his hand to Jericho , who instead of shaking it , hugged Michaels . At first it seemed like good sportsmanship by Jericho until he quickly kicked Michaels in the groin . As a part of an ongoing feud with Triple H , the two competed alongside Chris Benoit in the main event match at WrestleMania XX for the World Heavyweight Championship . The former DX partners both came up short in the match , however , as Benoit had been scripted to win the championship . At Bad Blood in June , Michaels lost to Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match . Four months later , he lost a World Heavyweight championship match against Triple H , after Edge ( Adam Copeland ) interfered at Taboo Tuesday , when the fans voted for him ahead of Edge and Chris Benoit to face Triple H one more time . Following this , Michaels was out of action for a few months with a legitimate torn meniscus . Feuds with Angle and Hogan ( 2005 ) . At the Royal Rumble in 2005 , Michaels competed in the Rumble match and eliminated Kurt Angle . In seeking revenge , Angle re - entered the ring and eliminated Michaels , and thus placed him in an ankle lock submission hold , outside of the ring . Michaels issued a challenge to Angle for a match at WrestleMania 21 , which Angle accepted when he appeared on " Raw " to attack Michaels . The following week on " Raw " , Marty Jannetty and Michaels had a one time reunion as The Rockers and defeated La Résistance Rob Conway and Sylvain Grenier ) . Three days later on " SmackDown ! " , Angle defeated Jannetty , after Angle made Jannetty submit to the ankle lock . To send a " message " to Michaels , Angle also humiliated Michaels ' former manager , Sensational Sherri , when he applied the ankle lock hold on her . The next night on " Raw " , Muhammad Hassan ( Mark Copani ) and Daivari ( Shawn Daivari ) came out to confront and assault Michaels . The following week , Michaels approached authority figure Eric Bischoff , in which he demanded a handicap match with Hassan and Daivari , a match consisting of one wrestler or team of wrestlers facing off against a team of wrestlers with numerical superiority such as two against one , or three against two . Bischoff refused to schedule the match , but informed Michaels to find a partner and he would grant him the match . Michaels then made a plea for Hulk Hogan ( Terry Bollea ) to come back and team with him . On the April 18 episode of " Raw " , Hassan again led an attack on Michaels until Hogan appeared to save Michaels and accept his offer . At Backlash , Hassan and Daivari lost to Hogan and Michaels when Daivari was pinned . On the July 4 edition of " Raw " , Michaels and Hulk Hogan had a tag team match , which they won . During the post - match pose , Michaels hit Hogan with his superkick , knocking Hogan to the ground and making Michaels a villain for the first time since returning in 2002 . The following week on " Raw " , Michaels appeared on " Piper ' s Pit " where he superkicked Roddy Piper ( Roderick Toombs ) and then challenged Hogan to a match at SummerSlam . Hogan defeated Michaels at SummerSlam , and after the match Michaels extended his hand to him , saying " I needed to know , and I found out " and he and Hogan shook hands . Michaels left the ring to allow Hogan to celebrate with the crowd , and Michaels once again became a crowd favorite . Feud with McMahon and reformation of DX ( 2006 – 2007 ) . On the December 26 , 2005 edition of " Raw " , Vince McMahon lauded Michaels for his part in the Montreal Screwjob . Michaels said he was only being loyal to his company , he had moved on , and McMahon should move on as well . McMahon then began setting unusual stipulations for Michaels ' matches and interfering on behalf of Michaels ' opponents . During the Royal Rumble , McMahon made his way to the ring , and as Michaels stared at McMahon , Shane McMahon made a surprising appearance , eliminating Michaels from the match . On the February 13 edition of " Raw " , McMahon tried unsuccessfully to force Michaels to sign retirement papers . The following week , Michaels won a handicap match against the Spirit Squad ( Kenny ( Ken Doane ) , Johnny ( Johnny Jeter ) , Mitch ( Nick Mitchell ) , Nicky ( Nick Nemeth ) , and Mikey ( Michael Brendli ) and after the match , Michaels ' former partner , Marty Jannetty , came down to help Michaels from the assault by the Spirit Squad . After the two reunited , McMahon offered Jannetty a contract if he " kissed his ass . " The following week , Jannetty refused McMahon ' s offer and instead took Chris Masters ' ( Chris Mordetzky ) " Masterlock challenge . " Michaels tried to help Jannetty , which ultimately resulted in Shane attacking Michaels and forcing him to kiss his father ' s ass . At " Saturday Night ' s Main Event " , Shane defeated Michaels in a Street Fight , a match without disqualifications and where scoring conditions can occur anywhere , after he applied a sharpshooter on Michaels , which led to McMahon immediately ordering for the bell to be rung , even though Michaels did not submit , which was an allusion to the Montreal Screwjob . Despite interference from the Spirit Squad and Shane , Michaels defeated McMahon at WrestleMania 22 in a No Holds Barred match , a match where there are no disqualifications . At Backlash , The McMahons ( Vince and Shane ) defeated Michaels and " God " in a tag team match , with help from the Spirit Squad in a no disqualification match . On the May 22 edition of " Raw " , the Squad was scripted to injure Michaels ' knee . This was angle was written so that Michaels could have surgery on his knee , which had been legitimately injured for some time . In 2006 , a series of events took place which suggested a reunion of Michaels and Triple H as DX . They began at WrestleMania 22 , where both Michaels and Triple H performed the crotch chop , during their matches . On " Raw " , the two continued to deliver chops , as Michaels feuded with Vince McMahon and Triple H went for the WWE Championship , repeatedly butting heads with Vince McMahon in the process . On the June 12 , 2006 edition of " Raw " , DX officially reunited . During Triple H ' s gauntlet match , which had him compete against the Spirit Squad , a match consisting of two wrestlers beginning the match , and replacing whenever one is eliminated ( by normal means ) , with the last person standing being named the winner . Michaels came in to help Triple H , and the two did the DX " crotch chops . " At Vengeance , DX defeated the Spirit Squad in a 5 – on – 2 handicap match . They also defeated the Spirit Squad at " Saturday Night ' s Main Event " in a 5 - on - 2 elimination match and defeated The McMahons at SummerSlam . At Unforgiven , DX once again defeated the McMahons and ECW World Champion The Big Show ( Paul Wight ) in a Hell in a Cell match . At Cyber Sunday , DX took on Rated - RKO ( Edge and Randy Orton ) . The fan - selected referee Eric Bischoff allowed the illegal use of a Folding chair to give Rated - RKO the ill - gotten win and the plaudit of being the first tag team to defeat DX in a tag team match since their reformation in June 2006 . At Survivor Series , however , Team DX emerged victorious against Team Rated - RKO . At New Year ' s Revolution , Triple H suffered a legitimate torn right quadriceps during their match with Rated - RKO . Rated - RKO claimed victory over DX , citing Triple H ' s injury , as the " end " of DX . On January 15 , Michaels lived up to his word of " dealing " with Rated - RKO , from his comments the previous week before , when he took out Randy Orton with a con - chair - to , a wrestler placing their opponent so that they are horizontal with their head resting on a chair , then hitting their head from above with a second chair , squashing the head of the opponent between both chairs , after a handicap match against Edge and Orton . Various feuds ( 2007 – 2010 ) . On the January 29 episode of " Raw " , Michaels captured the World Tag Team Championship with WWE Champion John Cena after defeating Rated - RKO . He then defeated both Edge and Orton in a Triple Threat number one contender ' s match on another episode of " Raw " to earn a shot at the WWE championship . At WrestleMania 23 , Cena retained the championship , after he made Michaels submit to the STFU . The next night on " Raw " , Michaels and Cena competed in two back - to - back ten team battle royals , winning the first and losing the titles in the second to The Hardys ( Matt and Jeff ) when Michaels threw Cena over the top rope . Michaels ' feud with Cena continued and he faced off with Cena , Edge and Randy Orton in a standard wrestling match involving four wrestlers at Backlash for the WWE championship . Cena retained the championship when Michaels performed Sweet Chin Music on Cena causing him to fall on Orton , which gained Cena the pinfall . Michaels then entered a feud with Randy Orton when Orton claimed that he could beat Michaels . The week before their scheduled match at Judgment Day , after Michaels won a match against Edge , Orton interfered , punting Michaels in the head , this kick sees the wrestler take a run up to a kneeling opponent and strike him in the head with the sole of his foot . Orton assaulted Michaels again , just prior to their match at Judgment Day , interrupting Michaels ' interview segment . Michaels collapsed during the course of their match , causing Orton to win by referee stoppage . Afterwards , Orton continued the beating , when he performed a jumping cutter to a fallen Michaels . Michaels was then removed out of the ring in a stretcher . During the feud , Michaels conjured a storyline concussion . This injury was used to keep Michaels out of action , as he required surgery for his knee . Michaels made his return on the October 8 episode of " Raw " , performing a superkick to newly crowned WWE Champion , Orton , during his title ceremony at the end of the show and then celebrating over the knocked - out champion as Vince McMahon watched . At Cyber Sunday , Michaels was voted by the fans to face Orton for the WWE Championship ; though he won via disqualification when Orton hit Michaels with a low blow , which resulted in Orton retaining the championship . Michaels got another opportunity at the WWE championship , when he was granted his rematch against Orton at Survivor Series . In their match , Michaels was banned from using Sweet Chin Music upon request by Orton , referring to as Michaels superkicking Orton week after week . Michaels lost the match , when Orton performed a jumping cutter for the win . As part of the storyline involving Ric Flair , Michaels faced Flair in a Career Threatening match at WrestleMania XXIV , in which he won by performing Sweet Chin Music and thus ending Flair ' s career . Afterwards , Batista confronts Michaels about his actions at WrestleMania , calling him selfish and egotistical . The two faced off at Backlash with Chris Jericho as the guest referee . Michaels won after faking a knee injury and performing Sweet Chin Music . Jericho then confronted Michaels on this matter , in which Michaels admitted to faking the injury in order to defeat Batista . Michaels then defeated Jericho at Judgment Day . At One Night Stand , Michaels lost to Batista in a stretcher match , a match where the objective is to place the opponent on a stretcher at ringside and move it across a line located on the entrance ramp , thus ending their feud . On the June 9 episode of " Raw " , Michaels was attacked by Chris Jericho during his talk show segment , " The Highlight Reel " , being thrown directly through a television screen . The following week , it was revealed that , within the context of the storyline , Michaels had suffered a detached retina . At The Great American Bash 2008 | The Great American Bash , a match between Michaels and Jericho was scheduled , in which Jericho assaulted Michaels ' eye , which caused Jericho to win by referee stoppage . A month later at SummerSlam , Michaels was scripted to announce his retirement from professional wrestling , though the staged rivalry between Jericho and himself continued after Jericho punched Michaels ' wife in the face . On the August 25 episode of " Raw " , Michaels denounced his decision to retire and challenged Jericho to an unsanctioned match at Unforgiven , which Jericho accepted . The following week , Michaels and Jericho held a scripted official contract signing for the unsanctioned match . During the contract signing , a confrontation with Jericho occurred . A predicament insured when Michaels suffered a small tear on his left triceps . Though , Michaels was medically cleared to compete in the match . At Unforgiven , Michaels defeated Jericho , after the referee stopped the match , due to the severity of the beating Michaels was giving Jericho . It was at the same September event that Jericho replaced CM Punk in the World Heavyweight Championship scramble match , which saw him win the match and become World champion . The following month at No Mercy , Michaels met Jericho in a ladder match in which Jericho defended the World title against Michaels . At the event , Jericho defeated Michaels to retain the title . In December 2008 , Michaels accepted an offer to become an employee of John " Bradshaw " Layfield ( JBL ) . The storyline was that Michaels had lost his family ' s personal savings due to the global recession , forcing him to accept JBL ' s offer of employment . After failing to secure JBL the World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena at the Royal Rumble , Michaels agreed to take part in an " All or Nothing " match at No Way Out in February . Michaels won the match , letting Michaels out of his one - year contract with JBL immediately while still receiving full payment . Michaels became the first person to successfully defeat Vladimir Kozlov on the March 2 episode of " Raw " , and as a result earned the right to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXV in April . At the event , The Undertaker defeated Michaels to extend his WrestleMania winning streak to 17 - 0 . After WrestleMania , Michaels took a hiatus from WWE . Michaels returned to WWE programming in a series of segments that aired on the August 10 , 2009 episode of " Raw " , where he had scripted left the WWE . Triple H met with Michaels at an office cafeteria in Texas where he was working as a chef ; throughout the segments , Triple H would try to convince Michaels to return to WWE and reform DX . After several incidents during the segments , Michaels agreed to team with Triple H to face The Legacy ( Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase ) at SummerSlam . At the pay - per - view event , DX defeated Legacy . The two teams would exchange victories , with their feud concluding in October . Two months later , at TLC : Tables , Ladders & Chairs , DX defeated Chris Jericho and The Big Show to win the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship in a Tables , Ladders , and Chairs match ( TLC ) . On the January 4 , 2010 episode of " Raw " , Michaels buried the hatchet with long - time rival Bret Hart , as they shook hands and hugged in the ring . In contrast to the storylines featured on the show , this was in fact a real - life reconciliation which laid to rest animosities surrounding the Montreal Screwjob . While some cast doubts on its sincerity , Hart has confirmed that it was indeed genuine . DX lost the Unified Tag Team Championship in a Triple Threat match to the team of The Miz and Big Show on the February 8 episode of " Raw " , the match also included The Straight Edge Society ( CM Punk and Luke Gallows ) . At the Elimination Chamber pay - per - view , Michaels cost The Undertaker the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event . At WrestleMania XXVI , Michaels lost to the Undertaker and , as a result , was forced to retire . The following night , on the March 29 episode of " Raw " , Michaels gave his farewell speech , departing with the familiar sentence , " Shawn Michaels has left the building . " Post - retirement appearances ( 2010 – present ) . On the December 14 episode of " Raw " , Michaels won the Slammy award for Moment of the Year for his match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI . Michaels made an appearance via satellite to accept the award . Three days later , he announced a long - term deal with WWE , where he will serve in an ambassadorial role . Michaels made his first live appearance at a WWE show since the night after WrestleMania at the December 11 " Tribute to the Troops " taping , where he and Triple H made a special appearance for a one - night only DX reunion . Michaels appeared on the January 10 , 2011 , episode of " Raw " , where it was announced he was to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2011 . After being ridiculed by Alberto Del Rio , Michaels hit Del Rio with Sweet Chin Music . On the March 28 episode of " Raw " , Michaels addressed Triple H and The Undertaker about their match at WrestleMania XXVII . Michaels was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 2 by Triple H . The two were also joined by Kevin Nash ( who had returned to WWE previously to participate in the recent Royal Rumble ) and Sean Waltman , reuniting the majority of The Kliq . He further made an appearance on the June 27 episode of " Raw " where he was confronted by CM Punk , and superkicked David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty . Later that night when Diamond Dallas Page made a special appearance and was interrupted and threatened by Drew McIntyre , Michaels superkicked McIntyre . He made another appearance on February 13 , 2012 to confront his friend Triple H about not accepting The Undertaker ' s challenge . He also declared the fact that he was the special guest referee for the match between The Undertaker and Triple H inside Hell in a Cell at Wrestlemania XXVIII . On August 6 , the live audience experienced " shawn Michaels Appreciation Night " on Raw . On the August 13 episode of Raw , Shawn was attacked by Brock Lesnar with an F - 5 and then put into the Kimura Lock thus breaking Shawns ' right arm . On the January 24 , 2013 edition of NXT , Michaels appeared to announce a tournament to crown the inaugural NXT Tag Team Champions . afterwards , He had an off - screen DX reunion with Kevin Nash as well . On April 1 , 2013 episode of Raw Michaels returned to offer his moral support for Triple H against Lesnar at WrestleMania by being Triple H ' s manager . As a result , at WrestleMana 29 Triple H defeated Brock Lesnar to keep his career on the line and Michaels would launch a super kick to Paul Heyman during the match . Michaels returned on the May 27 edition of Raw in a backstage segment with John Cena , while also appearing on the SummerSlam Kickoff . Michaels returned in October 2013 and was selected to be the guest referee in the Hell in a Cell match between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton for the vacant WWE Championship after winning a WWE App poll . at Hell in a Cell , michaels delivered sweet Chin Music to Bryan which allowed Orton to pick up the victory . The next night on Raw , Michaels told Bryan that Triple H was his best friend and always will be , and was upset at how Bryan attacked Triple H during the Hell in a Cell match the previous night . Michaels would then degrade Bryan for not showing him the respect he deserves , turning heel for the first time since 2005 . Bryan would then put Michaels in the " Yes Lock " to end the segment . Personal life . Hickenbottom ' s marriage to his first wife , Theresa Wood , was brief and ended in divorce , but was amicably settled . He is now married to former WCW Nitro Girl Rebecca Hickenbottom ( née Curci ) , who went by the stage name of Whisper . They were married on March 31 , 1999 at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas , Nevada in a small ceremony . The only people present were the couple and an Elvis impersonator . The couple have a son , Cameron Kade ( born on January 15 , 2000 ) and a daughter , Cheyenne Michelle ( born on August 19 , 2004 ) . His cousin Matt Bentley is also a professional wrestler having wrestled in TNA and WWE . Hickenbottom has several tattoos . He has a tattoo of a heart with a sword through it , that has a snake around it in the shape of an " S . " He has one on his wedding finger , that has an " R " for his wife Rebecca . Another in his left wrist , is a bracelet design that says " Cameron " for his son and " Cheyenne " for his daughter . On his left leg he has a picture of his wife , the other leg has a picture of the state of Texas . Finally , he has a small broken heart with the letters " HBK " above it , tattooed on his right hip . In 1996 , Hickenbottom posed in a non - nude layout for " Playgirl " magazine . It was not until after he posed that he discovered that " Playgirl " has a mostly homosexual readership , which was seen as humorous by his fellow wrestlers . He is ambidextrous , which caused him problems as a boy playing football , as he had trouble differentiating between his right and left directions . He uses his right hand to draw and color and his left hand to write . He typically uses his right leg when performing Sweet Chin Music , but has been known to use either arm when performing his signature elbow drop . Hickenbottom is a fan of the San Antonio Spurs . He has been seen wearing Spurs merchandise and attending Spurs games . John " Bradshaw " Layfield made a reference to Hickenbottom being a season ticket holder during the 2007 Royal Rumble . Hickenbottom is a born again Christian . He was raised as a Roman Catholic , but became a non - denominational Christian under the influence of his wife Rebecca . His ring attire often incorporated cross symbols , and while on the way to the ring , he would normally get down on his knees and mouth a prayer while his pyrotechnics went off . He has been seen in the congregation during a televised service of John Hagee ' s Cornerstone Church in his hometown of San Antonio , where he is also a Bible teacher . He also appeared on a Trinity Broadcasting Network ( TBN ) program along with fellow professional wrestler Sting . In Wrestling . Finishing moves