10 Wrestling Stars Who Reinvented Their Way To Longevity

10. Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels began life in the WWF as a veritable hot tag machine, one whose naturally cocky presence earmarked him for a post-Rockers heel singles run.

The precipitating angle was legendary, both in action (the use of glass was shocking for the time) and reaction (Bobby Heenan's insistence that Jannetty was "trying to escape" is an all-time great heel commentator call).

From there, Michaels would hone his bad boy act to climb the ranks, before nailing his flag to the top of the mountain with his Boyhood Dream babyface character. Michaels, however, was very much a real-life heel in the 1990s.

He became a slight extension of himself to form his degenerate act in the nascent stage of the Attitude Era, thrusting his hips suggestively towards anyone in his vicinity like "the stripper he must have been in a previous life", according to Bret Hart's autobiography.

Michaels found Christianity in his pro wrestling wilderness years, which he used alongside his inspiring recovery story to find lasting acceptance as a bonafide babyface, something he'd struggled to claim during his original singles run.

He still had a bit of the devil in him, though, as he proved during his memorable feud with Hulk Hogan, revelling for the only time since 2002 in the black hat. Hogan really did infuriate him by refusing to lay down in their scrapped sequel bout.