5. The Boyhood Dream
Shawn Michaels quest to finally get to the top of the mountain culminated at Wrestlemania 12 in an hour-long ironman match with Bret The Hitman Hart. The more senior Hart was always one step ahead of Michaels throughout their careers up until that point; Hart was part of the already established tag team ranks when Shawns Rockers made their WWF debut; The Hitman would capture the Intercontinental Title whilst Michaels singles run was in its infancy; and Bret would capture the WWF Championship whilst the Heartbreak Kid was strutting round with the IC Title. These two all-time greats were on a collision course for Wrestlemania 12, with Bret defending his WWF Title against the increasingly-popular Shawn Michaels. Michaels had received title shots previously, but this was the moment he finally arrived. Still to this day regaled as one of the greatest matches to take place at Wrestlemania, Shawn would capture the gold in sudden death. All of the build-up for the match centred on the two competitors training for the gruelling hour-long match, with Michaels in particular getting showcased in how winning the WWF Title had been his lifelong dream. To hammer home the point, the WWF would even place Jose Lothario, who had helped train Shawn, in the corner of the Heartbreak Kid. Love him or hate him, the sight of Shawn Michaels on his knees and holding the World Wrestling Federation Championship is one Wrestlemania moment that is always remembered, as is Vince McMahon's legendary call: "The boyhood dream has come true for Shawn Michaels."
Andrew Pollard
Senior Writer
Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.
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