Shawn Michaels: podcast appearances and interviews

Shawn Michaels, born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom on July 22, 1965, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE as the Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, where he oversees the creative aspects of the NXT brand, the company's developmental territory. Michaels is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers in WWE history, known by nicknames such as the Heartbreak Kid, the Showstopper, and Mr. WrestleMania. His wrestling career with WWE, formerly the WWF, began in 1988 and continued until his first retirement in 1998. After a brief period away from in-ring competition, he resumed wrestling with WWE in 2002, until his final retirement in 2010. Michaels returned for a one-off match in 2018. Beyond his in-ring achievements, he has taken on roles including coach at the WWE Performance Center and producer on NXT. He became the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative for NXT. Throughout his career, Michaels headlined numerous pay-per-view events and produced notable matches, including five WrestleMania main events. He was a co-founder of the stable D-Generation X and achieved significant success both as a tag team wrestler and a singles competitor, holding multiple championships including the WWF Championship and WWE's World Heavyweight Championship. Michaels earned multiple accolades such as being a two-time Royal Rumble winner, the first Grand Slam Champion in WWE, and a four-time world champion. He has been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice, once as a singles wrestler and once as part of D-Generation X. Michaels also contributed to several groundbreaking matches and was recognized for unprecedented match quality and influence in professional wrestling.