With every great in-ring legacy comes blood, sweat, tears and -- with much certainty -- damaging injuries. This much is true of one of sports-entertainment's most iconic performers: Shawn Michaels.

In his storied career, The Showstopper has endured multiple knee surgeries and, as the entire WWE Universe knows, it was a severe back injury that kept Michaels from competing in a WWE ring for four years. What even HBK's most committed supporters did not know -- until now -- is that he also cracked his ribs at WrestleMania 24, when an errant moonsault connected Michaels' midsection with the announce table.

This painful injury was substantially aggravated months after WrestleMania at The Great American Bash, where Michaels met rival Chris Jericho in an emotional and fateful match. HBK was already recovering from the detached retina he suffered when Y2J propelled Michaels face-first into the glass of the Jeri-Tron 6000. At The Bash, in addition to an ailing eye, The Showstopper re-injured his unhealed ribs, putting the performer in a predicament he could no longer hide with an injury he could no longer conceal. When a bloodied Michaels received a full medical assessment shortly following his eye examination, HBK's secret was uncovered.

Michaels is known for persevering, but with a detached retina -- an injury that has ended several professional athletes' careers and forever changed the performance of boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard -- and cracked ribs, many have begun to speculate whether even HBK can bounce back this time.

What does this pair of serious injuries mean for The Showstopper's career? Stay tuned to WWE programming and WWE.com for updates on Michaels and the future of one of WWE's most celebrated competitors.