10 Wrestlers Who Suffered A Crippling Crisis Of Confidence

2. Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels Chris Jericho WrestleMania XIX
WWE.com

Mick Foley wasn't the only one who didn't think he could follow Shawn Michaels in 1998. Four years later, Shawn Michaels wasn't convinced he could follow The Heartbreak Kid. He'd just returned from a lengthy layoff for "one more match" against Triple H at SummerSlam 2002. That, predictably, turned into 'hundreds more matches'.

It took until WrestleMania XIX for Shawn to fully regain his mojo though.

Chris Jericho wrote in one of his books that Michaels wasn't totally confident before their 'Mania classic. The legend was battling inner doubts over his ability to be the HBK fans craved, and he wasn't about to settle for mediocrity. Then, something magical happened. Shawn and Y2J tore the house down in Seattle.

When Jericho waited for his idol behind the curtain, he was pleased to hear Michaels lavish praise on the match and then cockily shout, "Follow that" to anyone who was listening. The old Shawn Michaels was officially back, and he'd arguably better his first run over the next seven years.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.