10 Greatest WWE Champions Ever
4. Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels was so good when he returned in 2002 that many fans began overlooking the almost unmatched beauty of his original WWE run in favour of cursing it with the sins of his past.
WWE lore had pre-1998 Michaels as just an 'angry young man' compared to the God-fearing superworker that wasn't remotely bothered about winning World Titles once a 2002 vanity reign was out of everybody's system.
Bullsh*t. As bullsh*t as the severity of the knee injury that forced his 1997 abdication of the belt he'd briefly re-established as the most respected in the world. For all their incredible moments together in future feuds, 1996 was the year Shawn level-pegged his idol Ric Flair. 'The Nature Boy' was often credited with the capacity to carry a 'broomstick' to 5 stars in his 1980s pomp. Michaels hauled Sid - a man he once coined the 'most expensive piece of luggage' in wrestling - to a minor MSG classic.
A house show draw on reputation with the company on the back-foot, Michaels was ultra-special on pay-per-view, giving anybody and everybody some of their best nights on the job.