Sent in by Carol Garofalo  (Carol knows how much I like HBK, and thought I would enjoy her article on him.  I thought it was so good, I'd share with our readers. Enjoy

The Showstoppa.   The Icon.   The Main Event.  The Heartbreak Kid.  The guy who screwed Bret Hart in Montreal. Whatever you want to refer to him as, and whether you love him or hate him, Shawn Michaels has been one of the most charismatic and prolific performers in WWE and sports entertainment history.  A man who every time out gives 110% in the ring, whether it'd be physically dominating an opponent or verbally chewing him up and spitting him out. A man that has been in this business for over *gasp* 20 years. Doesn't seem that way, but he HAS been here a long time. What's even more amazing is that even after all this time he is still in the WWE's top tier of performers along side current top faces John Cena and Dave Batista.  I and a lot of fans remember first seeing Shawn in the AWA as 1/2 of the Midnight Rockers with Marty Janetty.  I remember them entering the ring to the Judas Priest song "Living After Midnight".  There was actually more truth to that song than the casual wrestling fan realized.     Like most wrestlers, Shawn gave in to the temptations of the road. Partying very hard until the wee hours of the morning and then trying to put himself together in time for the next show. Then onto the WWE, where after he broke off with Jannetty, he found singles success and later became a founding member of the heel faction Degeneration X.  As a singles wrestler, he shook his hips and oozed sexual confidence as Sherri Martel sang his theme song "Sexy Boy", which he later sang himself. Being escorted to the ring by Pamela Anderson once at Wrestlemania. With DX, there was no such thing as a taboo topic.  Sexual innuendo, drug references, disrespecting authority, disrespecting another nation's flag, etc., were the norm week in and week out for them on national TV. Vince McMahon was happy with the ratings these antics were drawing, and Shawn Michaels was right in the middle of it all, seemingly having a good time.

Fast forward some 6-7 years later. Shawn Michaels is married with two kids.  He doesn't party anymore. His current line of T-shirts sport designs that have a "spiritual" and up-lifting feel to them.  Other than that brief heel stint with Hulk Hogan before their match last year at Summerslam, Shawn has remained face for a good long while now. During his ring entrance he gets down on his knees and praises the fans..... and God.  While he was away from the ring recovering from back injuries, he embraced religion.  He became a born-again Christian. This seems to be a trend amongst current and former wrestlers. Greg Valentine, Brutus Beefcake, and Ted DiBiase for example have all  become born again Christians, embracing God as a way to heal & redeem themselves for all the years and all the temptations they succumbed to on the road. In Shawn Michael's case though, he is still working for the WWE.  He is still working for Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr.   He is still working for a man whose actions and storyline approvals clearly indicate that he has no respect for religion.   He has always had only one God...... money.   His Almighty is the Almighty dollar.  Whatever Vince has to do in order to make money is what he will do.  Even if it means disrespecting religion.  Any religion for that matter.  All you have to do is think back to the Raw before Backlash when he made that ridiculous match with himself and his son Shane against Shawn and.... God. When Vince showed images of himself with the likes of Buddha and with Jesus during the Last Supper. I would hate to think what was going through Shawn's mind when he saw that.

Then all of a sudden comes the current reformation of Degeneration X.  This time around it's just Shawn Michaels and his buddy Triple H. This time around though, whenever the content gets raunchy, Shawn comically gets himself out of the situation.   Cases in point, when Trips brought out the scantily clad DX cheerleaders, Shawn covered his eyes.  Shawn was nowhere to be found during the "backyard barbecue" segment in which Trips and Candice Michelle were being "serviced" by two women hiding underneath a table. This prompted Shawn to go to Vince to complain.  Complain that the content was getting too raunchy for his liking.  It was going against his religious beliefs.  He apparently also preaches backstage to try and get the "new" generation of wrestlers to follow his example.  It must be kind of hard to be taken seriously as a religious man when he is dumping human waste on people on national TV.  Even Trips gets in on the religious ribbing by saying "Thanks to Shawn Michaels.... it really is Holy Sh*t!"

My point is, Shawn Michaels seems very out of place in the current scheme of WWE thinking.  The funny thing about this scenario is that he never was out of it before.  As I mentioned earlier, Shawn seemingly had no problem with the storylines Vince was approving.  He didn't seem to mind posing naked with the WWE title around his waist. But while the WWE hasn't changed much in the last 6-7 years, Shawn did.  If Shawn is thinking about heading a wave of sweeping reforms from the inside, he is fighting a losing battle.  A battle that may ultimately lead to him either leaving on his own accord or being asked to leave (which I think is highly unlikely). 

It really must be hard to be working for a boss who doesn't respect what you believe in.  That's what Shawn is doing right now.  Shawn is trying to balance his life and his job equally. Here is a guy who is currently carrying the WWE on his shoulders as one of the top performers in the company despite having several spinal surgeries in the past and current knee problems. Yet he still doesn't seem to get anywhere with Vince. Whatever Vince wants, Vince gets. It's his way or no way. Vince will not change..... for anybody.

Shawn Michaels is trying please everybody.  In particular, he is trying to please two powerful entities, Vince McMahon, and God. His religion calls for him to do certain things and follow certain commandments.  Vince calls on him to do certain things as well, things which God might not at all be happy with.   All Shawn can do is pray.   Pray for himself and to find the strength to continue on the path he is on now.   In the end, whatever Shawn does, God will forgive him.  Vince on the other hand... well... that's another story.