WWE History: How did Shawn Michaels suffer his back injury?

Shawn Michaels is one of the biggest legends in the history of the WWE. Throughout his career, he has been hailed as one of the best in-ring performers of all time. He was also known for being a safe wrestler, who protected his opponents as much as possible.

However, when it comes to his own life, Michaels has suffered a few injuries, some of which were almost career-ending. Other than countless issues with his knee, one particular injury he suffered in 1998 almost saw Shawn Michaels have to retire for good very early in his career.

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How did Shawn Michaels suffer his back injury?

At the 1998 Royal Rumble event, Shawn Michaels faced The Undertaker in a Casket Match. During the match, The Undertaker hit Michaels with a back-body drop to the outside. While falling, HBK hit his back on the edge of the casket. While it didn't look serious at the time, he suffered two herniated discs and crushed a third one in the fall.

#HBK @ShawnMichaels knows exactly what it means to go toe-to-toe with The #Undertaker...in a #CasketMatch! pic.twitter.com/A4G4sLA1tK

— WWE (@WWE) April 13, 2018

As a result of the injury, he could not compete at the next pay-per-view and would soon have to retire altogether, staying away from the ring for four years.

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What happened to Shawn Michaels' WWE Championship after his injury?

Stone Cold and Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels faced Stone Cold Steve Austin in a WWE Championship Match at WrestleMania XIV. Mike Tyson was the special outside enforcer for the match and it appeared leading up to the event that he would back D-Generation X. At the event, the supposition was revealed to be false. With the referee knocked unconscious, Tyson jumped into the ring for a quick three-count as Steve Austin pinned Michaels.

Steve Austin became the new WWE Champion, and when Michaels confronted Tyson, the boxer knocked the former champion unconscious.

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What happened to Shawn Michaels after his retirement?

Who remembers when @ShawnMichaels won the World Heavyweight Championship in the first ever Elimination Chamber at Survivor Series 2002?What a moment. And those awesome... Brown pants 😅#ShawnMichaels #WWE #WWENetwork #wrestling #WrestlingCommunity #WrestlingTwitter #FTLOW pic.twitter.com/2bO7WW66vV

— For the Love of Wrestling (@ftlowrestling) September 2, 2020

Following his retirement, Shawn Michaels made several non-wrestling appearances in WWE.

WWE made him a commissioner and he made occasional appearances during WWE shows. As Michaels believed that his wrestling career was over, he opened a wrestling school where he trained various superstars, including a young Daniel Bryan.

In 2002, Michaels returned to regular WWE programming, first in a non-wrestling role. Unfortunately, Triple H betrayed and assaulted him, resulting in his first wrestling appearance for WWE since 1998. He wrestled Triple H at SummerSlam in a spectacular unsanctioned match, defeating him.

Following the match, Triple H assaulted Michaels, supposedly injuring him again. HBK stayed away from the ring for a few months before returning to compete in the first-ever Elimination Chamber Match at the 2002 Survivor Series event. Michaels won the match to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.