18 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Shawn Michaels

After four years in retirement, Michaels made his long-awaited return to the ring at SummerSlam 2002. He took on Triple H, the former best friend who had repeatedly assaulted him out of jealousy and tried to prevent his comeback from materializing.

The bout was excellent, with Michaels proving that he hadn't lost a step. Not only could he still hold a crowd in the palm of his hand with ease, but the 37-year-old was every bit as physically gifted as he was in the 1990s. Though HHH worked "The Heartbreak Kid's" back over repeatedly, Michaels managed to reverse a Pedigree into a jackknife roll-up for the win. HBK was back in business.

That match - and Michaels's subsequent return to active competition - was actually supposed to take place over a year earlier, at WrestleMania X-Seven. When HBK showed up at Raw to start the build, though, he was reportedly "in no condition to perform" - a phrase typically used to denote that a star is under the influence.

This was around the time HBK hit bottom before his conversion, and he was still suffering from his issues with substance abuse. His return was delayed, but once he got on track, he was as good as ever.