Goody Bag 51: Hits from the Heartbreak Kid

 
Gold Rush Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Shelton Benjamin v Shawn Michaels: From RAW, May 2 2005 in Boston Massachusetts. Shelton's WWF Intercontinental title is not on the line here. Shawn with a takedown at the bell, but he loses an exchange on the mat with Benjamin. Shawn tries grabbing a headlock into a hammerlock, but Benjamin reverses, so Shawn grabs a waistlock for another takedown. Shelton dominates him on the mat again though, and it's funny watching this right after watching Shawn do guest commentary for In Your House It's Time, where he was ragging on Bret for trying to turn it into a brawl with Sid when he's clearly outmatched. Criss cross goes Shawn's way with a hiptoss, but Benjamin fights him off, and uses a pair of armdrags. Michaels backs off to regroup, but ends up in a mat-based headlock once engaging again. Shawn fights to a vertical base, and triggers another criss cross, this time surprising Benjamin with a cradle for two, and he pops him with a right to the jaw. Now we're talking! Side superplex, but Shelton topples him on the way down, and both guys are left looking up at the lights. That leads to a Benjamin-won slugfest, and he drops Shawn like a Samoan. They stagger up for another slugfest, and Benjamin manages to control again. Inverted DDT across the knee gets him two, so Shawn throws chops, and pops him with a jumping forearm while coming off the ropes. Both guys kip-up, leading to a pinfall reversal sequence, which Shawn ends with a big chop. Cross corner whip, but Benjamin reverses, and follows in with a stinger splash. Shawn buys time with a backdrop, but the Superkick misses, and Benjamin pops up with a leg-feed spinheel kick for two. Superplex, but Shawn knocks him off, and dives with a flying elbowdrop. Superkick, but Benjamin blocks, and pops Michaels with a roundhouse kick for two. Springboard flying clothesline gets Shelton two, so Benjamin tries another springboard, but this time he lands right in the Superkick at 13:42. This was a fun one, with Shawn doing a great job of playing the wily veteran, and Benjamin the young kid frustrated by how hard the old guy can hold on. *** ½

#1 Contender's 30-Minute Iron Man Match: Kurt Angle v Shawn Michaels: From the Homecoming episode of Monday Night RAW, October 3 2005 in Dallas Texas. Shawn charges in to blitz him, and gets control early. He hits a bodyslam and pounds Kurt with chops on the ropes, then uses a swinging neckbreaker for two. He dumps Angle over the top for a beating in front of all the legends seated at ringside, and HBK dives with a flying axehandle for two on the way back inside. Into the corner for chops, but that just serves to wake Kurt up, and he drills Michaels with rights. Shawn cuts that off with a sleeper, but Angle escapes with a side suplex before Michaels can ground him in the hold. Kurt with a bodyslam for two, and he grounds HBK in a chinlock. Shawn with a jawbreaker to escape, and he manages a facebuster on the dazed Olympian. A frustrated Angle charges, but Shawn is ready with a backdrop over the top, and boy he just HURLED him with that one! Baseball slide, but Kurt counters with an Olympic Slam on the floor, and he drags Michaels in to cover, but it's in the ropes. Kurt pounds him, but Michaels is feeling his oats, and returns fire for a slugfest. Angle ends that shit with a bucklebomb for two, and he takes Shawn up for a superplex, but Michaels manages to knock him off. Flying elbowdrop, but Kurt pops up before HBK can dive, and an Olympic Slam off the top scores the first fall at 8:10. Kurt keeps the pressure on him on the mat, but Shawn escapes a chinlock in the corner, only to miss a charge. That allows Kurt to drop him with a German suplex for two, and a vertical suplex is worth two. Angle with a cross corner whip to set up another Olympic Slam, but Shawn counters with a sunset flip - only for Kurt to counter to the Anklelock! He has it on, but Shawn finds a cradle to tie the score at 14:50. Kurt is pissed, and comes at him hard, so Shawn tries another quick cradle, but only gets two this time. Angle knocks him out of the ring for a trip into the steps, and he grounds him with a bodyscissors on the way back inside. Shit, Kurt clearly wasn't skipping leg day at the gym in 2005. Shawn bites his way out of the hold, so Kurt tries a suplex, but Shawn starts reversing. That trigger a rollup from Angle, but Shawn reverses that as well for two, so Kurt turns it into the Anklelock! Michaels looks for an escape, but Kurt blocks, and HBK is too far from the ropes, so he makes the wise choice to submit at 18:46. Angle continues working the ankle as we go into the final third of the bout, with Shawn getting in some well timed hope spots. He starts making a comeback, selling the leg all the while, and a Superkick ties the score again at 25:14. Kurt wisely bails to the outside before Shawn can cover again, forcing a battered Michaels to expend energy dragging him back inside. Shawn with chops in the corner, but Kurt reverses a cross corner whip, and catches Shawn with an Olympic Slam for two on the rebound. Another Olympic, but Shawn counters with a tornado DDT, and both guys are down for the count. Shawn manages to roll over to make a cover, but Kurt has a shoulder up at two. Shawn tries the cross corner whip again, but gets reversed again. He manages to block the charge, however, and he goes up with a flying moonsault press - Angle impressively catching him with a counter to the Anklelock! Kurt sinks his teeth into it, but Shawn knows he can't tap, because there's less than two minutes left, and he'll never make up the lost fall. Shawn fights, far from the ropes, far from hope. He finally manages to shake Kurt off with twenty seconds left, but Angle just slaps the hold back on. Shawn makes one last escape, and he plants a Superkick on, but time expires at 30:00 before the official can count the pin! Shawn wants sudden death, but unfortunately for him Gorilla Monsoon isn't around this time, so no dice. This was good stuff, but certainly not on par with their WrestleMania outing, or even the Vengeance rematch. It also felt kind of weird doing a thirty minute Iron Man, considering both of those PPV matches ran about a half hour in a single fall scenario. ***

John Cena v Shawn Michaels: From Monday Night RAW, October 31 2005 in Anaheim California. Cena's WWE Title is not on the line here. This is their first singles match against each other, televised or otherwise. Shawn offers a handshake at the bell, but then cracks him with chops right after. That earns him some right hands from the champ, and Shawn backs off, smirking. I love when Shawn plays a dick, subtle or not. Feeling out process, dominated by Michaels. Cena tries dumping him, but Michaels skins the cat, so John greets him with a clothesline. John with a backdrop for two, and a backelbow is worth two. FU, but Shawn slips free, and bails to the outside to kill the momentum. Cena chases, allowing Michaels to steal the high ground, and he pounds John on the way back inside. It's so interesting to watch Shawn during this second run, and how he completely reinvented his move set from what he was doing in the first run. Swinging neckbreaker gets two, so he tries a sleeper, but Cena escapes with a side suplex after two arm drops. John makes a comeback, but Shawn escapes the FU again, and dives with a jumping forearm. He mounts his own comeback, but the flying elbowdrop misses, and here comes Kurt Angle to attack both guys for a no contest at 9:20. Not really much to this one, but certainly watchable. * ¼

Shawn Michaels v Rey Mysterio: From the Eddie Guerrero tribute episode of Monday Night RAW, November 14 2005 in Minneapolis Minnesota. We're one day removed from Eddie's passing here, and obviously that probably hit Rey especially hard. Feeling out process to start, with Shawn hanging in with Rey's speed. He tries to catapult Mysterio over the top, but Rey lands on the apron, and springboards back in at Michaels for two. Mysterio tries a headscissors out of the corner, but Shawn drops him on his face to block, and cracks him with chops. Backdrop, but Rey counters with a kick, and Shawn is forced to bail to dodge the 619. Rey dives after him with a plancha, but ends up eating a swinging neckbreaker on the way back inside, and Shawn traps him in a sleeper. Rey tries a side suplex to escape, but Michaels topples him for two, and blasts him with a big chop to keep control. Michaels with a backbreaker and a chinlock, but Rey fights free, so Shawn throws an elbow. This time Mysterio fights through it for a headscissors takedown, however, and he adds a springboard bodypress. Rey clotheslines him down, and a dropkick to the knee sets up a seated dropkick for two. Shawn fires off a jumping forearm during a criss cross, but Rey counters the inverted atomic drop with a wheelbarrow bulldog. 619, but Shawn dodges again. He puts Rey down with a clothesline for two, but Rey escapes a tilt-a-whirl, so Shawn just kills him with another clothesline. That properly sets up the flying elbowdrop, but Rey dodges the Superkick, and uses a quick rana to set up the 619. He adds a springboard flying legdrop from there, and that's the pin at 12:30. Solid outing here, though can you imagine how great this would have been around 1996? ** ¼

Kurt Angle v Shawn Michaels: From Monday Night RAW, January 16 2006 in Raleigh North Carolina. Kurt's World Heavyweight title is not on the line here. Shawn with chops to start, and he takes Kurt down in a side-headlock. Kurt whips him into the ropes to escape, but Shawn is ready with a shoulderblock for two, and it's back to the mat-based headlock. Kurt powers him into the corner to escape, and he unloads in there, but Shawn turns the tables. Cross corner whip, but Angle reverses, only to miss a charge. That allows Shawn to dive with a 2^nd rope axehandle, but Kurt catches him in an overhead suplex, and he takes him for a ride with a three-alarm rolling German suplex for two. Bodyscissors cradle gets two, so Angle holds onto it to try for a submission, as some guy in the crowd holds up a 'TRUMP FOR GM' sign. Sorry to burst your bubble there bud, but I think he had higher aspirations. Kurt with a corner whip to rattle Michaels for the Olympic Slam, but Shawn manages to counter with a DDT for two. Shawn starts making a comeback, so Daivari pulls down the top rope to send HBK crashing over the top. Daivari eats a Superkick, but that all gives Kurt some needed recovery time, and he sneaks up with an Olympic on the floor. Inside, Angle works a chinlock, but Michaels slugs free, so Kurt corner whips him. Angle with a bodyslam for two, but Shawn blocks a superplex attempt, so Kurt pops back up with an Olympic off the top before Michaels can recover with a dive. Cover, count, two. Shawn staggers up and tries for a Superkick, but Kurt counters to the Anklelock, so Michaels counters to a cradle for two. That leads to a slugfest, and Michaels is in control. He pops Kurt with the jumping forearm to trigger his comeback, but Kurt is ready for the kip-up with the Anklelock! Shawn fights free and hits an inverted atomic drop to set up a clothesline, and Michaels goes upstairs for the flying elbowdrop - only for Angle to dodge! Olympic, but Shawn counters with a sunset flip, so Kurt counters back to the Anklelock! He gets it locked in, so Shawn inches for the ropes, prompting Daivari to try and block him. That earns him a swipe from HBK, setting off Daivari's temper, and he comes in with a chair. That prompts Angle to intervene so he doesn't get cost the win by DQ, but Daivari accidentally pops him with the weapon in the scuffle, and Shawn schoolboys at 14:22. And this would actually be their last match together, though they probably would have eventually had more had Angle not left the promotion that summer. ** ¼

Shawn Michaels v Shelton Benjamin: From Monday Night RAW, January 23 2006 in Charlotte North Carolina. Vince McMahon shows up before the bell to add a stipulation that if Shawn loses, he's out of the upcoming Royal Rumble match. Feeling out process to start, with Benjamin dominating on the mat. Shelton topples him with a bodyblock for two while coming out of the corner, so Shawn tries a headlock, but Benjamin quickly turns it into a criss cross. Shawn gets the better of that with a chop, however, and Benjamin takes a clothesline over the top. Back in, Benjamin tries to take it back to the mat with a headlock, but now Shawn forces a criss cross. He tosses Shelton over the top, but Benjamin lands on the apron. He tries a springboard dive, so Shawn tries the Superkick block that worked eight months again, but this time Shelton catches the leg to block! Nice callback, and nice execution. Benjamin uses a kick to send Michaels to the outside, and then corner whips him into the post as they take it back in. Benjamin with a vertical suplex to set up some mounted punches, and a Samoan drop is worth two. Backdrop gets two, so Shelton takes it to the mat with a chinlock/bodyscissors combo. Shawn wrestles to a vertical base and escapes, but he runs right into a backelbow before he can mount a comeback. Shelton takes him upstairs for a superplex, but Shawn manages to block, so Benjamin pops up with an enzuigiri to knock Shawn off the top rope and down to the floor. Back in, Benjamin unloads with rights, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a swinging neckbreaker. That buys Shawn some much needed recovery time, and he's able to turn it into a comeback. Flying elbowdrop, but Shelton pops up with a superplex for two before Shawn can dive. Stinger splash sets up another suplex, but Shawn throws elbows to block, so Benjamin uses an inverted DDT across the knee for two instead. Leg-feed spinheel kick gets two, but a springboard misses, and Michaels manages to plant a clothesline on him. Shawn goes up with the flying elbowdrop, and it's Superkick time, so Shelton's momma distracts him. That allows Benjamin a rollup, but the referee is caught up with momma, and Shawn uses the time to reverse - scoring the pin at 17:49, with a handful of tights for good measure. Not quite on par with the Gold Rush match from eight months prior, but still good, with lots of back-and-forth. ***

John Cena v Shawn Michaels: From Monday Night RAW, April 23 2007 in London England. Cena's WWE Title is not on the line here. Doing all these Shawn matches from mid-2000s RAWs, it's interesting to note that a pattern is emerging where Michaels always seems to go on right at the top of the second hour. Feeling out process to start, with Cena trying for the STFU a few times, but Michaels able to evade. Well, after dealing with a submission master like Kurt Angle, what's John Cena? Cena challenges Shawn to a boxing match, but Michaels is too smart to engage in that one, so John takes it to the mat with a side-headlock. Shawn fights to a vertical base, so Cena drills him with a short-clothesline for two, and he goes back to the mat with a chinlock. They're doing a good job of making the struggle look real and keeping it engaging, but time to speed up, guys. Shawn throws an elbow to escape, and he cracks Cena with chops in the corner, but a charge hits boot, and John fires off a lariat for two. He knocks Shawn around with a few shoulderblocks during a criss cross, so HBK tries for the Superkick, but Cena grabs him in the FU - Shawn able to slip out of the ring to block. Back in, Cena tries grabbing another headlock, but Michaels forces him into the corner for chops, and uses a snapmare to set up a stomp to the face. More chops, but this time Cena returns fire with right hands, and he uses a slam for two. Cross corner whip rebounds Shawn into a suplex for two, and Cena adds a Throwback for two. Backdrop gets two, but Shawn counters another suplex with a swinging neckbreaker, and comes off the ropes with the jumping forearm. Cue comeback, and the crowd is just eating it up. And no wonder, Shawn's timing is just exceptional. Superkick, but Cena starts to dodge, so Michaels shifts it into a backslide for two instead. That was a great move! Cena tries for his own comeback, but Michaels ducks the jumping shoulderblock, and John takes a spill to the outside. Michaels dives after him with a plancha, but John catches him - only to get reversed into the steps. Inside, Shawn works him over while targeting the shoulder, but John manages to fight off a hold, and he goes through his comeback routine. FU, but Shawn counters with a Superkick, only for Cena to counter back to the FU for two. Frustrated, he chucks a limp Michaels to the outside, and Shawn takes a trip into the post out there. That gets Cena a two count on the way back inside, and he keeps pounding the back. Vertical suplex gets two (with Shawn fighting him tooth-and-nail on the hold), so Cena tries breaking him with a bearhug. Shawn fights free, so Cena cross corner whips him, and Michaels flips over the top to the floor on the bump. John with a flying rocker dropper for two on the way back inside, so he takes Shawn upstairs for an FU off the middle rope, but Michaels counters with a powerbomb! Cena is up first, and he tries for the STFU, but Shawn is able to knock him to the apron to block. Michaels charges to knock Cena off the apron and into an announce table, and Shawn looks to have this won by countout, but he doesn't want it that way. He follows to the outside for a piledriver on the steps, but Cena backdrops him on the floor to counter, and he tackles Michaels onto the announce table to unload on with rights. Inside, Cena slaps on the STFU on a limp Michaels to finish him off, but Shawn just won't quit. Cena wrenches it on as Michaels fights for the ropes, and Shawn nearly passes out, before grabbing the bottom rope to save himself. He's totally shot though, and Cena easily blocks his lame attempt at a Superkick. FU, but Shawn counters with the Superkick, this time sticking it since John wasn't expecting a counter. He crawls... cover, count, two. Both guys are spent, and fighting to a vertical base. Shawn manages to corner him with chops once they're up, but Cena reverses a cross corner whip on instinct alone. That rebounds Shawn into the FU, but Michaels counters with a Superkick for the pin at 55:49. This was pretty cool, and I liked how it was just a regular match that happened to go an hour, rather than an Iron Man. It felt less forced that way. I wasn't a big fan of their WrestleMania match (I thought it was good, but not outstanding), and I thought this one was actually a lot better. What I especially liked is how the length gave them time to spread out their usual comeback routines and cliché signature move reversal stuff, making both a lot more tolerable and less videogame like. *** ½

John Cena v Shawn Michaels: From the WrestleMania Rewind episode of Monday Night RAW, March 10 2008 in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Shawn's gear just keeps getting uglier as the days go by. They fight over wristlocks to start, and Shawn tries grounding him in a front-facelock, but Cena chucks him across the ring. John starts charging like a bull, but Michaels is able to go back to that front-facelock, and block the chuck. Cena eventually fights free, and we have a criss cross, with Shawn using a takedown to try for the sharpshooter, but Cena starts countering to the STFU, so Michaels bails. Back in, John manages to grab an armbar, but Shawn is able to find a swinging neckbreaker, and he lands a good stomp on Cena's face for good measure. Chops, but Cena returns fire with punches, and he dominates a slugfest. That turns into a criss cross, and Shawn manages to chuck him over the top to keep control of the contest. Shawn hustles him back in and clips the leg to put Cena down, and HBK works the part. Cena fights off a hold with a cradle for two, and he tries for the FU, but the leg prevents him from completing it. That allows Michaels to clip him again, but Cena blocks a figure four by shoving Shawn into the corner. John makes a comeback, and it's FU time, but Shawn counters with a sunset cradle - reversed by Cena for two, and reversed back by Shawn for two. Michaels with a side suplex, so Cena tries a corner whip, but Shawn rebounds back with a lariat while Cena is gearing up for an FU. Shawn makes his comeback, but Cena counters the Superkick to the STFU - only for Michaels to counter to a modified figure four. Cena makes the ropes, so Shawn uses a baseball slide to knock him to the outside, and HBK dives with a springboard moonsault press on the floor. He shoves Cena into the post out there, but then Randy Orton shows up to send Michaels into it as well, and that's a DQ at 14:50. ** ½

John Cena v Shawn Michaels: From Monday Night RAW, January 12 2009 in Sioux City Iowa. Cena's World Heavyweight title is not up for grabs here. Handshake to start, and Shawn gets the first takedown, but Cena fights him off quickly. They feel each other out, and Shawn tries for the Superkick early, but Cena manages to dive into the corner to duck it. Shawn manages chops in the corner, but Cena turns the tables, and a cross corner whip rebounds Michaels into a backdrop. Clothesline sends HBK over the top, but he manages to snap John's throat across the top rope when he goes after him out there, and Michaels goes on the attack. Cross corner whip gets reversed, allowing Cena a pair of clotheslines, followed by a one-handed bulldog for two. FU, but Michaels counters with a schoolboy that he shifts into a figure four. Cena reverses, so Shawn lets off, but John manages to reverse a cross corner whip. FU, but Michaels blocks again, so Cena uses a Throwback instead. John goes up with the flying rocker dropper, but Michaels dodges, and slaps on a crippler crossface. It's so weird for me, as a guy most familiar with first-run Shawn Michaels, to see him play a submission guy in his later career. Cena makes the ropes to save himself from this fearsome shooter, but he manages to reverse a cross corner whip again, and a sidewalk slam is worth two. Side suplex gets two, and a loose fisherman's suplex is worth two. FU, but Shawn holds the ropes to block, so Cena works a bearhug to wear him down. Shawn manages to elbow his way to an escape, so Cena railroads him into the corner, but misses a charge. Shawn mounts a comeback, but Cena counters him mid-comeback with his own comeback routine! Shawn manages to topple the side suplex for two, and he uses a bodyslam to resume his comeback routine, but Cena follows him to the top for an FU to block the flying elbowdrop. Shawn manages to counter with a powerbomb for two, but another go at the flying elbowdrop flat out misses, and Cena pulls off the flying rocker dropper. Five Knuckle Shuffle sets up the FU, but Michaels pulls out a DDT to counter, getting two. Shawn goes back up for a third go at the flying elbow, landing it this time. Superkick, but Cena counters with the FU! He's too battered to make an immediate cover, however, and it ends up only getting two once he does. Cena pulls his limp body up to hit with something else, but Shawn pops off a Superkick out of nowhere, though it only gets two. FU, but Shawn finds a sunset cradle for two, so Cena decides to just tie him up in the STFU, but Michaels makes the ropes. Shawn is a broken man, so Cena tries the FU again, but Michaels manages to find one last Superkick in him, and it's enough for the pin at 23:53. I wasn't feeling this one early on, but it turned into a hell of a match by the end, and I especially dug the dueling comeback routines. *** ¼

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: John Cena v Shawn Michaels: From Monday Night RAW, January 26 2009 in Cleveland Ohio. Cena's World Heavyweight title is not on the line here. They get right into a slugfest this time, with Shawn actually getting the better of it, but John reverses a cross corner whip. That rebounds Michaels into the one-handed bulldog, but Shawn manages to block, so Cena clocks him. FU, but Shawn slips free, and bails to the outside for a break. Inside, Cena powers him around, so Shawn sweeps him down for a figure four, but John immediately reverses. Cena with a belly-to-belly suplex for two, and he grabs a chinlock, but Shawn starts to escape, so Cena uses a backdrop to keep a potential comeback at bay. Cross corner whip rattles HBK, but he gets his mojo back during a criss cross, and he mounts a comeback. John goes after him while he's getting up the ropes for the flying elbowdrop, forcing Shawn to abandon that effort, and he falls into Cena's comeback routine. Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Shawn counters the taunt with the crippler crossface! Cena manages to power to a vertical base to try for the FU, but Shawn has the ropes to block. STFU, but Shawn makes the ropes to escape. FU, but Shawn counters with a sunset cradle for two, and he unloads chops on John. Cross corner whip, but Cena reverses - only for it to backfire when Shawn rebounds with a lariat. Bodyslam sets up the flying elbowdrop, but John Bradshaw Layfield (in Shawn's corner) wants him to hurry up and finish. Shawn tells him he'll do it his way, leading to an altercation, and Cena capitalizes with the FU at 11:40. And this ended up being their final singles meeting. One thing I really appreciate watching so many of their matches back-to-back like this is how unique they managed to make them. Like, there is definitely a lot of overlap, but they're keen to work in these little variations throughout, and it makes it much easier to digest. ** ½

Shawn Michaels v Rey Mysterio: From Smackdown, January 29 2010 (taped January 26) in Cincinnati Ohio. Shawn tries to take him to the mat with a headlock right away, but Rey wants to fly around. That backfires on him when Michaels dumps him to the outside, but Mysterio manages to dodge a baseball slide out there, and he uses a headscissors to set up the 619, but Michaels dodges that. Shawn gets aggressive with a kick to the midsection, and a series of chops sends Rey to the outside. Shawn follows for more chops, and a snapmare sets up a stomp to the face on the way back inside. Rey tries a drop-toehold into the 619, so Shawn tries to counter with a Superkick, but Mysterio takes him over the top with a rana. Back in, Rey goes after the leg, and man, second-run Shawn really loved digging in on those chops, didn't he? Michaels fights him off with a swinging neckbreaker, but a charge backfires when Rey uses a drop-toehold into the middle turnbuckle. Rey goes up, but Shawn knocks him off to block a dive, and he slaps on his modified figure four. Rey escapes and pops off a leg-feed enzuigiri, leading to a slugfest. Shawn wins it with a jumping forearm, but Rey counters the inverted atomic drop with a rana. Rey with a springboard flying seated senton for two, but another springboard lands him right in an inverted atomic for two. Shawn tries a bodyslam, but Rey topples him. Springboard flying splash, but Michaels lifts the knees to block, and he goes up with a flying elbowdrop. Superkick, but Rey counters with a spinheel kick, and he lands the 619. Springboard flying dive, but Shawn knocks him out of the air with a perfectly placed Superkick, ala the Benjamin match from 2005. But then Batista just runs in and kills both guys for a no-contest at 13:39. This was pretty fun, and felt like they just wanted to go out there and have a proper match before Shawn retires. It's kind of hard to believe they only had two, ever. ** ¼