To many people, Shawn Michaels is the greatest wrestler who ever lived, and that includes being a superior wrestler to Ric Flair. Despite his legendary stories of backstage politicking, he has risen to the top of the wrestling world, and has pulled off absolutely fantastic matches over the course of his career. Even some of his detractors consider him to be possibly the best wrestler ever. His Mania matches with Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho and the Undertaker stand out as especially great matches, with his WrestleMania 25 with Taker being cited as the greatest in WrestleMania history. He has also had great matches with Shelton Benjamin, John Cena and many others at other Pay-Per-Views and on RAW. Shawn Michaels has done it all in pro wrestling, and managed to end his legendary career on his own terms in 2010. His feuds, title reigns, and matches in general all set the standard for all WWE Superstars to come after him. Japanese Equivalent: Mitsuharu Misawa While Pro Wrestling Illustrated was lauding Shawns work in the 1990s, Toyko Sports was doing the same for Misawa during the same period. While Michaels was often considered the best, Misawa was considered The Standard Bearer for Future Generations Mitsuharu Misawa set the standard for pro wrestling for all who followed in his footsteps. Over his 28-year career he had 24 5-Star matches according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, which is more than The Great Muta, Antonio Inoki, Bret Hart and Ric Flair combined. He was always able to tell a story in the ring, and everyone who steps between the topes with him benefited almost immediately from simply sharing the spotlight with him. Misawa could be considered the Shawns equivalent in terms of wrestling ability, but he also possessed the popularity equivalent of Hulk Hogan in his native Japan. He was so influential to Japanese professional wrestling that his exodus from All Japan Pro Wrestling and subsequent creation of Pro Wrestling NOAH shook the Japanese wrestling industry to its knees. Alas, tragedy struck on June 13th, 2009, when Misawa passed away during a match. Though the cause of death was never released, it was believed to have been a heart attack caused by years of spinal injury and head drops. His was truly one of the most shocking and unfortunate losses in the wrestling industry. Imagine, for a moment, if Misawa and Michaels ever squared off in a ring as opponents. It wouldve probably been the greatest match of all time.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
While Pro Wrestling Illustrated was lauding Shawns work in the 1990s, Toyko Sports was doing the same for Misawa during the same period. While Michaels was often considered the best, Misawa was considered The Standard Bearer for Future Generations Mitsuharu Misawa set the standard for pro wrestling for all who followed in his footsteps. Over his 28-year career he had 24 5-Star matches according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, which is more than The Great Muta, Antonio Inoki, Bret Hart and Ric Flair combined. He was always able to tell a story in the ring, and everyone who steps between the topes with him benefited almost immediately from simply sharing the spotlight with him. Misawa could be considered the Shawns equivalent in terms of wrestling ability, but he also possessed the popularity equivalent of Hulk Hogan in his native Japan. He was so influential to Japanese professional wrestling that his exodus from All Japan Pro Wrestling and subsequent creation of Pro Wrestling NOAH shook the Japanese wrestling industry to its knees. Alas, tragedy struck on June 13th, 2009, when Misawa passed away during a match. Though the cause of death was never released, it was believed to have been a heart attack caused by years of spinal injury and head drops. His was truly one of the most shocking and unfortunate losses in the wrestling industry. Imagine, for a moment, if Misawa and Michaels ever squared off in a ring as opponents. It wouldve probably been the greatest match of all time.