It is pretty safe to say that Shawn Michaels made quite an impact in WWE during his 35 years with the company.
Beginning his run as one-half of the Rockers alongside Marty Jannetty, Micheals went on to become one of the most iconic and influential performers of all time. Not only did he win many championships, create multiple legendary moments and put on numerous classic matches, but he changed the industry.
HBK altered the way WWF looked at smaller wrestlers. Until his arrival, the company’s headliners were Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior-sized larger-than-life superheroes. When Michaels broke through to the main event level he set the precedent for smaller performers which, inspired several generations of wrestlers.
Performers such as Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho and Adam Cole are just some of today’s stars who credit Michaels with the inspiration to step inside the ropes.
He continues to mould the future as the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative where he is behind a lot of the wrestler development and booking in NXT.
Shawn Michaels Made His WWE Debut In 1987
The Heartbreak Kid made his WWF debut in a Dark match on the June 18th, 1987 episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge where the Rockers defeated Jimmy Jack Funk and Jose Estrada.
So, on that day 35 years later, the official NXT Twitter account posted a message on social media celebrating his impressive anniversary in the company. The account wrote:
.@ShawnMichaels made his WWE Debut 35 years ago today. Happy anniversary to The Heartbreak Kid and the man who makes #WWENXT what it is 🙌
The man himself responded to the message, reflecting on his time in the company and thanking the fans for their continued support. The two-time Hall of Famer replied:
35 years ago, I entered @WWE as The Heartbreak Kid and what a ride it’s been!
Thank you to WWE for giving me an opportunity of a lifetime and to the incredible WWE Universe for your unending support!
You’re the reason I’ve still got that sweet chin music after all these years!
In 2011 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame and again in 2019 as part of D-Generation X along with Triple H, X-Pac, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and Chyna.
In recent news, Shawn Michaels said that NXT is the best 2-hour wrestling show on TV.