8 Most Legendary Shawn Michaels Performances In Defeat

3. Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle €“ WrestleMania 21

Going into WrestleMania 21, The Olympic hero was obsessed with proving he was better than Shawn Michaels. The match was basically set up as a dream match, with Kurt angle duplicating Shawn€™s career. He felt slighted by fans for seemingly not celebrating his accomplishments in a €œreal sport€ the same way they did Michaels€™ WWE title in 1996. Previously, Kurt Angle snapped during the Royal Rumble after Shawn Michaels eliminated him. Angle unleashed a vicious beat down that made it clear these men would face-off in the near future. WWE also tied in a Smackdown versus Raw challenge to this match that feels so dated right now. Although Michaels wasn't the athlete he once was, he became better at psychology and emotion. This match is what Bret Hart versus Shawn Michaels would have looked like had they kept having matches into the 2000s. In a sense this is the evolutionary Bret versus Shawn. Subsequently, this gave Kurt angle the biggest WrestleMania win of his career, and it pretty much is the only win he ever had, seeing as his match in 2001 doesn€™t exist. This also set up a phenomenal rematch at Vengeance later that year. Additionally, it proved Shawn was the king of the dramatics. You felt his pain while he was trapped in that ankle lock. Shawn would make fans forget they wanted him to win, and want him to be safe above everything else.