8 Most Legendary Shawn Michaels Performances In Defeat

4. Shawn Michaels vs John Cena - Wrestlemania 23

At WrestleMania 23, Shawn Michaels was a challenger for the WWE championship against none other than John Cena. John Cena was the leader of the next-generation, and a very polarizing figure then and now. At the previous years WrestleMania in Chicago, he defeated Triple H, and he looked to defeat Shawn Michaels to solidify the new era. However questions still lingered about his in ring talent, and older fans were solidly against him. Shawn hadn€™t won a world championship in over five years, and had last been WWE champion in 1998. Conversely, this match was not supposed to happen. Shawn was simply a replacement for an injured Triple H, who had torn his quad at New Year€™s Revolution 2007. The company was concerned they couldn€™t replace Triple H in the main event, apparently WWE forgot they had Mr. WrestleMania himself on standby. Behind the scenes this match was about getting Cena to the next level, or finishing school as it's been termed. If the match wasn€™t good, it would be squarely on John Cena€™s shoulders. Furthermore, Shawn was a teacher by this time. He was known as €œKing Of The Big Match€, and played the role of a battle-tested veteran who wanted one more title run, to perfection. With Shawn leading him, John Cena was able to deliver his best WrestleMania match to date, and certify himself as the top man in WWE.