Shawn Michaels addresses use of superkicks in pro wrestling

Shawn Michaels addressed the superkick being used more prominently in today’s wrestling landscape, and revealed that Dolph Ziggler reached out to ask for permission to use the move as his own. 

Michaels discussed the impact of the signature finishing move during an appearance on the 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony Podcast . He noted that many wrestlers go into training with a specific idea in mind about what their finishing move will be like. He proceeded to talk about his own move, Sweet Chin Music and revealed his reaction when Ziggler called him to ask for permission to use it.

“I can remember with Sweet Chin Music, the Superkick, it was a couple years after I retired and getting a phone call. One guy wanted to use it. ‘Is it okay?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, it doesn’t matter to me’. I want to say I think it was Dolph Ziggler. And I just thought like, ‘Sure, I’m not there anymore'”

“I didn’t want to be an old timer that stopped the progression and the evolution of the business,” said Michaels. “I ran into that a lot. ‘Kids are killing the business, you’re going too fast’. I didn’t want to be one of those kinds of guys. And so once I said yes to that one, it was like sort of opening a floodgate. I don’t know. I guess, I’ll say this. I’m always happy because that question comes up in darn near every interview I do. I still feel like the move is always still gonna be synonymous with me, which I’m appreciative of. And I think to myself, if I’m laying there on my deathbed and my biggest problem in my life is that too many people are using the damn Sweet Chin Music, come on now. That’s hardly anything to complain about.”

His tenure with WWE spans nearly four decades. Since 2018 Michaels has been a contributing figure in NXT’s brand development as a writer and producer. In 2022 he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative following Triple H’s exit. 

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Rosanne Raphael
Rosanne Raphael

Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.

Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.

When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.