5 current WWE Superstars who have recreated Shawn Michaels' iconic racy photo
In 1996, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels famously posed for Playgirl Magazine. In one of his photos from the photoshoot, The Heartbreak Kid wore nothing but his then-WWE Championship title to cover his private area.
The picture has since become iconic, with several wrestlers recreating it after winning championships. The list of superstars to replicate the iconic photograph includes NWA's Natalia Markova, IMPACT Wrestling's Jordynne Grace, and former WWE Women's Champion Melina.
Over the past few years, some current WWE Superstars have also paid homage to Michaels by recreating his racy photo. A female champion recently joined that list after unifying two titles.
Here are five current WWE Superstars who have recreated Shawn Michaels' iconic racy photo.
#5. Roderick Strong
After competing in several promotions, including ROH and IMPACT Wrestling (fka Total Nonstop Action Wrestling), Roderick Strong joined WWE in 2016. He has since been an active competitor on NXT, where he has won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship, the NXT North American Championship, and the NXT Tag Team Championships.
After capturing the NXT North American Championship in 2019, the former member of The Undisputed Era recreated Shawn Michaels' racy photo with his new title. The 39-year-old posted the picture on Twitter, captioning it "#OurERA."
Strong has a good relationship with the new Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative. In an interview with Fightful, he stated that he trusts anything that Michaels or Triple H suggests.
"I trust anything that Hunter or Shawn suggests, or [Lead NXT Writer] Johnny Russo. I trust them and know that they're going to give us the opportunity that we deserve," he said.
Ahead of Worlds Collide last Sunday, a mystery attacker ambushed the current leader of Diamond Mine. This led to the star leaving the premium live event in an ambulance.
#4. Undisputed WWE NXT Women's Champion Mandy Rose
Arrive.
Make history.
Become THE Champ.
Remain THE Attraction.
@WWE_MandyRose #NXTWorldsCollide #WWENXT https://t.co/09LX73RzFc
Since returning to NXT in July 2021, Mandy Rose has become one of the brand's main attractions. The former Tough Enough contestant captured the NXT Women's Championship in October of that same year and has been holding it ever since.
Last Sunday, Rose unified the NXT Women's Championship and the NXT UK Women's Title after defeating the former NXT UK Women's Champion Meiko Satomura and Blair Davenport in a Triple Threat Match at Worlds Collide.
After her victory, God's Greatest Creation recreated Shawn Michaels' iconic racy photo using her two titles. She posted the photo on her social media accounts.
"My girls have it covered tonight, while I enjoy a well deserved vacation with my Titles," she wrote in the caption.
Rose was absent from the most recent episode of NXT 2.0 as she enjoyed her vacation. However, the Undisputed NXT Women's Champion will return to NXT 2.0 on the show's first anniversary next Tuesday.
#3. Drew McIntyre
On the April 20, 2020, episode of Monday Night RAW, Drew McIntyre went head-to-head against Angel Garza. Meanwhile, Austin Theory, Andrade, and Zelina Vega supported Garza from ringside.
After defeating Garza, McIntyre claymored his opponent for a second time. He also delivered a claymore to Theory. Afterward, The Scottish Warrior attempted to mock Andrade by striking a pose similar to his. However, when the photo went viral, former superstar Mike Kanellis pointed out that it came off as McIntyre was recreating Shawn Michaels' iconic racy photo.
The Scottish Warrior then shared the photo on his Twitter account and tagged The Heartbreak Kid.
"Things got pretty wild on #WWERAW tonight CC: @ShawnMichaels," he wrote in the caption.
Michaels acknowledged the resemblance and replied to McIntyre's tweet with a single word, "touché."
The Scottish Warrior recently challenged Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Clash at the Castle. However, he failed to capture the title as Reigns emerged victorious after receiving help from his cousin, Solo Sikoa.
#2 & #1. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods
4 TIME CHAMPS!!!!!!!! @WWE Paying homage to @ShawnMichaels with this one 😉 https://t.co/KYcdiydNnd
The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods) are multi-time Tag Team Champions. However, they had a particularly special celebration after winning the titles for the fourth time a few years ago.
In September 2017, The New Day defeated The Usos to capture the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. After their victory, the trio celebrated by recreating Shawn Michaels' famous racy photo.
Kingston and Woods posed like The Heartbreak Kid, placing the SmackDown Tag Team Titles on their private parts while clothed. Meanwhile, Big E acted shocked in the background.
"4 TIME CHAMPS!!!!!!!! @WWE Paying homage to @ShawnMichaels with this one 😉" Woods captioned the photo after posting it on Twitter.
While Big E is currently out of action due to a neck injury, Woods and Kingston are active on SmackDown.