You probably won’t look at Shawn Michaels‘ ring gear the same way again.
Michaels infamously appeared on the October 1996 cover of Playgirl magazine. The photo spread was accompanied by a wide-ranging interview about his in-ring career and extracurricular activities. During the interview, Judy Cole asked Michaels about the cracked hearts he wore all over his ring gear.
The following exchange saw Michaels confirm that he specifically asked for hearts on his crotch and butt to make a subtle hard-on joke.
Cole: Let’s talk some more about your infamous costumes. Whose idea were those strategically placed hearts?
Shawn Michaels: There’s a young lady in Chicago, whose name is Julie Youngberg. She and her sisters make all my costumes, but I do have to admit that the heart on the front was my idea… as was the heart on the back. I just thought it would be funny.
Cole: There’s that double-entendre…
Michaels: You mean I have a heart-on the front?
Cole: A heart-on front and back.
Michaels: I won’t lie to you, that was exactly my thinking… but it was just for fun!
Shawn Michaels wore the broken heart tights starting with his Heartbreak Kid in the mid-90s. He wore variations of the same design until his first in-ring retirement in 1998.
Michaels switched things up after returning in 2002, opting instead for leather chaps-style pants that he wore until his second retirement. The 2002 return also saw the hearts replaced with other elements more in tune with his renewed Christian faith.
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