5 Key Takeaways From The Heartbreak Kid: Becoming Shawn Michaels

Right as we enter WrestleMania week, WWE blessed the wrestling fans by releasing The Heartbreak Kid: Becoming Shawn Michaels, which focuses on ‘Mr. WrestleMania’ Shawn Michaels‘ life in and outside the ring.

This documentary, now streaming on Peacock, tells the tale of how a man named Michael Shawn Hickenbottom rose from the ground to touch the heights of the pro wrestling business, and how that drive to be the best affected his personal and professional life. Thus, let’s take a look at key takeaways from the latest documentary by WWE.

1 How Shawn Michaels Became ‘The Heartbreak Kid’

Since this documentary was created with the balance of getting new fans caught up with Michaels’ history in the industry, as well as giving OG fans something new to learn about, The Heartbreak Kid takes us back to 1992, when Shawn Michaels became the Heartbreaker.

It was on the suggestion of fellow pro-wrestler, Curt Hennig, that the star changed his entire persona into a vain and self-absorbed heel, who was a proper ladies’ man. In the documentary, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque commented on how polarised, yet impressed, he was when he saw Michaels pulling off the character, right down to his flamboyant look.

2 Controversies Surrounding Shawn Michaels and His Redemption

Shawn Michaels in a still from The Heartbreak Kid: Becoming Shawn Michaels | Credits: WWE and Peacock

Along with all of his career highs, this documentary also highlighted all the major controversies that surrounded his personal and professional life. In fact, to highlight the ‘Montreal Screwjob’, The Heartbreak Kid brings in the legendary Bret Hart himself, who talks about his real-life rivalry with the star. In addition, it talks about Michael’s drug addiction that caused him and others a lot of problems, including his co-workers and his family.

And in the 1998 Royal Rumble, it all came crashing down on him, as his Casket Match with The Undertaker ended with him having two herniated discs and one shattered one, forcing him into early retirement. And in his time away from the ring, he decided to change his life around and found help in his faith and his family, which completely changed him for the better, as The Undertaker himself says so in the documentary.

3 Shawn Michaels’ Connections With His Family

A still from The Heartbreak Kid: Becoming Shawn Michaels | Credits: WWE and Peacock

As stated earlier, Michael’s dedication to his faith and his family is what enabled him to turn a new leaf after his retirement in 1998 and subsequent return to WWE in 2002. The star talks about how grateful he was to his wife, Rebecca Curci, for holding him and his family down with an anchor when things were getting rough, while claiming his love for his children is also what kept him going.

The Heartbreak Kid also gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the life of Michael’s children, where his daughter, Cheyenne Hickenbottom, is part of the makeup department at NXT, and his son, Cameron Hickenbottom, works in the creative department in Stamford. We also get some insights from the star’s daughter as she talks about what it meant to be the child of a WWE legend.

4 Why Shawn Michaels Never Returned to the Ring in Full Capacity

Shawn Michaels in a still from The Heartbreak Kid: Becoming Shawn Michaels | Credits: WWE and Peacock

The main reason, as was stated in the documentary, for Shawn Michaels not returning to the ring in full capacity stemmed from his shift in priority after his first retirement in 1998. As he rebuilt himself from the ashes of a man surrounded by ego, politics, substance abuse, and conflict, he started to focus more on his family and his faith.

Moreover, the back injury that retired him the first time was still deteriorating his ability to perform like he used to, which, in conjunction with years of wear and tear in the ring, made him decide to hang up his boots once and for all. Thus, at WrestleMania XXVI, against the Undertaker, Michaels had his final match, where the stipulation demanded his retirement if he lost, which is exactly what happened, giving his career the legendary ending it deserved.

Although he stayed out of in-ring action after that, he did enter the squared circle once more in 2018 at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia in a tag match with Triple H against The Undertaker and Kane, which is dubbed one of the worst matches in Michaels’ career ever, so we will pretend it never happened.

5 How ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ Is Preparing the Next Generation of WWE

While the documentary was a history lesson for a good chunk of the run time, the main focus of The Heartbreak Kid was to highlight how the WWE Hall of Famer is preparing the next generation of WWE superstars in NXT. The footage shows how new talent, like Je’von Evans and Ethan Page, were flourishing under Michael’s tutelage, where they, too, commented on what it was like to work with one of their idols.

It also highlights how NXT, under Michaels, has produced over 40 main roster talent since his takeover of the brand from Triple H in 2021, and how he continuously strives to create even more as his days as the head of the brand continue.

Here’s an overview of The Heartbreak Kid: Becoming Shawn Michaels.

What are your thoughts on the latest documentary by WWE? Tell us in the comments below.

The Heartbreak Kid: Becoming Shawn Michaels is now streaming on Peacock (US).