That was awesome! (clap clap clapclapclap): Shawn Michaels returns to the ring at SummerSlam 2002

by Sergio Hernandez on Nov 30, 2011 6:00 PM EST in That Was Awesome

Anyone who talks wrestling with me for at the bare minimum five minutes will realize that I'm a huge Shawn Michaels mark. HUGE.

I love the guy. In fact, I think he's the greatest wrestler to ever step inside of the squared circle. I cheered myself hoarse in the AT&T Center in San Antonio during the 2007 Royal Rumble when he and The Undertaker were the last two men standing. My eyes glazed over, bundled inside of tears when he said goodbye to us on the Raw following WrestleMania 26.

He's been a favorite of mine for as long as I've been a wrestling fan but because I wasn't watching the product at the time, I didn't even see his return at SummerSlam 2002 when it actually happened.

But it was unbelievable. After suffering a career-ending back injury, "The Heartbreak Kid" took four years off and then came back one night like he never left even for a single day. He had a brutal street fight against best friend Triple H that night in Uniondale, a match that I never thought would ever happen.

Check out some of the highlights.

The feud wouldn't end there. It would continue into Survivor Series where Michaels would win his final world title in the first ever Elimination Chamber match. He would lose it the next month at Armageddon to Triple H in a Three Stages of Hell match, a fantastic showing in and of itself.

While I didn't see any of this when it happened, I'm just glad it did happen. Michaels ended up aging like wine and simply got better. Seven straight PWI Match of the Year awards and three straight from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter are proof of that.

If you have any ideas for something that made you say "that was awesome!!!" pass it along. Make sure to include either your name or your SBNation handle -- whichever you'd like to be used -- and you'll get a shout you out if your idea is used! Contact me at sergio.hernandez.tx@gmail.com.

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Back in the day

when he wrestled in Memphis, he spit in my ex-wife’s aunt’s face, and almost got into a fight with the rest of her fucked-up family. That alone earns him infinite cool points in my book.

by GunShark on Nov 30, 2011 8:50 PM EST reply actions

For life.

by GunShark on Nov 30, 2011 10:36 PM EST up reply actions

I don’t know. Michaels is a great performer, but I don’t think of him as one of the greatest. I don’t like the character or the man, so obviously I’m biased, but when it comes to a performer of this sort, personality does count. I think greatest ever is among Flair, Misawa, and Liger, not necessarily in that order.

by Finian1 on Nov 30, 2011 10:56 PM EST reply actions