Even though he was a referee and not an active competitor, Shawn Michaels received treatment befitting a showstopper at SummerSlam 1997.
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Officiating a WWE Championship contest between titleholder Bret Hart and The Undertaker, HBK kept on top of the action.
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After spotting a chair in the corner of the ring, HBK rightly accused the "Hit Man" of foul play.
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The birth of Michaels' unofficial referee's uniform: unfortunately short shorts.
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In this August 1999 match between Triple H and Mankind, Shawn Michaels shared officiating duties with Shane McMahon.
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Michaels and McMahon coexisted ...
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... barely.
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The match ended with a double-pinfall and two winners.
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The inconclusive decision - proof that there is such a thing as having too many refs - intensified the bad feelings between McMahon and HBK.
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The King of Kings battled The Rock in the main event of the very first SmackDown, held Aug. 26, 1999.
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After Michaels unexpectedly superkicked The Rock, The Great One was easy prey for Triple H.
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Roughly a year later, at Judgment Day 2000, HBK again refereed a bout between Triple H and The Rock. This time, it was an 60-minute WWE Iron Man Match, and the warm feelings between The Game and HBK had dissipated.
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With The Rock and Triple H tied at five falls apiece, The Undertaker arrived to help The Rock and offset interference by Triple H allies X-Pac and Road Dogg. Unfortunately for The Rock, The Phenom's presence cost him the match.
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Michaels relucantly counted down the shoulders of Rob Van Dam in a Raw match from December 2002. The match was to determine the No. 1 contender to HBK's World Heavyweight Championship.
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HBK and Triple H have had their share of ups and downs. Will WrestleMania XXVIII be a peak or valley for this storied friendship? And what does it all mean for The Undertaker and his WrestleMania Streak?
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At New Year's Revolution 2005, HBK retired the biker shorts as he prepared to officiate an Elimination Chamber Match.
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Prior to this superkick to Edge, The Rated-R Superstar had commmitted two offenses: First, he accidentally Speared Michaels, then he got on HBK's case for missing a pin attempt. For a receipt, Edge received some Sweet Chin Music.
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On the May 1, 2006, edition of Raw, HBK acted as a guest official for Rob Conway's match against Kane. Before the match, Conway mocked Michaels' shirt, whose message of "May 19" triggered rage from Kane.
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In turn, Michaels made sure it was Conway, and not himselff, who was sporting the canary yellow by the time The Big Red Machine entered the ring.
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As Kane destroyed the arrogant Conway, Michaels did little to enforce any rules.
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HBK did, however, lend a hand - or, in this case, a trash can - to Kane.
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The outcome was academic.
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Later that same night, Michaels took over as referee for a match between John Cena and The Spirit Squad's Kenny. HBK filled a void left by the contest's scheduled guest referee, Triple H.
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Kenny had problems with HBK's objectivity.
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After that, Michaels thought nothing of joining forces with Cena, who had repeatedly been attacked by the other members of the Spirit Squad.
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A retired HBK returned to WWE as guest referee in the Hell in a Cell Match ...
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... between The Undertaker vs. Triple H at WrestleMania XXVIII.
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While he was determined to call the action down the middle ...
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... an accidently Hell's Gate led Michaels to hit Sweet Chin Music on The Phenom/
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But, at the end ...
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... HBK was there to raise The Undertaker's hand in victory.
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At Hell in a Cell 2013, Michaels called the match between his former student, Daniel Bryan, and his former nemesis, Randy Orton.
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WWE COO Triple H critiqued Michaels' performance during the bout.
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HBK ultimately Superkicked Bryan, paving the way for an Orton win. With a look of regret, Michaels appeared uneasy with his own actions.