Known to many as a millionaire who doesn't need to return for a quick buck, Shawn Michaels was painted as a broke loser in 2009. As the story went, 'Mr. WrestleMania' had lost all his family savings due to the ongoing global recession. As a result, he was forced to become dependent on money paid by JBL for his services. The storyline was hard to swallow, because Shawn Michaels was obviously wealthy. Try as they might, neither HBK nor Layfield could convince fans that the angle was worth investing emotion into. The angle may have worked with someone who hadn't been a headliner and made a lot of money from WWE, but Michaels wasn't a realistic protagonist. Defeating JBL at No Way Out 2009, Shawn earned his freedom from the evil Texan. From there, he moved on to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25, in a match so thrilling it made everyone forget about the previous story. WWE don't talk about the feud at all anymore, making it a true anomaly in the career of Shawn Michaels.
