World Wrestling Entertainment Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story

The product itself was as expected, and I enjoyed the read a lot

I've read several wrestling autobiographies and have to admit this was one of the most "readable", even if a little trashy (the best being Bret Hart's). However, I must point out that it becomes clear as you progress through that Shawn Michaels is overly anxious to convince the reader (and maybe himself?) that nothing bad he has ever done, or been accused of doing, was ever his fault - always someone else's, or a misunderstanding, or a lie; every single time. Hence, none of what Shawn writes comes across as truthful whatsoever (not surprising, really, considering he's now a born-again Christian, hence is in complete denial of his former self). And another thing that becomes apparent is Shawn Michaels' jealousy and hatred of Bret Hart (at the time of writing), which for most parts is completely unnecessary - any chance of throwing in an insult, Shawn never fails. It all comes across as child-like and amateurish. Overall, worth a read, but other than that, something to send to a charity-shop.

This is a book that will only have any real meaning if you are a fan of America wrestling and have seen Shawn Michaels wrestle. We all know that TV wrestling is phoney and Shawn Micheals doesn't pretend otherwise but the book makes clear that he and his fellow wrestlers are extremely hard working and fit. I enjoyed the story of a young man with ambition fighting his way to the top and there is no doubt that Shawn Michaels was one of wrestling's top "performers" but for me the sadness of this book is his public bitterness towards others in his profession coupled with his own self adulation. I enjoy watching American wrestling and I enjoyed watching Shawn Michaels, so the book had some meaning and i could relate to the incidents and people he was writing about. If you don't enjoy either, the book will be meaningless to you, but if you do enjoy them, this is a well written and honest book, well worth reading.

I have followed Shawn Michaels for nearly 30 years. I read this book years ago but never fully appreciated how much he overcame to get where he is today. You have to be a fan otherwise he'll come across as self absorbed and obnoxious (which pretty much describes how I feel about Bret Hart's autobiography) Worth a read in you're a die hard fan.

Great book very insightful hbk is and will always be a wrestling legend he is honest and mentions his addiction to pain killers also he is the total package,didnt take long to read this story,very interesting

Shawn shows a lot of honesty in this book, stating that he could be a nightmare to work with, and that he would have dealt with certain regrettable situations differently if he was given the opportunity again. He gives an insight into the workings of the wrestling industry and how he has learnt what is accepted, and not accepted by old-timers, referring to his own personal experiences of carrying a reputation for over-partying, rebelling against wrestling authorities and making a mockery of wrestling titles. Three-quarters of the book sums up his career up until the infamous 'Montreal Screw-job', and only about 50 pages are written about his career after this point. I can't nudge the feeling that in some ways, the book could more accurately have been titled 'My Side of The Montreal Screw-Job'. I also can't nudge the feeling that this book came a bit early. A significant proportion of his career was to come after it was published, Including the DX Reunion(s), The two Wrestlemania matches against Undertaker, Ric Flair's retirement match and the classic against Shelton Benjamin on RAW in which he concussed Shelton with the Sweet Chin Music. It's also worth noting that for the most part, (about 50-60%) of the book, it is his tag-team career with Marty Jannetty that is spoken about. Sure, it's important to acknowledge his early days and the routes to what would become Michaels in his prime, but writing so little about his singles career somehow takes away from the importance and significance of the Shawn Michaels wrestling fans learned to love. Although those early years may have been as important to Michaels as the later ones, by prioritising the days in which he was no big deal, it makes his career sound somewhat disproportional. Overall, it's a very interesting read and definitely a must-have for any wrestling fan, but don't expect it to be the best thing you have read for a while.