10 Most Emotional Title Wins In WWE History
7. Shawn Michaels Wins The WWE Title (WrestleMania XII)
It’s easy to malign Shawn Michaels as a supposed backstage villain these days, and even easier to overlook just how impactful his first ever WWE Championship victory was. HBK was one of the company’s most popular athletes back in 1996, and with WrestleMania XII on the horizon, he had a date with destiny - and Bret Hart.
WWE spent much of the build for their 60-minute Iron Man match focusing on Shawn’s “boyhood dream.” He was a man who’d dreamed of becoming WWE Champion from the day he was born, and after slowly climbing the ranks throughout his career, this was was his big moment.
As is always the case with Michaels and Hart, there were some serious politics involved, and both men refused to take the first fall in the match itself. Thus, it stretched beyond the 60-minute time limit and went into sudden death, but Shawn finally ended things with a devastating Sweet Chin Music. HBK took the pin, Bret’s reign was over, and Michaels’ dream had come true.
All Shawn could do was sit on the mat, staring at his newly-won title in complete disbelief. On the biggest stage of them all, Michaels had won the biggest prize of them all, and his ascent to all-time greatness was well underway.