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Paperback
Publisher: World Wrestling Entertainment
Aaron Feigenbaum
ISBN13: 9781416516866
Condition: NEW
Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Winning and losing. Heels and babyfaces. Kliqs and Curtain Calls. Tearing down house shows and tearing up hotel rooms. Ladders and cages. Vacated titles and unwarranted suspensions. Works and screwjobs. Heartaches and backbreaks. Forced retirements and redemption. Rock 'n' roll and Graceland. There are two sides to every story; for Shawn Michaels, there is Heartbreak & Triumph.World Wrestling Entertainment fans think they know "The Heartbreak Kid." He's "The Showstopper" who pushes his high-flying abilities to the limit. He's the company's first "Grand Slam" champion. And of course, he's forever the guy who conspired with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to screw Bret "Hitman" Hart out of the WWE Championship. Heartbreak & Triumph introduces us to Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, the youngest of four children whose "really conservative upbringing" made him shy and "afraid that people wouldn't like me if I showed who I really was." But upon discovering Southwest Championship Wrestling (SWCW) one night, Hickenbottom realized instantly what hewanted to become. From there, Hickenbottom fully recounts "Shawn Michaels's" tutelage under Mexican wrestler Jose Lothario; working matches at Mid-South Wrestling; flying high with Marty Jannetty as "The Midnight Rockers" in the American Wrestling Association (AWA); and how a barroom confrontation almost prevented the tandem from ever joining the World Wrestling Federation. "The Rockers" would climb to the top of World Wrestling Entertainment's tag-team division in the late 1980s. Heartbreak & Triumph tells what dissolved Michaels's partnership with Jannetty and started his transformation into "The Heartbreak Kid." You'll learn firsthand of the "unfair" allegation that brought about HBK's classic Ladder match with Razor Ramon at WrestleMania X; the incident in Syracuse that set the stage for Shawn's unbelievable "comeback" victories at Royal Rumble 1996, and in the Iron Man WWE Championship match with Bret Hart at WrestleMania XII; and how his escalating backstage feud with Hart inadvertently built toward the formation of "D-Generation X," as well as the first-ever "Hell in a Cell" contest against Undertaker. Beyond the squared circle, Michaels clears the air about his days running with "The Kliq" -- Kevin Nash ("Diesel"), Scott Hall ("Razor Ramon"), Paul Levesque ("Triple H"), and Sean Waltman ("The 1-2-3 Kid") -- their contributions to WWE's wildly successful "Attitude" era, and the consequences of their uncharacteristic Madison Square Garden "Curtain Call" in May 1996. And for the first time anywhere, Michaels shoots completely straight about his role in "the biggest scandal in wrestling history," the infamous "Montreal screwjob" at Survivor Series 1997. While reliving the crippling back injury that forced him to retire in his prime following his WWE Championship loss at WrestleMania XIV, Michaels credits the new loves in his life -- his second wife Rebecca, his children, and his newfound faith -- with giving him the strength to kick his habit, recover physically, and make a jubilant return to the ring at SummerSlam 2002. Now back on top and doing what he enjoys most, the WWE Superstar regards Heartbreak & Triumph as the perfect means "to review my life, and attempt to figure out how I became the person I am."
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| Heartbreak Kid comes through again! |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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I just finished reading "The Shawn Michaels Story" and I must admit, I was surprised. This book actually shows a reflection of the real man and not the egotist that he portrays on television. I actually read this book in two sittings over the course of two days. I found it pretty hard to set down. Good read.
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| Giving the Devil his due. |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
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I'm a huge Bret Hart fan who had just got done reading Bret's book before reading Shawn's. I was debating if I should even read his bio. At first, I wasn't going to, but I decided to give the Devil his due. I like to think of myself as a highly open-minded person who always listens to both sides in a debate because I realize it takes two to tango.
So I went into reading Shawn Michaels book expecting to hate him even more after I was done. However, as I read Shawn's book, I found myself being able to relate to him more then I thought. Shawn was a shy kid who was a slow learner, and had a weird name that the other kids in school made fun of. Shawn was a fighter who always defended his name whenever kids would make fun of him however. Shawn had very low self-confidence, and often did a good job of acting like it didn't bother him if people didn't like him, but it really did. Shawn also would allow people to push him around so many times before finally taking the gloves off, and let his enemies know enough was enough. Shawn also admits that there are times when he needed the reassurance of others. Shawn claims to have been a victim of gossip and lies through out his wrestling career. Shawn says he has always ignored the nonsense and would often play along to the part that his co-workers had written for him, and go in the dressing room, acting exactly how the other wrestlers thought he was, and behaved highly sarcastically. I can literally relate to all of the above issues Shawn has faced in his life, and I found Shawn's book to very comforting, especially since I was going through some tough times at my job because of gossip and lies, and as I read about his own problems, it was almost like he was there with me, offering me advice, which was helpful and consoling. But this isn't about me. I just felt that it needed to be said that I did feel kinship with him through out the book.
Now I don't think Shawn was totally honest in his book. For example, he never talked much about his partying days much, or the women he slept around with, and I think it's common knowledge that Shawn messed around with women. Infact, I think all wrestlers had groupies, or ring rats as they call them in the business, and Shawn never admitted to it. Now I'm not saying this is true, but there have been rumors that besides being a liar, Shawn Michaels knows how to manipulate people. Bret claims he did it to him, and he did the same to Owen too. And at times, I felt like Shawn was manipulating the readers as well.
I don't think Shawn should have told Bret to get out of the ring in such a rude way at Wrestlemania 12 after their match, and rather's Shawn's injury before Wrestlemania 13 was real or not is up to debate, but I honestly think he was lying.
Shawn also failed to mention in his book that he once went on live TV, and called Bret a "mark", and then not long after, Shawn did a "shoot interview" on Bret where he claimed all Bret cared about was money, and he made all sorts of other very disrespectful comments.
After reading Shawn's book, I want to like Shawn, but he was wrong implying that Bret was cheating on his wife with Sunny. That caused problems within the Hart family. It wasn't funny at all. I know Shawn didn't have a family at the time, but how would he feel if someone came along and tried to disturb the peace among his family? When they fought, Bret was right to defend his family honor. And heck, Shawn in my view, provoked the fight. Bret wanted to talk to Shawn. Shawn should have been mature, and talked to him instead of cursing him out.
In the end, no matter what was said and done between Bret and Shawn, Shawn Michaels was wrong for what he did to Bret and I found Shawn's lack of compassion towards Bret Hart absolutely disgusting. And no matter what anyone thinks of Bret, Bret never crossed the like Shawn did, which he actually did twice. First, when he brought Bret's family into it, and then when he screwed him out of the title.
I'm not a Christian, but I think it's great Shawn found the balance he needed in his life. I also think he cares about his family, and fans, and I'm sure he's a nice guy, but screwing Bret over was cowardly and wrong, and then him hiding behind Triple H and the Harris Brothers was more cowardly. Shawn Michaels was a liar, and a coward, and until he apologizes to Bret Hart and can acknowledge that what he did was wrong, this fan will never forgive him.
I may have a few things in common with Shawn Michaels, but that doesn't matter. Shawn Michaels is a liar and a coward.
Bret's book will always find itself among my collection of books and films on my big book shelf.....but Shawn Michael's book....will find itself in my closet. :-) Maybe I'll use it to hold the bathroom door open from time to time.....
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| Fast Paced Friendly Fun |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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This is a great read. It is a reader friendly fast paced page turne. Heartbreak & Triumph is a book that offers great first hand insight into the life of Professional Wrestling's Showstopper. The Kliq, Partying Hall Nash HHH and of course that all to well remembered night in Montreal. I LOVED IT.
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| What else would you expect from a Narcissist Pill Popping Christian? |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
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I got a kick out of reading this at the local bookstore. That was until I read Bret Hart's book and remembered all over again what a sleazebag Shawn Michaels is. Sure. Hickenbottom is one of the all time greats in the ring but out of it he's only good enough to trust to be what he is. And this book is just 200 pages of ghost written self-serving hype.
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| HYPOCRITE |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
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All I'm gonna say is this:
In the book, Shawn says one reason he became upset at Bret was he felt Bret was being paid too much, or actually, Shawn was jealous that Bret was making more than he was. Why? I don't know really, because Bret had been in the WWF A LOT longer (going back to before Wrestlemania 1!), had held the tag title, IC title, and World title and had been the face of the company for a while now after Hogan had left....so exactly why was Shawn feeling Bret was making too much??? Why didn't Bret deserve his salary??? Shawn never answers or explains this, and instead felt he should be making the same if not more than Bret.
BUT, Shawn had no problem with the Undertaker (seemingly the only guy he was afraid of backstage) making the amount of whatever his salary was (it could of been more or less than Shawn's). Shawn says in the book he had no problem with the Undertaker contract, that was between him and Vince...but he does have a problem with Bret's???? Again, that logic is never explained, and only leads to reader to conclude that Shawn is/was jealous of Bret and had it out for him. He's a total hypocrite, enough said.
AND to rub more fuel to this fire....Shawn didn't wanna drop the belt to Bret at WM13, so he forfeits the title....but when Bret didn't wanna drop the belt to him at Survivor Series 1997 (and Bret was fine in doing this as his contract gave him CREATIVE CONTROL over his character the last 30 days of his contract) all of a sudden Shawn goes on and says Bret was hurting the business and doing the wrong thing. Once again, only word that comes to mind is HYPOCRITE.
Screw Shawn. Go try to brainwash someone else because I see right through you.
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