Possible re-debut of the Heartbreak Kid?
This is what all wrestling fans want: there's a chance Shawn Michaels might come back to wrestling. He states in his article that he feels better than he has in 3 years, so he might come back to the WWF. Here is the full article by Phil Speer of WWF.com:
HBK: He’ll be back?
Eight-month-old Cameron may not know it yet, but his daddy is one of the greatest competitors in World Wrestling Federation history.
These days, Shawn Michaels spends the majority of his time in San Antonio, hanging out with his wife, Rebecca, and their newborn son. The Federation's Grand Slam Champion - the only man to hold the Federation Title as well as the Intercontinental, European and Tag Team Championships -- the 35-year-old Michaels had major back surgery in 1998 and, as a result, is done with wrestling for good. Or is he?
In an article that Shawn wrote for the official Web site of the Texas Wrestling Alliance, the organization that he runs, Michaels said he's in the best shape he's been in since the surgery and suggested that a return to in-ring competition is not out of the question.
"Whadda ya say to just one more match?" Michaels wrote. "Just wondering."
Reached at his home in San Antonio while his first and only son was napping, Michaels said that there are a number of factors to consider before he would ever return to action.
"I'm certainly healthier than I've been in three years," said the man known as the Heartbreak Kid. "I feel better than I've felt in a very long time. I certainly have the desire to do it again. If all the circumstances were right, and a doctor felt like it was something I could try ... everyone says you never say never. If all the circumstances are right, I certainly wouldn't say no to it.
Michaels' last Federation match was at WrestleMania XIV in Boston, when he lost the Federation Championship to Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Asked if losing his last match in the Federation is a factor in his potential return, Michaels said, "I've always wished that I had been able to go out on a different note, certainly. I was very happy with the way I did, but in the perfect world you'd love to go out on the winning end and part of something special."
The Heartbreak Kid went so far as to say that he may even be willing to participate in more than one match, but "you can only move on to the next (match) after one is done."
Interestingly, next year's WrestleMania is scheduled for April 1, 2001, at the Astrodome in Houston, a four-hour drive from San Antonio. It's the first time WrestleMania has ever taken place in Michaels' home state.
"I think it's great for the state of Texas to host a WrestleMania," Michaels said. "I've always wanted to be a part of whatever the WWF wants to make me a part of."
In watching Federation programming lately, Michaels has noticed a dramatic change in the business since his days as an active competitor. There's more emphasis on storylines, as opposed to just traditional wrestling. The Triple H-Stephanie-Kurt Angle situation, he said, is a great example of a storyline that is more "realistic soap opera" than old-school wrestling.
The Heartbreak Kid said that current trends in the industry allow for more creativity than storylines that solely revolved around wrestling, like in the past.
Although Michaels is arguably the greatest mat technician the Federation has ever seen, he is also partly responsible for changing the face of sports entertainment. Beginning in late 1997 with the formation of D-Generation X (with Michaels, Triple H, Chyna, and for a short time, the late Rick Rude), Michaels helped push the envelope and take the Federation to places never before seen.
For weeks, Michaels and Triple H lampooned then Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter in several hilarious segments that had nothing to do with wrestling. And of course DX popularized the expression "Suck It!"
"I think we opened up a lot of doors, and that's nice to be a part of," he said. "It's nice that there are some people that don't forget stuff like that, and it was definitely great fun to do."
Because Michaels is such a great entertainer - and the Federation is more about entertainment than ever before -- a comeback may be easier on his sore back because he won't necessarily have to take as much physical punishment as he would have just a few short years ago.
But whether or not the Heartbreak Kid returns, he'll go down in history as one of the best ever. People at the top of their games often say that their accomplishments "haven't sunk in yet.
" Michaels was asked whether, after several months off the road, he's had time to reflect and really appreciate all that he has done.
"You don't have the time to really understand and appreciate (your accomplishments) because you're so busy," Michaels said. "You don't have time to sit there and enjoy it and marvel at everything that you've done, because you're busy going to the next place. (But now) I've had a great deal of time to do that.
"There have been a lot of people that have been nice enough to give me credit for a lot of the things the WWF is doing now. I read the articles of guys like Edge and Christian and the Hardys, and they're all very gracious in giving me credit for the things that they've done. These guys go out there and completely blow away any kind of Ladder Match I ever had. But they talk about me like I used to talk about Ric Flair. And that's the greatest form of flattery if you ask me."
Michaels spends his time training the next generation of superstars. His San Antonio-based Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy has only been open two years, and his prospects have already made their mark in the business. In fact, four students currently have developmental contracts with the Federation. If you're interested in attending the school, send $5 for postage and handling along with your address to Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy, P.O. Box 461348, San Antonio, Texas, 78248.
Today, Michaels says his greatest accomplishment is being both a father and a husband.
"I'm fairly positive I took the wrestling business way too personally," he said. "That's because I didn't have anything else in my life to take personally.
"If you have a wonderful wife and a healthy baby, you're already the richest man in the world."
---Credit: Phil Speer, WWF.com
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