2. Shawn Michaels - Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match - WrestleMania X
The Heartbreak Kid was a talented performer whose singles career post-Rockers had been advancing nicely by the time 1993 rolled around. He was a WWE Intercontinental champion who had become one of the premier workers in the industry. With every match, he improved his ring game and, just as he was really starting to gain momentum as one of the marquee stars on Vince McMahon's Monday Night Raw, a steroid test that he may or may not have actually failed led to his departure from television. It also left the Intercontinental Championship vacant, though McMahon would solve that problem with Razor Ramon, who co-won a Battle Royal, then defeated the veteran Rick Martel to capture the title. When Michaels returned claiming to be the real champion, a Ladder match between the two was booked for WrestleMania X. While Ramon emerged the victor, it was Michael whose performance generated the greatest buzz. He turned in a performance that evening, in front of a worldwide audience watching at home and thousands of the most passionate wrestling fans inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, that not only intensified McMahon's desire to present him as one of the key pieces of WWE's future but also laid the groundwork for a career that was bolstered by the type of show-stealing performances like the one he delivered on the biggest stage imaginable.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
