10 Wrestlers That Became Complete Party Animals

8. Shawn Michaels

Rob Van Dam
WWE Network

Shawn Michaels may have been evolving into one of the greatest of all time shortly into a solo run that began in 1992, but WWE were more than happy to promote that his lifestyle almost ended his career just three years later.

In a manner of speaking, anyway.

Decked in a Syracuse bar fight by anywhere between one and one thousand marines depending on who you believe, 'HBK' was forced (!) to vacate the Intercontinental Championship due to the injuries sustained. Post-concussion symptoms were used in the build to the Royal Rumble victory that got him to the main event of WrestleMania XII in 1996, but this unsavoury start to life as WWE Champion was far from the end of his road to self-ruin.

By the end of 1997, he was on top again and felt untouchable in a company that had just selected him over fierce rival Bret Hart. A game of DX strip poker on Monday Night Raw on the December 9th Raw saw him swigging from a bottle of Jack Daniels as he kicked the sh*t out The Headbangers in nothing but his briefs.

Only after an enforced early retirement in 1998 and new relationship with religion in 2001 did 'HBK' finally leave decide the party.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett