Shawn Michaels - Running Up That Hill

From November 20, 2010.

"Sometimes, it's Hell trying to get to Heaven." Over a decade ago, a professional wrestler by the name of Michael Hickenbottom, or better known by his ring name of Shawn Michaels, was forced to leave the art that he so very loved due to nagging injuries and personal problems like his addiction to drugs, alcohol, and partying. Very rarely in the sport of professional wrestling does a man like Shawn Michaels come by. You see, the mix of charisma, athleticism, and passion for the game made him both a household name and a box office draw and that type of combination is something that very few men possess in this sport.

Shawn's biggest foe went by the name of Mark Calaway, or much better known as simply The Undertaker. The two men waged wars in high profile matches and due to his size and strength, The Undertaker easily beat down the smaller and more careless Shawn Michaels. However, Shawn Michaels had made a living out of proving people wrong and being the underdog and this allowed him to pull off outstanding victories. While Shawn won all of these matches, he ultimately paid the price of being legitimately injured and damn near paralyzed. No athlete or wrestler wants to be injured and for Shawn, it happened at the worst possible time because he was at the top of his game as he put on amazing match after amazing match while making vast amounts of money at the same time. Shawn did his best to forego the injuries and continue wrestling across the globe but sadly, his nagging injuries and personal problems made him hang up the boots at the age of 32.

The scoreboard gave Shawn the wins but only at the expense of a shortened career and a possibly shortened life, is that really a win?

Following the tragic end to his wrestling career, Shawn was sent home where he would enjoy the fruits of his labor. However, Shawn would fall in a deep depression and fell into a deep spiral where he would then continue to rely on both drugs and alcohol to wipe away the pain. Throughout his wrestling career, Shawn was a heavy drug user but after his career ended, his use of drugs increased immensely. During this time, Shawn got married and had a son and because of this, Shawn told himself that he needed to free himself of the demons that were manifested inside of him. Shawn later discovered the beauties of religion and then became a born again Christian where he realized that for every good story, there is a downfall and for every storm, there is a sunrise. Shawn's new lifestyle made him correct himself as he surrendered his love for drugs and gained his new found love for people and life.

Shawn's "break" from the sport that he loved so much had become the single greatest thing that could ever happen to a person, he had finally found himself.

Maybe his matches against The Undertaker were more than just wins.