Returning to face his old chum, Triple H at Summerslam 2002, Michaels looked every bit the performer he had been years before back injuries forced him to take a lengthy sabbatical from in-ring competition. Following that match up with a string of excellent performances on television and Pay-Per-View, HBK would win the World Heavyweight Championship in the first ever Elimination Chamber match at the Survivor Series. It was a feel good moment for all involved, but would only last around a month, before Shawn would drop the strap back to Hunter in an epic 3 Stages Of Hell match at the Armageddon show in December, 2002. The first fall was a Street Fight won by HHH, before Michaels got retribution inside a Steel Cage. The deciding fall was a Ladder Match, fitting given HBK's history with the stipulation. Even though Ric Flair had interfered throughout the bout, he would stand and watch in awe as Shawn was pushed from a ladder inside the ring through a stack of tables outside it, allowing Triple H to climb the ladder and grab the belt.
