10 Forgotten Shawn Michaels Matches You Need To See

3. Vs. Jeff Hardy - Monday Night Raw 2008

One of the best things about Shawn's return from a potentially career-ending broken back in 2002 was that he could be matched up against the new generation of talent that had come through the WWE's ranks during his absence; and as such, we got to see a slew of opponents for Shawn that we thought we'd never get to see. During his rise to the top, Jeff Hardy had regularly been compared to Shawn Michaels. While the two men weren't exactly identical, they shared a lot of similarities in terms of their athleticism, showmanship, resiliency and overall disregard for their own bodies when it came to entertaining the fans. Their similarities were showcased in this match from Raw in 2008, just prior to No Way Out. Both HBK & Hardy were competing in the same Elimination Chamber match at the PPV, so, as is done so many times, a preview-like match took place on the go-home episode of Raw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSzdBEQRiNg With Shawn being Shawn and Jeff being Jeff however, they weren't satisfied with a basic match, and together put on a very entertaining back and forward contest. Not only was it fun to watch, but it had an interestingly competitive edge, with both men showing a dislike for each other, despite the fact that they'd had little interaction as characters before. Another of the best things about the post-back injury Shawn, is that he'd (mostly) put his ego aside, and was happy to put over new, younger talents. As a result, this had a refreshingly decisive ending, with Jeff getting a completely squeaky clean win.