WWE: 7 Most Religious Gimmicks In History

1. Shawn Michaels After 2002

The career of Shawn Michaels had two chapters. His original run in WWE from the late 1980s through 1998 saw him as a reckless young man that abused drugs and pushed himself to the limits. After his back injury as well as impending surgery caused him to retire in 1998, we didn't know if he would ever wrestle again. In 2002, Michaels was healed up physically and was also a new man as a Born Again Christian. He didn't mind showing off his personal beliefs either because most of his outfits featured the cross in some way and he would also look up to the heavens on his way to the ring. During Shawn's 2006 feud with Vince McMahon, WWE put Michaels in a tag match against Vince & his son Shane with his partner...God. The idea was that McMahon had lost his mind because he claimed that Michaels teamed with God to beat him at WrestleMania 22. McMahon did a promo from inside a church with his son Shane. He introduced "McMahonism" as a new religion and said that Michaels would get on his knees to honor him. They even had a spot where McMahon tried to enter a ring with a chair only for a bolt of lightning to prevent him from entering the ring. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x114x87_wwe-backlash-2006-shane-mcmahon-mr-mcmahon-vs-shawn-michaels-god_sport The entrance of "God" during the Backlash 2006 match was ridiculous as a spotlight focused on the aisle and then McMahon had some music play as he danced to it. It was one of the most bizarre things McMahon has ever done, which is a bold statement considering some of the things McMahon did in his life. If you're wondering, Michaels and "God" lost the match due to interference. There were also stories of Michaels refusing to turn heel because he thought it would go against what he personally believed. His only heel behavior after his 2002 return was during his 2005 feud with Hulk Hogan although that was only for about a month and once that was over he was back to being a babyface until his 2010 retirement. Michaels may not have had a gimmick that pushed religion on his fans, but anybody that watched him knew how much it meant to him. Can you blame him? His life was a mess before he found religion, so it made a lot of sense that he was proud of where his faith took him in his life.