Shawn Michaels Early career

Although born in Mesa, Hickenbottom grew up in San Antonio. Trained by legendary Mexican pro wrestler Jose Lothario, he debuted in 1984 in Texas with Texas Allstar Wrestling promotion, where Michaels & Paul Diamond were awarded the promotion's tag-team championship by Chavo Guerrero, Sr. He also wrestled for Central States Championship Wrestling (a regional independent promotion that was associated with the then- industry-leading National Wrestling Alliance). There he and tag team partner, Marty Jannetty defeated The Batten Twins for the Central States Tag Team Title, later losing it back to the Battens.

Michaels made his national-level debut in 1986 in the now-defunct AWA; once again teaming with Jannetty, the pair were billed as "The Midnight Rockers" (so named to emulate the NWA's highly popular "Rock & Roll Express" tag team). They won the AWA Tag Team Title twice, having some bloody and memorable matches against "Playboy" Buddy Rose & Doug Somers. Gagne briefly loaned the duo to Jerry "The King" Lawler's independent Memphis promotion, Southern Championship Wrestling (later re-named the CWA, and then USWA), as heels (i.e., villains). They even faced The Rock & Roll Express.

In a raid of AWA talent, The Rockers were signed by a competing promotion: the World Wrestling Federation. However, they were fired two weeks later for "partying too hard" (a misunderstanding, according to Michaels' biography). They returned to the AWA, but were re-signed by the WWF a year later. Because of Vince McMahon's desire to have his performers carry WWF-exclusive monikers (his company trademarks these stage names, so it won't have to share the subsequent WWF merchandising revenues with most performers or their past promoters), they were simply known as "The Rockers." They became arguably the greatest WWF/E tag team to never officially win the World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Championship.

A Boyhood Dream Comes True, Back injury and semi-retirement, Books, Championship Succession, Championships and accomplishments, Entrance music, Finishing and signature moves, Nicknames, Previous managers, Shawn Michaels and WWF Attitude, Shawn Michaels Early career, The Heartbreak Kid, Trivia, World Wrestling Entertainment

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