The Night Shawn Michaels Found His Smile

Before Shawn made the concerted effort to better himself, with no career direction beyond those patronising Attitude Era gigs, he opened a wrestling school and trained, for a brief time, Daniel Bryan. In an interview with Peter Rosenberg back in 2012, Bryan revealed that while Shawn still "had his problems", he "he would sort of let us take cracks at him a little bit". Perhaps being once more within the weeds and roots of the industry encouraged Michaels to distance himself from the trappings of the top of it. Bryan also revealed in his autobiography that Michaels once demonstrated how to take a back body drop in front of the class, earning in the process a b*llocking from his own mother. Retirement was seemingly a humbling experience for Shawn that encouraged, very slowly, the introspection he credits for saving his life, much less his career.

Michaels was a drug addict, and his issues spiralled without a single focus in his professional life. Numerous promises to clean up were not delivered. He recalled a night, on the Heartbreak and Triumph DVD, on which he fell asleep on his couch. He was barely conscious, high on somas, and couldn't register the presence of his two year-old son. They had eaten cookies together, and he couldn't remember it the next day. Shawn overcame drug addiction for fear of ruining his son's life and the memories he had of it. A phone call with close friend Kevin Nash clarified everything for him. He called Triple H to reconcile their friendship under his advice, which accelerated the second long phase of his legendary career.

"I woke up the next day and I just felt different," Shawn said.

CONT'D...(5 of 6)