10 WWE Midcarders Who Broke The Glass Ceiling

Much like real-life friend-turned-adversary Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels probably never dreamed of being the guy in WWE when he was bending bones alongside Marty Jannetty as a member of The Rockers in the late 80s and early 90s.

Michaels was a sensational performer, a man capable of so very much, but WWE saw the undersized (by main event standards of the time) HBK as an Intercontinental Champion and little more. With the New Generation in full swing, however, Vince decided to take a punt on the charismatic Showstopper at WrestleMania XII.

Vince used a very real beating that Michaels received outside of a Syracuse, New York bar in late '95 to drum up sympathy for the would-be champion and booked him to win the Royal Rumble. Having come close to winning the big one on previous occasions (including at WrestleMania XI), few were sure as to wether Michaels would actually get one over on Bret Hart, especially since The Hitman had only been champion for a month himself.

But that's exactly what transpired in the 60-minute Iron Man main event of 'Mania XII. Shawn went the distance and then pinned Hart in overtime to become the WWE Champion. He'd hold the belt off and on until he needed to temporarily leave the business in 1998.

When he came back, he did so as a huge star and slotted right back into the main event picture. Quite remarkable, when you look at babyface-in-peril, neon-tights Shawn Michaels of the Rockers days.