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Michael Shawn Hickenbottom(born July 22, 1965),better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American professional wrestler. He performs on the Raw brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Currently, Hickenbottom is one of the senior performers in WWE, having joined in 1987. He is one of only two wrestlers (the other being The Undertaker) to have appeared on the very first episode of Monday Night Raw who are still with the company today.

Before joining WWE, Hickenbottom began his wrestling career with Mid-South Wrestling and American Wrestling Association (AWA). There, Hickenbottom partnered up with Marty Jannetty to form The Midnight Rockers and won the AWA World Tag Team Championship on two separate occasions. Hickenbottom and Jannetty then signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), while in contract with AWA. They returned to AWA, only to go back to the WWF in 1988.

After signing with WWF, Hickenbottom abandoned the tag team division to work in singles matches and received a new gimmick as "The Heartbreak Kid". He was alleged to be the leader of a backstage group known as The Clique, which was known for breaking character during the Madison Square Garden "Curtain Call" incident in 1996. The following year, Hickenbottom joined forces with Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Chyna to form D-Generation X (DX). This stable was known for pushing the envelope. That same year, Hickenbottom took part in the most controversial match in wrestling history dubbed as the "Montreal Screwjob". After a crippling back injury forced him to retire following his WWF Championship loss at WrestleMania XIV, Hickenbottom opened a wrestling academy, in which he trained upcoming wrestlers.Hickenbottom made his in-ring return at SummerSlam in 2002. In 2006, Hickenbottom and Triple H briefly reformed DX.

Overall, Hickenbottom is a four-time world champion: a three-time WWE Champion, and a one-time World Heavyweight Champion.He was also the winner of the 1995 and 1996 Royal Rumbles and was the first Grand Slam Champion.