World Wrestling Federation superstar Shawn Michaels - by his own admission - has been a hunted man ever since he entered the Federation in 1988. Even before attempting to capture the Federation Title from Bret "Hit Man" Hart at WrestleMania Xll's Iron Man Match this past March (this article was written before that encounter), Shawn found himself pressed into a solitude in which few others would be able to survive, lending truth to the cliche that it is, after all, lonely at the top.
The road to the Federation Championship, as many Federation fans know, wasn't as smooth as it had been for some of his predecessors. On many occasions, Michaels had to give up strength, size and weight to his opponents. In the past, he has tangled with and successfully defeated opponents such as Isaac Yankem D.D.S. - a man who tips the scales at more than 320 pounds - and other similarly overpowering men.
On the surface, it always seemed as if Shawn never had a snowball's chance in Hades to beat such superstars. As a matter of fact, on some occasions he didn't. One of his most memorable defeats occurred outside the ring in Syracuse, New York. It was in this upstate New York city, which is renowned for the Genesee River and the high-profile athletic teams that are supplied by Syracuse University, that Shawn Michaels was confronted with a challenge that would change his life forever.
It was in Syracuse that Shawn was mauled and severely beaten at the hands of thugs outside a nightclub. His attackers showed the superstar no remorse or respect. Like cowards, the gang attacked Shawn from the blind side and literally beat him to within an inch of his illustrious life.
The reality of the attack sent shock waves throughout the World Wrestling Federation's information system. It was reported on the television network and on America Online, as well as in World Wrestling Federation Magazine. Everyone, including Michaels' personal doctors, seemed to agree on one fact: Shawn Michaels, due to the severity and acute nature of his injuries, would be forced to retire from action. Michaels had met a roadblock. He felt as if he had been hunted down and dealt a murderous blow, but the Heartbreak Kid is different. Unlike other athletes who would have indeed "hung it up," Michaels persevered. He used a negative experience, and he turned it into being positive.
"I'm not going any-where until I realize my dream," he said to friends and fans.
On March 31, Shawn will try to fulfill that dream. However, even if he does, he will be in the throes of the hunt more than ever! Some of the Federation's biggest and meanest contenders will probably challenge Michaels within 24 hours of his title victory.
Some of the names bandied about include the massive, aggressive Vader, Stone Cold Steve Austin and the bizarre Goldust. Even men that he considers friends, such as Savio Vega and Jake "The Snake" Roberts, also will certainly make overtures of championship battle to various Federation officials.
However, perhaps the most vociferous athlete will be Hunter Hearst-Helmsley. He can cite many rea-sons why he should be granted a title shot against Shawn before anyone else. His reasons, although dripping with pomposity, no doubt may ring of prudence to those who hold higher positions within the Federation's hierarchy.
In many ways, Hunter is remarkably similar to the Heartbreak Kid. Hunter - the self-proclaimed "pride and class" of Greenwich, Connecticut, has had to fight his way to lofty status. No one can argue with that. Over the last year or so, Helmsley has had wars with such monsters as Henry Godwinn, Bret Hart and Duke "The Dumpster" Droese. For all intents and purposes, Hunter - like Shawn - has paid his dues.
Hunter is also a remarkable wrestler. When he chooses to apply himself, he can execute and counter almost any maneuver known to the ring before splattering his opponents into oblivion with the dreaded Pedigree inverted piledriver.
Hunter's balance and ring presence are second to none. The same holds true for Helmsley's strategies, most of which are implemented in callous fashion.
Unlike Shawn Michaels, who had to fight and claw for everything he has thus far attained in the World Wrestling Federation, Helmsley is spoiled to the core. Raised in an exclusive section in one of America's most wealthiest towns, Hunter has relished the good life since day one. He never walked on Easy Street; he owned it. He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth; his preference was jewel-encrusted platinum. He never wrestled an opponent in his career; he dominated them.
While Hunter may well be Shawn's antithesis, he is undoubtedly a real threat and danger to him. Whether or not Hunter will be able to unseat Shawn from his "premier superstar" status with the same expediency, of course, remains to be seen.
As for Shawn-well, his summation of the possible forthcoming battle was recorded at a television taping prior to WrestleMania Xll (now available on the Coliseum Home Video label). "So Hunter Hearst-Helmsley wants to hunt down the Heartbreak Kid? Maybe the Hunter will become the hunted."