Shawn Michaels is a legend of epic proportions. HBK has charted a singular career of success, superstardom, and recognition, which gives rise to the interesting prospect of finding a modern-day superstar akin to the Heartbreak Kid.
The WWE Hall of Famer, Michaels, is now retired from professional wrestling as an active competitor. However, HBK is still employed by the very promotion in which he made a name for himself, as a Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, overseeing the creative aspects of the NXT brand.
The man who came to be known as Mr. WrestleMania for his stellar performances on the show had unmatched charisma, and unmissable in-ring prowess both, on the mat and as a high-flier. Michaels was also a smooth talker and an excellent seller who always found a way to take his game up by a few notches on the big stage, under bright lights.
The legacy of Michaels will always be untouched and his overall panache serves as a bar for wrestlers to reach. Simply put, Shawn Michaels made wrestling better.
Thus, the superstar's absence since retirement has left a gaping hole on the roster. And now with some current superstars showing similarities to the various traits of Michaels, it makes some wrestling fans wonder if they could be the next HBK. Without further ado, let's look at five current WWE Superstars who could very well be the new Showstopper of the Stamford-based promotion.
5 Carmelo Hayes
Carmelo Hayes is the current NXT Champion. Shawn Michaels oversees the creative aspects of that brand. And Michaels chose Hayes to end Bron Breakker's nearly record-setting title reign as NXT Champion. Thus, it can be established that Michaels views Him very favorably.
Hayes, only 28 years old, has years of wrestling ahead of him and is yet to hit his peak. Being a youngster in the business, though, has not stopped the current NXT Champion from scaling heights. Hayes has already proven that he can be part of the main event scene at NXT. And while some have failed to capture the same attention moving to the main roster, quite a few have made smooth transitions.
Hayes also possesses good in-ring ability. Similar to Michaels, Carmelo has good striking ability, can easily lock submission holds, and can also soar into the air, when necessary. He still needs a bit of work on his gallery-pleasing abilities, something Michaels had in abundance. But, the early signs are good and with Him under Michaels's watchful eyes every week, there is a good chance he becomes the long-term heir to the throne.
4 Johnny Gargano
Johnny Gargano has made no bones about the fact that he wholeheartedly adores Shawn Michaels. Johnny Wrestling even considers HBK as his "wrestling dad".
In an interview, Gargano said that he idolized Michaels as a kid and even dressed up like him during Halloween for two years in a row. He even considers HBK to be the greatest ever to lace a pair of wrestling boots. And along with Michaels, Gargano also considers Triple H to be his "wrestling dad".
It is safe to assume that the admiration is mutual as during Triple H's tenure running NXT, Gargano was booked like a megastar with meaningful, emotionally-driven storylines. Gargano did not disappoint when given the opportunity. He held his end of the bargain and his time in a tag team as well as his singles run remain among the best NXT programming.
Gargano's main roster run, however, has been unremarkable and pales in comparison to his stint on the black-and-gold brand. But with Triple H in charge of creative, the former NXT Champion's time is coming, one would assume. And one presumes Gargano and Triple H will have HBK's blessings if the latter decides to book the former a bit like Michaels.
Gargano, on his part, has all the tools to fulfill the role too. He is likable, a good wrestler, and has believable promo skills to boot.
3 Montez Ford
To be fair, Montez Ford can be anyone he wants to be. He is just that talented. And Triple H is well aware of it, which can be evidenced by The Game taking to social media to praise the wrestler following his exploits at 2023's Elimination Chamber.
Montez Ford possesses everything required to be a wrestling superstar. He has the looks, the physique, the move set, the charisma, and is good on the microphone. Apart from the move-set, wrestling style, and promo skills, Ford has that uncoachable charm in abundance, and in that regard, can easily be likened to Michaels's raw charisma.
Further, by bulking up from his previously lanky stature, he has shown the hunger to travel the extra mile even after being an established member of the main roster. The only thing holding him back currently is the fact that he is yet to be tested as a full-time singles competitor on the main roster. And that singles push, if reports are to be believed, is not far away.
2 Cody Rhodes
There are some eerie similarities between Cody Rhodes and Shawn Michaels. Both were part of a tag team during their initial years with the company. Both wrestlers took time off from the company and their comeback runs were better. Both wrestlers also failed to capture the WWE Championship after winning their first Royal Rumble.
And if the consensus is pointing in the right direction, the finish to Cody's story will have a similar outcome to the one from 1996 which saw the "boyhood dream" of Michaels come true.
Thus, there is a strong case for likening Cody's second run with the company to that of The Heartbreak Kid. Further, Cody has already shown what he possesses by becoming a consistent main event star, representing the company, and putting on stellar wrestling matches. He also understands the business very well, which makes him a natural at selling his opponents' moves as well as his matches.
A perfect example of Cody dramatizing wrestling situations to make things believable is when he presented the weight belt he was wearing during his entrance to the late Brodie Lee's son, who was in attendance at WrestleMania, ahead of his main event against Roman Reigns.
As far as similarities go, even during their respective entrances, both Cody and HBK stop midway, hold their hands out and as the pyros go off, it signals the arrival of a superstar!
1 Seth Rollins
It is a bit self-explanatory, is it not? Seth Rollins is the closest thing in this generation to Shawn Michaels. Well, AJ Styles is close too, but he spent too much time away from the company to be likened to a WWE legend, despite Jim Ross saying so.
And in terms of physical attributes, the over-the-top dressing, in-ring attributes, charisma, and jaw-dropping consistency, Seth Rollins feels like a closer match to HBK. To make sure of that match, Seth even imitated Michaels on a recent episode of Raw when he slid out of the ring during a match and posed with a female wrestler of the rival faction at ringside. HBK did the same at the 2006 Survivor Series pay-per-view.
There are many similarities between Seth Rollins and Michaels in terms of how fate has scripted their WWE careers. Both wrestlers are tremendously consistent, remained underrated for some time, and despite being away from the title picture for a considerable while, have been big-time draws who put up excellent matches. Moreover, like Michaels, Rollins can easily transition between heel and face characters, seamlessly pivoting his wrestling style in the process.
And more than any technical similarity, just to the naked eye, Rollins feels like the modern-day Michaels in that he simply gets how the wrestling business works. He's also a WWE guy through and through and his presence makes wrestling matches better.