11 WWE Rivalries That Defined The 2000s

6. Triple H Vs. Shawn Michaels

One of the most surprising and inspiring stories of the 2000s was the stunning comeback of Shawn Michaels. HBK was put out of action with a debilitating back injury while he was riding high as WWE Champion in 1998 and doctors thought his career as a pro was over.

After struggling with personal problems for years, Michaels cleaned up his act, found God and came back to the company as a changed man in 2002. Incredibly, he felt good enough from a physical standpoint that he was open to working a match.

His original choice was Vince McMahon in some sort of gimmick contest but the chairman instead suggested he go one-on-one with his former DX buddy, Triple H. Although initially sceptical that he could keep up with one of the best in the business, Michaels agreed and wrestled his first WWF match in over four years at SummerSlam 2002.

He hadn't lost a step. Looking as sharp as ever, Michaels entered a world-class performance in what was one of the best matches of the year. And the good news was that his back had held up and he was open to working more matches.

Naturally, that meant more matches against The Game. The two would resurrect their feud many times over the next few years with mixed results (their December 29, 2003 Raw main event was a stunner, their Bad Blood 2004 Hell in a Cell not so much).

Considering the personal nature of the rivalry, their top-line status and the fact that WWE ran with it three times in 2002, 03 and 04, this is one of the defining rivalries of the 2000s.