Widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes in wrestling history, Shawn Michaels may possibly be the most copied wrestler in modern times.
While Michaels’ on-screen persona, mannerisms, and overall presentation have inspired plenty of wrestlers who have come after him, nothing has been more copied than his iconic finisher – the Sweet Chin Music.
On the Culture State Podcast, Michaels joked that he wouldn’t mind receiving royalties every time a wrestler performs the superkick considering how the finisher has evolved into a spammable transition move in modern wrestling. He said,
“We all know that if I did, I’d be doing really okay. Well look, I take it as a compliment. Again, I can remember when I first broke into the wrestling business, you know, a lot of old timers said ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.’ And so that’s certainly the way I take it.”
“But again, I know that there were people that inspired me. And I don’t know, I’ve always been into the romance of this line of work. So I’m fortunate and again, I appreciate the fact that something that I did has had an appeal and a positive effect on this business. Now look, would I mind getting a nickel for every time one of those things happened? Of course I would, but I don’t think that’s realistic. So I’ll just be flattered from a distance.”
While plenty of wrestlers have adopted the superkick as their signature move, The Young Bucks, Dolph Ziggler, and Adam Cole are the only ones to do it with utmost perfection, especially in a way that reminds fans of Michaels’ prime.
You can keep up with all your wrestling news right here on eWrestlingNews.com. Or, you can follow us on our Twitter and Facebook pages.
