WWE's Shawn Michaels sharing his knowledge after Hall of Fame career
Shawn Michaels’ instincts, ability to improvise and react to a crowd helped to make him one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
But now the WWE Hall of Famer is facing his next challenge: how do you teach others to do something that came so naturally for you?
Michaels, 51, has been working as a coach at the WWE Performance Center and may soon take on a bigger role at the Orlando facility. His job, as he sees it, is to help young performers find a little something extra to make them succeed. But he admits that’s not always easy.
“There’s no pattern you can follow,” Michaels told the Sentinel in an interview last week. “Some of the best things I ever did happened on the fly and became part of my character. It’s got to be about exploring yourself and finding something more than, ‘I’m mad, you’re mad, let’s wrestle.’ But I hesitate to consider myself a great teacher.”
Michaels will be a part of WrestleCon during WrestleMania weekend in Orlando, appearing with Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman for “One Night with the Kliq” at the Hyatt Regency Orlando on Saturday, April 1.
Michaels said his advice to performers has often hinged on a tiny affectation or a happy accident while his students are in the ring or cutting a promo.
"There are just times where things stick out, something feels strange or special -- maybe it's silly to mention it, but sometimes you'll hear, 'Ooooh, I didn't realize I was doing that,' and it will be a breakthrough 'aha' moment," Michaels said. "If an idea like that comes naturally, it's going to be better. Nine times out of 10, it's something the wrestlers will try again and appreciate. If it's sincere and natural, it adds to the emotional connection you have with the people. When it's not an act, people know."
Speaking of longevity, the performer Michaels saves the most praise for is the Undertaker, who made his WWE debut in 1990 and remains one of the top draws at WrestleMania every spring. A match between the two at WrestleMania 25 in 2009 was recently selected by WWE.com as the greatest match of all time.
"When Undertaker came in, it was the greatest gimmick ever, but how long could it last?" Michaels said. "That's where he's been such a genius. His success is so different from anybody else's -- he's just tweaked little things here and there, sometimes big things, but he's always made it into something new and he's made a 25-year-plus career out of it. Careers are a lot shorter these days, with guys getting beaten up, but he's still here."
Michaels and his "band of brothers" in the Kliq were masters at making fans care and making storylines feel real, whether they were fighting against or alongside each other. A lot of that came because of the close relationship the men always had with each other. Michaels said the four of them have gotten together at Hall of Fame ceremonies the past couple of years, but have never made an appearance together like this one.
"Kev and I talk on a fairly regular basis," Michaels said. "Our talks are often about family and lately about movie stuff. (Michaels' first starring role, 'The Resurrection of Gavin Stone,' was released late last year). Scott and Kid (Waltman) are at different places in their lives, and they're good. Scott is so proud of his son (Cody, who wrestles in Japan).
"But it always comes back to road stories. If you think fishermen exaggerate, you should hear wrestlers. There's something we always bring out in each other. Everyone is in such a different place than we were 20 or 25 years ago, but with the ability of hindsight we can appreciate what we did, the good, the bad and the ugly."
Michaels has been retired from active competition for seven years now, and he said what he'll always take with him isn't the in-ring memories, it's the friendships.
"I lived my dream, and never worked a day in my life, but now we get to talk about old times and families," Michaels said. "It's a nice thing to be able to do that with guys who always understand you. We don't have anything to prove anymore, and it's a fantastic place to be."
Shawn Michaels’ instincts, ability to improvise and react to a crowd helped to make him one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
But now the WWE Hall of Famer is facing his next challenge: how do you teach others to do something that came so naturally for you?
Michaels, 51, has been working as a coach at the WWE Performance Center and may soon take on a bigger role at the Orlando facility. His job, as he sees it, is to help young performers find a little something extra to make them succeed. But he admits that’s not always easy.
“There’s no pattern you can follow,” Michaels told the Sentinel in an interview last week. “Some of the best things I ever did happened on the fly and became part of my character. It’s got to be about exploring yourself and finding something more than, ‘I’m mad, you’re mad, let’s wrestle.’ But I hesitate to consider myself a great teacher.”
Michaels will be a part of WrestleCon during WrestleMania weekend in Orlando, appearing with Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman for “One Night with the Kliq” at the Hyatt Regency Orlando on Saturday, April 1.
Michaels said his advice to performers has often hinged on a tiny affectation or a happy accident while his students are in the ring or cutting a promo.
"There are just times where things stick out, something feels strange or special -- maybe it's silly to mention it, but sometimes you'll hear, 'Ooooh, I didn't realize I was doing that,' and it will be a breakthrough 'aha' moment," Michaels said. "If an idea like that comes naturally, it's going to be better. Nine times out of 10, it's something the wrestlers will try again and appreciate. If it's sincere and natural, it adds to the emotional connection you have with the people. When it's not an act, people know."
Speaking of longevity, the performer Michaels saves the most praise for is the Undertaker, who made his WWE debut in 1990 and remains one of the top draws at WrestleMania every spring. A match between the two at WrestleMania 25 in 2009 was recently selected by WWE.com as the greatest match of all time.
"When Undertaker came in, it was the greatest gimmick ever, but how long could it last?" Michaels said. "That's where he's been such a genius. His success is so different from anybody else's -- he's just tweaked little things here and there, sometimes big things, but he's always made it into something new and he's made a 25-year-plus career out of it. Careers are a lot shorter these days, with guys getting beaten up, but he's still here."
Michaels and his "band of brothers" in the Kliq were masters at making fans care and making storylines feel real, whether they were fighting against or alongside each other. A lot of that came because of the close relationship the men always had with each other. Michaels said the four of them have gotten together at Hall of Fame ceremonies the past couple of years, but have never made an appearance together like this one.
"Kev and I talk on a fairly regular basis," Michaels said. "Our talks are often about family and lately about movie stuff. (Michaels' first starring role, 'The Resurrection of Gavin Stone,' was released late last year). Scott and Kid (Waltman) are at different places in their lives, and they're good. Scott is so proud of his son (Cody, who wrestles in Japan).
"But it always comes back to road stories. If you think fishermen exaggerate, you should hear wrestlers. There's something we always bring out in each other. Everyone is in such a different place than we were 20 or 25 years ago, but with the ability of hindsight we can appreciate what we did, the good, the bad and the ugly."
Michaels has been retired from active competition for seven years now, and he said what he'll always take with him isn't the in-ring memories, it's the friendships.
"I lived my dream, and never worked a day in my life, but now we get to talk about old times and families," Michaels said. "It's a nice thing to be able to do that with guys who always understand you. We don't have anything to prove anymore, and it's a fantastic place to be."
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