Shawn Michaels' World Heavyweight Title Reign In 2002 Was Too Short

Ecstatic fans nearly blew the roof off of Madison Square Garden. The 2002 Survivor Series saw The Heartbreak Kid deliver one of the most electric moments of the decade. A bloodied and battered Shawn Michaels hoisted up the World Heavyweight Championship, surviving the first-ever Elimination Chamber match. The Garden rained confetti while fans in attendance

Ecstatic fans nearly blew the roof off of Madison Square Garden. The 2002 Survivor Series saw The Heartbreak Kid deliver one of the most electric moments of the decade. A bloodied and battered Shawn Michaels hoisted up the World Heavyweight Championship, surviving the first-ever Elimination Chamber match. The Garden rained confetti while fans in attendance celebrated. It felt as if this were a catalyst for a historic HBK Championship.

Unfortunately, WWE took "heartbreak" a little too literally. As quickly as Shawn Michaels' 2002 World Title reign began, it died; and with it, a massive opportunity to breathe new life into a floundering championship.

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The Comeback Kid

Many fans and experts thought that Shawn Michaels would never wrestle again. Four years is a long time to be out of the ring. During those four years, Shawn nursed the herniated discs in his back, battled his demons, and cleaned up his life. Those years of personal and physical work paid off. In 2002, one of the most anticipated returns in WWE history manifested.

Shawn's homecoming match was against his former best friend, Triple H, in a non-sanctioned match at Summerslam. The battle between the two founding DX members was brutal, dramatic, and expertly paced. Shawn Michaels sold his back injury in an Oscar-worthy performance. The "Showstopper" didn't lose a beat when it came to in-ring storytelling. HBK was victorious in one of the greatest matches in Summerslam history. Post-match, Triple H attacked Michaels with a sledgehammer, sidelining him once again.

This time, fans didn't have to wait four years for The Showstopper to return. The 2002 Survivor Series saw Shawn defeat Triple H, Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, and Kane to become the World Heavyweight Champion in a historic match. It was apt for the man who participated in the first-ever Ladder Match to win the Championship in another first, The Elimination Chamber. With two masterful and memorable matches under his belt, fans felt they witnessed the most incredible comeback in WWE history.

Triple H Plays Spoiler

A mere one month after the magical moment at the Garden, Shawn Michaels lost the World Heavyweight Championship back to Triple H at the Armageddon PPV. The streak of tremendous, four-star matches also ended on this night. The rivals went to war in Three Stages Of Hell, a two out of three falls match, with each fall being another stipulation. The match was too much to digest, and HBK and Triple H could never find their rhythm given the drastically different stipulations.

As was the case in many a post-Monday Night War storyline, WWE dropped a significant opportunity with the HBK title run. Instead, they rewarded Hunter with yet another unwarranted and unnecessary title run. The early 2000s were chock-full of Championship reigns for the boss' son-in-law, and the last thing fans wanted to see was Triple H as champion heading into WrestleMania.

Hunter took the World Heavyweight Championship to the "granddaddy of them all" with a series of forgettable matches. The only memorable thing about Triple H's 2003 Championship run was the abhorrently racist promo he cut on Booker T in the build to WrestleMania build.

RELATED: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels: 10 Things Most Fans Don’t Realize About Their Rivalry

What Could Have Been?

The little that we saw of the Michaels' title run was a lot of fun. He had only one title defense against Rob Van Dam in a match that fans didn't know they needed until it was in front of them. The generational dream match aired on an episode of Raw. Triple H interfered just as it was kicking into fifth gear, and the contest ended in a DQ.

Fans and Michaels deserved a clean title defense (or several of them). The possibilities of what a sober and grateful Shawn Michaels could have done with the Championship are endless. He had newfound chemistry with his opponents. With a heel-heavy Raw roster, he could have developed many a deft storyline.

An obvious example is the Michaels and Chris Jericho rivalry that led to their WrestleMania 19 match. Their duel was a drama-filled masterclass of wrestling and storytelling. Adding the World Heavyweight Championship as an additional stake to that classic would have made it all the more impactful. The same could be said for many of Shawn's terrific matches in 2003.

This isn't the first time WWE prematurely removed the belt from a worthy star, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Fans will always have that magical night at the Garden to remember. A night where nostalgia, expertise, and booking all intersected. A little of Shawn Michaels goes a long way.

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