5 Feuds For Shawn Michaels Ahead Of WrestleMania 35

Having navigated the treacherous waters of professional wrestling since his in-ring debut in 1984, Shawn Michaels has rightfully earned his place amongst the greatest names in the history of sports-entertainment.

The Heart Break Kid is a true legend, and even at the age of 53, this past weekend, proved that he had more than enough left in the tank when he competed in his first official match since 2010 -- as DX (Michaels and Triple H) defeated The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane). Now, it wouldn't be hyperbole to state that out of the 4 aforementioned legends who partook in the tag team matchup, it was Michaels' performance which truly acted as the saving grace of the otherwise slow-paced showdown.

Make no mistake about it, Michaels may not be as agile as he was a few years ago, but the former WWE Champion's ring generalship and charisma is intact nonetheless! That said, the WWE has to be wise with its booking of HBK, and refrain from wasting him in pointless rivalries.

Today, we take a special look at the 5 likeliest feuds featuring Shawn Michaels, that we may get to witness in the lead-up to WrestleMania 35...

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#5 AJ Styles vs. Shawn Michaels

The WWE has teased a match between AJ Styles and Shawn Michaels in the past

It wasn't that long ago when the professional wrestling world was abuzz with talk of a fantasy matchup between AJ Styles and then-retired Shawn Michaels possibly coming to fruition. Well, fret not, folks! HBK is back in the game, and the aforesaid fantasy matchup may very well take place in the not-so-distant future.

Styles is the reigning WWE Champion and presently performs on the company's SmackDown brand. With The Phenomenal One's WWE Title reign having lasted for about 362 days and counting, the blue brand seems to be running out of contenders for Styles as his clashes with Shinsuke Nakamura, Daniel Bryan and Samoa Joe have -- to put it bluntly -- gotten a tad stale and repetitive.

Now, kindly note that by no means am I suggesting that the company book Michaels in a WWE Championship feud against Styles. However, with Survivor Series only a couple of weeks away, and TLC set to take place in December, the WWE could very well give us the dream match between Styles and Michaels at the TLC PPV -- presented as a one-off non title matchup -- something which is more of a personal showdown, rather than a battle for championship gold...

#4 Johnny Gargano vs. Shawn Michaels

Johnny Gargano matches up well with any and every style of wrestlers

Alright, this one may perhaps seem a bit unlikely at first, however, you simply cannot deny the fact that "Johnny Wrestling" is indeed one of the most versatile performers in the entire industry today. Johnny Gargano is a star and granted that he presently works for the WWE's NXT brand, it's no secret that the company higher-ups have bigger things in mind for the talented 31-year-old in the days to come.

Among the potential rivalries, we're currently discussing, Johnny Gargano vs. Shawn Michaels is undeniably the least likely to transpire. Nevertheless, Michaels' style perfectly matches up with that of Gargano. I say that because Gargano is one of the rare performers of the current generation whose style gels well with any and every opponent.

I foresee a mat wrestling-oriented approach being adopted by Michaels in a feud against Gargano, whereas the younger man would pull off most of the aerial manoeuvres in their series of matches. With the WWE's Royal Rumble PPV set to transpire on January 27th, 2019, it only makes sense for the company to stack its card for the all-important pay-per-view, and pit Gargano and HBK in a series of matches on RAW, before ending their match in a DQ win for Michaels after he's attacked during their match at the Royal Rumble event by a rather familiar Superstar...

#3 Dolph Ziggler vs. Shawn Michaels

Dolph Ziggler has, for long, been compared to Shawn Michaels

Yes, for long, Dolph Ziggler has been the recipient of outright accusations whereby The Showoff's detractors allege that he's nothing more than a cheap rip-off of Shawn Michaels. Well, I, for one, strongly disagree with the aforesaid detractors!

Dolph Ziggler is one of the most consistent professional wrestlers of the past decade, and in fact has been around for much longer than that...(cough, cough, Spirit Squad)...That said, the shadow of HBK never seems to let go of Ziggler.

Well, fortunately, the WWE could finally reward Ziggler, by helping him rid the dark shadow cast over him by years and years of the aforementioned accusations. Now that Shawn Michaels is back, fans can expect the WWE to book him against Ziggler in a brief feud before HBK rides off into the sunset once again...They'd most likely book HBK in a feud against The Showoff after the Royal Rumble -- culminating in a match at the Elimination Chamber PPV in February of 2019...

#2 Daniel Bryan vs. Shawn Michaels

Daniel Bryan facing off with Shawn Michaels is a dream feud come to fruition

There was a time when the WWE Universe tearfully bid adieu to one of its most beloved Superstars of all time -- Daniel Bryan. Regardless, as luck would have it, Bryan returned as the General Manager of SmackDown Live, before miraculously receiving medical clearance to resume in-ring professional wrestling competition!

Expounding upon the same, the general consensus in the pro-wrestling world seems to be that Bryan is indeed one of the greatest performers this sport has ever seen. I've got to make a personal confession here -- said confession being that I've been one of the myriad of fans who've dreamed about a rivalry between The Flying G.O.A.T. and The Heart Break Kid!

After HBK is done with his feud against Ziggler on RAW, the WWE Hall of Famer -- who, needless to say, will likely be presented as a free agent, exclusive to neither the RAW nor the SmackDown brand -- will hop over to SmackDown and start a rivalry with Daniel Bryan...Michaels and Bryan could feud all the way to the WWE's Fastlane PPV which takes place in the month of March next year...

#1 The Velveteen Dream vs. Shawn Michaels

The Velveteen Dream is the future of WWE

Patrick Clark Jr. is the greatest talent of this era! There, I said it! The Velveteen Dream is only 23 years of age, and having performed for the WWE since 2015, this young man has slowly but surely ascended to the upper echelons of the professional wrestling industry.

Bear in mind, that in his feuds against AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan, it's essential that the WWE book Shawn Michaels to lose to both Styles and Bryan respectively. On the contrary, it'd be best for business if Michaels goes over Dolph Ziggler, albeit not without a tough back-and-forth war.

Meanwhile, as we'd previously noted, the Michaels' feud with Johnny Gargano would end when Ziggler attacks HBK at the Royal Rumble event -- in a match where Gargano dominates most of the proceedings against Michaels.

That said, in the lead-up to WrestleMania 35 which is set to transpire at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on April 7th, 2019 -- the WWE could book Michaels in a rivalry against The Velveteen Dream.

Let's face it, The Dream is long overdue for a main roster promotion, and given how he's obviously too bright of a star to be restricted in NXT forever, it's only logical that the WWE call him up to RAW, and have him defeat HBK on The Grandest Stage Of Them All.

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Which feuds would you like to see Shawm Michaels in? Sound off in the comments!