Post by #HEEL Dark Lord on Oct 16, 2006 16:52:36 GMT -5
October 16, 2006 - For six consecutive years IGN and THQ have teamed up to bring our readers an ongoing exclusive look at the superstars of the WWE, and this season is no exception. Famous the world over, our "SmackDown Countdown" chronicles each wrestler, diva, and legend that will appear in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, and comes complete with never-before-seen screenshots and direct-feed movies of every last one of them. Every day for the next nine weeks, we'll profile more than 60 different personalities (including two each on Mondays and Fridays as a special homage to Raw and SmackDown fans), and for the first time ever, will cover two different platforms with images and video from both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 versions. Hot stuff? You bet.
But enough with the formalities it's time to throw down with today's Countdown superstar, Shawn Michaels!
HEIGHT:
6'1"
WEIGHT:
225 lbs
HOMETOWN:
San Antonio, TX
D-Generation X has re-united, and it seems they are better than ever. Just three weeks after suffering a knee injury at the hands of the Squad, HBK returned on a June edition of RAW. As Triple H was facing the Squad 5 to1, Michaels made a surprise return by attacking Mitch. After a brief staredown with Mr. McMahon, HBK charged the ring to help The Game fight off the remaining members of the Squad. When the ring was clear, the two men exchanged a high five and did their signature DX crotch chop in the direction of the WWE Chairman. DX "officially" reunited the next week, and their fingerprints could be found all over RAW.
When he's paired with Triple H, Shawn Michaels is known for his rebel antics outside the ring, and his ferociousness inside of it. Even so, Michaels' track record speaks for itself -- as he has accumulated enough hardware to make just about any WWE Superstar jealous. Michaels was the first-ever Grand Slam Champion, capturing the European Championship once, the World Tag Team Championship three times, the Intercontinental Championship three times and the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships a total of four times.
While back in the AWA, the Midnight Rockers captured the Southern Tag Team Championship twice and won the AWA Tag Team Championship for a second time. All of the hardware the Midnight Rockers had been sporting again caught the eye of those with WWE, and this time Michaels and Jannetty made the most of it. They both signed contracts, dropped the "Midnight" from their name, and The Rockers were born. In 1990, the Rockers earned themselves a Tag Team Championship match against the Hart Foundation. The Rockers came out on top, but during the match, the top rope buckled. Days after the match, it was ruled that since the rope had broken, the match as invalid, and the titles were returned to the Hart Foundation. This was the only time the Rockers would approach tag team gold in WWE.
The breakup of the Rockers was the end of a successful tag team career for Michaels, but it also meant the birth of a singles career that would propel The Showstopper to new heights. Michaels promptly added Sensational Sherri as his manager, and on Oct. 27, 1992, he dethroned the British Bulldog to become Intercontinental Champion. HBK then employed the services of Diesel, a man who epitomized brute force. Michaels was forced to give up his Intercontinental Championship because he had not defended it within 30 days, but at WrestleMania X, Michaels returned and faced Razor Ramon in the first-ever pay-per-view Ladder Match for the championship, a match that is still talked about today as one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time. After brutalizing each other with innovative moves that had never been seen before, Razor Ramon came out on top.
Michaels went on to earn a WWE Championship shot at WrestleMania XII against the "Excellence of Execution" Bret Hart, and the two met in a 60-minute Iron Man Match that stole the show. The goal was to score the most pinfalls or submissions in the allotted time, but these two WWE Superstars put forth such gutsy performances that neither competitor had notched a win in the entire 60 minutes. Hart had Michaels in the center of the ring trapped in the Sharpshooter with seconds remaining, but HBK was able to suck it up until the bell rang. President Gorilla Monsoon made his way down to ringside and informed the referee to restart the match and continue under sudden death rules. After Hart had worked on HBK's back, Michaels came from nowhere to hit Sweet Chin Music. Too tired to capitalize, Michaels got up and cued up the band one more time, which was finally enough to win his first-ever WWE Championship.
There was no rest for the weary, however, as Michaels had to start defending his championship right away. HBK proved to be one of the fightingest champions in history, as he defeated the likes of Diesel, British Bulldog, Vader, Mankind and Goldust. Michaels' reign had to come to an end sometime, and it was another of Shawn's former bodyguards, Sycho Sid, who dethroned the champ at Survivor Series 1996. Michaels regrouped, though, and again learned from his mistakes. In a rematch at the 1997 Royal Rumble, HBK used a trick from Sid's playbook, using a television camera to knock down his giant foe. The camera wasn't enough as Sid kicked out at two, but Michaels laid him out with Sweet Chin Music for the win. The reign only lasted a few weeks, however; just as Michaels had to forfeit his Intercontinental Championship without defeat, he relinquished the WWE Championship after claiming to have "lost his smile."
After months of searching, HBK returned to WWE and formed an unlikely pairing with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Although the two shared a hatred for each other, they also shared a hatred for the Hart Foundation. They put their differences aside and went out to fight for their common goal, and it led to the Showstopper's second World Tag Team Championship reign. After their relationship deteriorated, Michaels turned to people he thought he could trust, and what happened next revolutionized WWE. Michaels paired up with Triple H and Chyna to form D-Generation X, a group that defied authority and marched to the beat of their own drum. They employed the use of vulgarity and obscene gestures and spit in the face of those that tried to stop them. On Sept. 20, 1997, Michaels defeated the British Bulldog for the European Championship, which in turn made him the first-ever winner of the Grand Slam.
Source: WWE.com
Stats
Strength: 7
Submission: 8.5
Durability: 8
Technique: 8.5
Speed: 8
Charisma: 9.5
Hardcore: 8
Stamina: 9
Overall: 91
FINISHERS
Sweet Chin Music 1
Sweet Chin Music 2
But enough with the formalities it's time to throw down with today's Countdown superstar, Shawn Michaels!
HEIGHT:
6'1"
WEIGHT:
225 lbs
HOMETOWN:
San Antonio, TX
D-Generation X has re-united, and it seems they are better than ever. Just three weeks after suffering a knee injury at the hands of the Squad, HBK returned on a June edition of RAW. As Triple H was facing the Squad 5 to1, Michaels made a surprise return by attacking Mitch. After a brief staredown with Mr. McMahon, HBK charged the ring to help The Game fight off the remaining members of the Squad. When the ring was clear, the two men exchanged a high five and did their signature DX crotch chop in the direction of the WWE Chairman. DX "officially" reunited the next week, and their fingerprints could be found all over RAW.
When he's paired with Triple H, Shawn Michaels is known for his rebel antics outside the ring, and his ferociousness inside of it. Even so, Michaels' track record speaks for itself -- as he has accumulated enough hardware to make just about any WWE Superstar jealous. Michaels was the first-ever Grand Slam Champion, capturing the European Championship once, the World Tag Team Championship three times, the Intercontinental Championship three times and the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships a total of four times.
While back in the AWA, the Midnight Rockers captured the Southern Tag Team Championship twice and won the AWA Tag Team Championship for a second time. All of the hardware the Midnight Rockers had been sporting again caught the eye of those with WWE, and this time Michaels and Jannetty made the most of it. They both signed contracts, dropped the "Midnight" from their name, and The Rockers were born. In 1990, the Rockers earned themselves a Tag Team Championship match against the Hart Foundation. The Rockers came out on top, but during the match, the top rope buckled. Days after the match, it was ruled that since the rope had broken, the match as invalid, and the titles were returned to the Hart Foundation. This was the only time the Rockers would approach tag team gold in WWE.
The breakup of the Rockers was the end of a successful tag team career for Michaels, but it also meant the birth of a singles career that would propel The Showstopper to new heights. Michaels promptly added Sensational Sherri as his manager, and on Oct. 27, 1992, he dethroned the British Bulldog to become Intercontinental Champion. HBK then employed the services of Diesel, a man who epitomized brute force. Michaels was forced to give up his Intercontinental Championship because he had not defended it within 30 days, but at WrestleMania X, Michaels returned and faced Razor Ramon in the first-ever pay-per-view Ladder Match for the championship, a match that is still talked about today as one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time. After brutalizing each other with innovative moves that had never been seen before, Razor Ramon came out on top.
Michaels went on to earn a WWE Championship shot at WrestleMania XII against the "Excellence of Execution" Bret Hart, and the two met in a 60-minute Iron Man Match that stole the show. The goal was to score the most pinfalls or submissions in the allotted time, but these two WWE Superstars put forth such gutsy performances that neither competitor had notched a win in the entire 60 minutes. Hart had Michaels in the center of the ring trapped in the Sharpshooter with seconds remaining, but HBK was able to suck it up until the bell rang. President Gorilla Monsoon made his way down to ringside and informed the referee to restart the match and continue under sudden death rules. After Hart had worked on HBK's back, Michaels came from nowhere to hit Sweet Chin Music. Too tired to capitalize, Michaels got up and cued up the band one more time, which was finally enough to win his first-ever WWE Championship.
There was no rest for the weary, however, as Michaels had to start defending his championship right away. HBK proved to be one of the fightingest champions in history, as he defeated the likes of Diesel, British Bulldog, Vader, Mankind and Goldust. Michaels' reign had to come to an end sometime, and it was another of Shawn's former bodyguards, Sycho Sid, who dethroned the champ at Survivor Series 1996. Michaels regrouped, though, and again learned from his mistakes. In a rematch at the 1997 Royal Rumble, HBK used a trick from Sid's playbook, using a television camera to knock down his giant foe. The camera wasn't enough as Sid kicked out at two, but Michaels laid him out with Sweet Chin Music for the win. The reign only lasted a few weeks, however; just as Michaels had to forfeit his Intercontinental Championship without defeat, he relinquished the WWE Championship after claiming to have "lost his smile."
After months of searching, HBK returned to WWE and formed an unlikely pairing with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Although the two shared a hatred for each other, they also shared a hatred for the Hart Foundation. They put their differences aside and went out to fight for their common goal, and it led to the Showstopper's second World Tag Team Championship reign. After their relationship deteriorated, Michaels turned to people he thought he could trust, and what happened next revolutionized WWE. Michaels paired up with Triple H and Chyna to form D-Generation X, a group that defied authority and marched to the beat of their own drum. They employed the use of vulgarity and obscene gestures and spit in the face of those that tried to stop them. On Sept. 20, 1997, Michaels defeated the British Bulldog for the European Championship, which in turn made him the first-ever winner of the Grand Slam.
Source: WWE.com
Stats
Strength: 7
Submission: 8.5
Durability: 8
Technique: 8.5
Speed: 8
Charisma: 9.5
Hardcore: 8
Stamina: 9
Overall: 91
FINISHERS
Sweet Chin Music 1
Sweet Chin Music 2
