Shawn Michaels - My Journey

Shawn Michaels: My Journey DVD Review

This is HBK's most recent DVD, released in 2010 and there will be a new one featuring all of his Wrestlemania matches. Well almost all of them (guess which one has been taken out). What we really need is an unreleased matches DVD. Well let's see what classics Shawn has given us here.



Disc 1:


In between matches Shawn is interviewed by Michael Cole.



Shawn Michaels vs One Man Gang
This took place in WCCW in January 1985. HBK just looked like a regular jobber here. One Man Gang was pretty stiff with him, but I suppose that most jobbers take a lot of punishment. Shawn got no offense at all. Just a regular squash match here. SQUASH



The Midnight Rockers vs Buddy Rose & Doug Somers
From AWA Wrestlerock 1986, which is apparantly the AWA's big show. It seems that a tag match featuring all four of these guys is featured on every Shawn Michaels DVD set, so it must be a rivalry he's proud of. Pretty entertaining tag match that started off a little slowly, but picked up in pace as it went on. Solid bout. **1/4



The Midnight Rockers vs The Nasty Boys
Tag Titles on the line on an AWA show in 1988. All the guys were friends here, so they must have known each other in the ring quite well. It wouldn't be long before the Rockers headed off to the WWF to make a name for themselves. It's hard for the Rockers to have a bad match and this was no exception. It was just the usual tag formula, but damn these guys are good with it. Marty hits the crossbody for the win. ***



The Rockers vs The Brainbusters
From a show at the Boston Garden in 1989. The tag match featuring these four guys on the other HBK set was awesome, so I had high hopes for this one. This match was given over twenty minutes of time, and every minute of it was entertaining. The Marty heat segment was especially well done, and the crowd was desperate to see him tag Shawn. When Shawn was tagged in the crowd went nuts. One hell of a tag match for sure with non-stop action from start to finish. ***3/4



The Rockers vs The Hart Foundation
From a show in Madison Square Garden in 1989. I think both teams were faces here, which was a rare thing to see during this time period. These two teams had so much chemistry together, and it definitely shows here. I think the Rockers are the masters of the heat segment. Never a dull moment to be had in this contest featuring two of the best teams in WWE history. I don't what else was on this particular show, but I'm pretty sure that this match stole it. The bout ends with a draw as the time limit expires. Awesome match. ****



Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart
From a show in Ottawa in 1992 with the IC Title on the line. It was only a few months later when these two would be fighting for the WWF Title and stealing the show at Survivor Series. This wasn't up to the standards of their future matches, but it was still a great match overall, due to the crowd being very hot for it, and the fact that it was a fast-paced, back and forth contest. The amount of nearfalls was pretty staggering too. ***3/4



Shawn Michaels vs The British Bulldog
From Raw March 6th 1995. Quite the leap in time here as we've missed three years of HBK's career. These guys had quite a few great matches together, and this is one of them. For once the commercial break didn't hinder proceedings, as they were still in the same submission hold. That part was probably boring for the live crowd, but not for us. The long chinlock slowed things down, but the quick pace came back afterwards. A great match overall. ***1/2



Shawn Michaels vs Sid Vicious
From Raw September 11th 1995 and the IC Title is on the line. I think it's safe to say the HBK was definitely Sid's best opponent. The only good matches featuring Sid that I can remember featured HBK. A solid big man vs small man match here, with Shawn fighting his hardest to get the win that he got with the superkick. **3/4



Shawn Michaels vs The 1-2-3 Kid
From Raw March 4th 1996. Two Kliq members going at it. I don't think it was long until the Kid headed off to WCW, and it wasn't long until HBK would win his first WWF Title. These guys cut a hell of a pace in there, and had it been longer it could have been a classic. As it is, it's still a good back and forth match, as HBK hits the superkick for the win. ***




Disc 2:




Shawn Michaels vs Mankind
From Raw August 11th 1997. These guys have crazy chemistry with each other. This match is mainly remembered for being the birthplace of DX, as well as being remembered for being a kick ass match. This was a standard bout, but it felt more like a street fight with all the action that took place outside of the ring. Rick Rude hits Mankind with a chair with HHH and Chyna by his side to give HBK the win. The match was only eight minutes, but those eight minutes were awesome. ***1/2



Shawn Michaels vs The British Bulldog
From One Night Only 1997 and the European Title is on the line. This is one of the biggest dick moves of Shawn during this period, and that's saying a lot. He couldn't let Bulldog retain the Title in front of his home country, and in front of his family, including his sister who has cancer. Shawn claims it was a good idea for heat reasons, but we all know it was about ego. All politics aside, these two had their usual great match. Bulldog passes out in the figure four and the ring is filled with garbage as a result. ***3/4




Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker : Casket Match
From the 1998 Royal Rumble. This might be the only great casket match in history. These guys wouldn't have another one on one contest until Wrestlemania 25. This one is mainly remembered because it's the match in which Shawn screwed up his back after hitting the edge of the casket, and wouldn't compete for another four years. This wasn't as good as their other matches, but it was still a great one. We don't get to see what happened after the match with Kane setting the casket on fire. ***1/2




Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho
From Wrestlemania XIX. Even with their awesome feud in 2008, this is still my favourite match between these two guys, and I'd even go so far as to say that it is probably the most underrated match in Wrestlemania history. It's probably Jericho's best match ever and definitely one of Shawn's best, as it was this match that made him realise that he was still the showstopper. This stole the show on an already stacked card. An absolutely amazing contest with a great story and some of the best back and forth action you will ever see. One for the ages that deserves more recognition. *****. Jericho kicking HBK in the nuts and spitting on him afterwards is the icing on the cake.




Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair
From Bad Blood 2003. At the time this seemed like the only time we may have gotten to see these two legends go one on one, but luckily Wrestlemania 24 took place and we got a classic moment out of it. This was a pretty good match though, especially because it felt more like a dream match. I really don't know why it needed that table spot though, and I don't know why it didn't end in DQ. Still it was a good contest. ***1/4




Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle 
From Wrestlemania 21. I've seen this match so many times, but I still feel excited everytime I watch it. This may be the perfect example of a dream match living up to expectations. In fact it might have even exceeded a few of them. This match has already received tons of praise and there's not much I can add to it. All I can say is that it's an absolute classic that is hard to beat. Angle has HBK in the ankle lock for about two minutes when HBK submits. *****



Disc 3:



Shawn Michaels vs Triple H : Boot Camp Match
From the 2005 Tribute to the Troops show. It's nice to see a rare match between these two put on a DVD, because we usually just get their PPV matches. They weren't feuding at this point, they were just here to entertain the US Troops. In fact this might be the last time they fought before the DX reunion. They used some strange weapons here like a mop and a couple of sandbags. Pretty fun match. Nowhere near their best but still enjoyable. **1/2



Shawn Michaels vs John Cena vs Edge vs Randy Orton
From Backlash 2007 and the WWE Title is on the line. This was only six days after Cena and HBK had one of the best TV matches ever, and it helped to build up to this bout. This is easily one of the better fatal four ways in WWE history. One of the great things about it is that it was unpredictable, as all guys looked to have a chance of winning it. This was just non-stop action from beginning to end and it never became dull. I loved the finish with Shawn superkicking Cena onto an unconcious Orton that managed to give Cena the pinfall victory and retain the Title. Great stuff. ****



Shawn Michaels vs Randy Orton
From Survivor Series 2007. HBK isn't allowed to use the superkick or he will lose the match and won't get a rematch. If Orton is DQ'd or counted out, he will lose the WWE Title to HBK. This match was great because both guys had to go against their usual strategies. It was great to see HBK busting out submission moves like the ankle lock or the crossface or the sharpshooter. The psychology was brilliant. HBK tries to go for a superkick, realises he can't, and eats an RKO for his hesitation. Awesome match. One of the best of 2007 and the match of the night. ****1/4



Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho : Unsanctioned Match
From Unforgiven 2008. I think history has shown that HBK + Unsanctioned Match = awesome. In storyline terms, Jericho absolutely deserved this beating. He injured Shawn's eye, punched his wife and then showed no remorse for it. An ass kicking was definitely coming his way. This should have been the main event. The great thing about these two guys is that they make you believe in their feud. They make it seem so real. I could've done without Lance Cade's interference, but at least it made Jericho look like more of a bastard. A physical, psychological, all out war. Fantastic stuff that is must see. Great finish with Jericho unable to take anymore punishment, and Shawn still punching away at him. Just awesome. ****1/2




Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker
From Wrestlemania 25. What better way to end the set than with my favourite match of all time. I've seen this match countless times, and it never becomes boring even though I seem to know it inside out now. If you need an example of a perfect match, I would present this to you. To me, this is what wrestling is all about: two of the best in the business going out there with only pride on the line, to have an epic confrontation. If you haven't seen this one yet, I really do pity you, because you don't know what you're missing. In fact I'm gonna make this the only match that I give over five stars. From now on, anything above and beyond my expectations, or just an all time classic that I think deserves it will get a prestigious six star rating, starting with this match. ******




9/10. Great set here and the time really flies by while watching it. Only a few of the matches have been on other releases, so it's great that there are barely any repeats. The interview sections in between matches are interesting to listen to. The only reason the rating isn't higher is because I prefer the Heartbreak & Triumph set to this one and that has a 9.5 rating, so I think a 9 rating sits nicely here. A set worth owning for sure.