PWI Mid-Year Report
PWI Magazine - October 2003

Top 50 Stories of the Half-Year

44. Shawn Michaels Pins Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania XIX
Both Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho thrive on being "The Showstopper." Each man can make a case as to why he has made the greater contribution to the business. Michaels helped keep the WWF afloat in the mid-1990s by show- casing a faster, fresher style to wrestling fans as the World heavyweight champion. While Jericho has never had the responsibility of carrying an entire company on his shoulders, he has the most impressive footnote in The Wrestling Almanac as the industry's first undisputed world champion in 40 years.

At WrestleMania XIX, these two showstoppers had their opportunity to stop wrestling's premier show. Michaels and Jericho traded an even number of headlocks and hammerlocks in the opening minutes. "The Heartbreak Kid" was the first to gain the advantage by sending Jericho out of the ring and knocking him silly with a baseball slide.

Seven minutes into this thriller, Y2J tried to end the match by sitting down on Michaels' vulnerable lower back with the Walls of Jericho. Amazingly, Michaels withstood the pain, and the two men were still doing battle at the 20-minute mark.

Michaels foiled Jericho's attempt at a superplex, shoved him down to the canvas, and followed that with a flying elbowdrop from the top rope. HBK went for a superkick, but the Winnipeg native ducked and applied the Walls of Jericho again. Michaels finally reached the ropes. Jericho made a last-ditch effort to suplex Michaels, who finally outmaneuvered Y2J and rolled him over for the pinfall.

Jericho made an uncharacteristic effort to shake Michaels' hand after the match. But, characteristically, he hit Michaels - his one-time role model - with a low blow.


Top 20 PPV Matches of the Half-Year

2. Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho - Wrestlemania XIX
The showdown between Y2J and HBK exceeded its hype (which was strong) and stole the show at WrestleMania. Even though Michaels came out on top, Jericho had many close near-falls and showed he was Michaels' equal. Michaels might not have passed the proverbial torch on this night, but Jericho proved he was the man who should get it down the road.

11. Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels - Bad Blood
Michaels seemed to have the match in hand when he locked Ric Flair in the figure-four. But he made the critical mistake of trying to be flashy when it wasn't necessary. HBK put Flair through a table at ringside, but he left himself open for an attack by Randy Orton. The dirtiest player in the game found yet another way to win.

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