WWE Mount Rushmore of the 1990s

#3 Shawn Michaels

'The Heartbreak Kid' was instrumental throughout the '90s.

Whether you loved him or hated him in the 1990s, one thing couldn't be argued - Michaels was one of the greatest performers of all time.

Like his main rival Hart, he started out as a tag team specialist but was clearly destined for greater things.

Once he broke off from the Rockers, he turned into the cocky heel that would define his tenure in the 1990s both on-screen and off of it.

Even though he might have had some backstage pull, he had more than enough of the talent to back up any pushes in the ring.

He participated in the first-ever acknowledged ladder match in WWF history against Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Championship.

Michaels also participated in some of the most memorable matches of the decade against both Bret Hart and Steve Austin.

An unfortunate back accident towards the end of the decade cut his in-ring career short, but in retrospect, it helped him turn his life around.

Like Hart and the Undertaker, Michaels was a huge part of the transition period from the end of the age of Hogan at the beginning of the decade through the eventual transition to the Attitude Era.

The partnership with Triple H in DX helped revolutionize things in WWF and wrestling at that time, and like 'Taker, he was able to adapt to each generation or era in which he took part.

His feud with Bret Hart helped pull back the veil of kayfabe a bit while his feud with 'Stone Cold' solidified that 'the Texas Rattlesnake' was bonafide star.