11 WWE Wrestlers Who Lived The Gimmick In Real Life
2. Shawn Michaels
The gimmick:
Shawn Michaels' 22 years in WWE can loosely be separated into two distinct parts.
His initial run saw him hone his craft in the tag division, before breaking out as a singles star who, as well as being one of the best in the business, was a brash, cocky, self-obsessed poseur who’d steal the show and then your girlfriend.
But after a career-threatening back injury, Michaels didn’t wrestle for four years between 1998 and 2002. Upon returning in the new millennium, his new persona was far tamer than his former self, much of his spiel had become PG-rated and he had a new tag team partner, showcased at Backlash 2006, in the form of God above.
In real life:
The Shawn Michaels of the ‘90s was infamously difficult to deal with, and backstage he appeared to be as much of a prima donna as his in-ring self. He also really did steal the late Chris Candido’s girlfriend, Sunny, and seemingly didn’t think twice about it.
Of course, that all changed around the time of his injury, after which he was seemingly much more placid and agreeable having become a born-again Christian. It seems his partnership with God was more than just an in-ring affiliation...