WWE legend Shawn Michaels was a news reporter for a local TV news channel in San Antonio Texas during his WWE hiatus.
To have a long fruitful career as a pro wrestler is not easy. It’s a given that wrestling is injury prone and sometimes it costs a wrestler several years of his career.
Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels successfully reached the height of his career in WWF during the mid-90s. Although Shawn Michaels’ first run in the company was rather tumultuous, Michaels was still one of the top guys in the early Attitude Era.
In 1998, Shawn Michaels squared off against Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 14. During the match, the then WWF Champion Shawn Michaels failed to retain his title and gravely injured his lower back. His injury forced him into retirement and it seemed like his career as a wrestler was over.
Despite his absence from the in-ring competition, HBK was brought back as an authority figure, however, his appearance on WWE TV eventually stopped. Shawn started considering other career options.
In 1999, Shawn Michaels was seen on TV as a broadcast journalist for a local TV news channel in San Antonio, Texas. As a news reporter, HBK mostly covered high school and college sports. He then dabbled in the field of acting and played the part of a drug smuggling ring leader.
The same year Michaels set up his wrestling academy with the help of a fellow wrestler, Rudy Boy Gonzalez. Shawn Michaels Wrestling Academy birthed future stars such as Daniel Bryan, Lance Cade, and Brian Kendrick.
Shawn Michaels’ second run in WWE
In 2001, fans clamored to watch the wrestling legend return to the ring. At first, Michaels was approached by WWE authority figure Jim Ross but the former declined the offer to wrestle. At this point, it seemed as though HBK had made up his mind about never wrestling again.
After persistent efforts in bringing him back, he finally accepted WWE’s offer and returned in 2002. Interestingly, according to reports, WWE continued to pay Shawn Michaels a huge sum of money throughout his hiatus. His second stint with the company turned out to be more fruitful as he received one more reign as The World Heavyweight Champion.
Some of the highlights of his second stint with the company were when he feuded with Triple H, Ric Flair, Hul Hogan, The Undertaker, and many others. The four-time World Champion was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice, the class of 2011 and 2019.
