10 Best WWE Championship Reigns Of The 1990s
5. Shawn Michaels (March-November 1996)
At WrestleMania XII, after over an hour of wrestling and about three gallons of sweat lost, Shawn Michaels finally fulfilled his "boyhood dream" and became WWE Champion for the first time ever.
He then told Bret Hart to get the f*** out of his ring, because 90s Shawn was far from the best Shawn.
Michaels immediately entered into a feud with his former bodyguard, Diesel, before pivoting to a rivalry with recent addition to the roster, Vader. Despite tearing it up at SummerSlam, this programme ended after just one match, allegedly because Michaels didn't enjoy working with such a stiff opponent.
Once again, 90s Shawn - not a great guy.
The highlight of this reign has to be Michaels's excellent match with Mankind at In Your House: Mind Games, one of the best battles of the entire year. It would be Sid who ended up dethroning the Boy Toy at Survivor Series, a result that got a huge pop from the Madison Square Garden crowd.
HBK's first run with the gold was long, produced some excellent matches, and helped establish him as a top star in the promotion. What more could you want?