That was awesome! (clap clap clapclapclap): Long before Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels was shattering glass

Growing up as a wrestling fan, I didn't so much blindly cheer for fan favorites while also booing every single rulebreaker. Instead, I was a fan of a character, regardless of which end they ended up on the morality totem pole.

I loved Sgt. Slaughter, simply because he was in the GI Joe movie. I was a Joe fanatic growing up and Slaughter bridged the gap between my two biggest passions. Really, the only time I wasn't a fan of his was during his Iraqi sympathizer stint. But how can you root for a traitor to your country, am I right?

I've always been a fan of the more oogity-boogity stuff in life. Zombies, ghost stores, horror movies ... I dig all that stuff. In fact, just yesterday I wore a t-shirt of the movie "Zombi 2" to work complete with the visage of a rotting conquistador that film has become famous for. So naturally, The Undertaker -- even from his less than honorable beginnings -- has been a big favorite of mine.

Growing up, I wasn't the most popular kid. I was short and liked weird stuff (read: above) and didn't come from a family that was particularly well off financially. So someone like Shawn Michaels who seemingly had everything going for him -- young, good looking, talented -- spoke to me. Deep down, I wish I was more like him.

So even when he turned on his longtime partner -- Marty Jannetty -- in one of the most despicable ways possible on the set of Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake's Barbershop and by proxy broke up my favorite tag team --  The Rockers -- I couldn't help but enjoy it. 

Take a look.

It's a bit surreal to think that from that moment was born one of the -- if not the -- best wrestler to ever step inside the ring. For years, I debated with myself whether Michaels or 'Taker was my favorite wrestler. "HBK" sealed it up when I went to a house show in 1996 and the former Rocker wrestled in the main event while the "Dead Man" was off the card "due to injuries sustained at the hands of Mankind." It was supposed to be a Casket Match too, dang it.

When he retired less than two years later, I was just glad that I got to see him perform at least once. Thankfully, his back healed up and wrestling fans got another decade of the "Heartbreak Kid" during which I saw him at least a dozen times.

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.