The Heartbreak Kid had a decadent youth, and he has admitted to being hopped up on pills and partying hard on the road during the 90s. But when Shawn left the WWE in 1998, he found God and wanted to spend more time with his family. Because of this, Shawn worked out a deal where he would work a light schedule, with only a few house show dates per year. The WWE offered, numerous times, to put the belt on him during this latter stage in his career. But aside from a single world title run, Shawn turned it all down, reasoning that the champion should be willing to work house shows and defend the belt. Shawn wasn't prepared to do that, but whenever he did step into the ring, he gave it his all. The matches near the end of his career, particularly the ones against The Undertaker, are considered to be some of the sport's finest. And if skipping the house shows allowed an older Michael to conserve his strength, it was worth it.
Kevin is an AP English Language teacher and freelance writer from Queens, NY. His focus is on American pop culture and American issues. He wrote a weekly column for Complex called "Throwback Thursdays," which spotlighted video games and trends from previous console generations. Kevin has also been published in VIBE, Salon, PopMatters, Joystiq, and Racialicious. Follow him on Twitter to learn more.
