Stationed close to the river, in the middle of the woods, near Bathurst is probably not the first place Shawn Michaels fans would look for the retired World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar, but that was where he was found last week.
Michaels wasn't hiding from the Undertaker's tombstone piledriver, as those days ended in a retirement match between the two at Wrestlemania 26 in 2010. He was in the region to hunt bears under the wing of local hunting guide Mike Roy of Bear Paw Outfitters and alongside fellow hunter and friend Keith Mark.
"One of the things I love doing is getting out and hunting. My family and I live almost exclusively on wild game. It serves two things, it feeds the family and it lets me get out of everybody's hair at the house and get out and do something I enjoy with my buddies," said Michaels in an interview with The Northern Light.
Better known by his stage name the Heartbreak Kid but he was born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom. He is a Texas resident who is now doing work in television.
Michaels and his comrade shot more than bears during their stay, as they also filmed for their upcoming show called 'Shawn Michaels' MacMillan River Adventures' which premieres June 28 on the Outdoor Channel.
"I'm not doing a reality show, it's not really even a hunting show, it's more of an outdoor lifestyle show. We're just two guys who have families who live an outdoor lifestyle so some of that will be captured on film," said Michaels.
Michaels began hunting after what was thought to be a career-ending back injury in 1998 when the Undertaker gave Michaels a back body drop outside of the ring. The crushing blow left Michaels with two herniated discs and one was crushed completely.
A friend introduced him to hunting during his time away from the wrestling mat and Michaels continued hunting even after returning to wrestling in 2002.
Michaels has hunted all over North America including white tail deer in Texas, moose in the Yukon, antelope in Mexico and elk in Colorado. Some of his excursions will be featured on 'Shawn Michaels' MacMillan River Adventures'. He added that footage of the hunting trip near Bathurst is expected to air on the show as well.
The Northern Light interviewed Michaels on the second day of his week-long trip to the area and he hadn't caught a bear yet. However, a few days later Roy contacted the paper to say that Michaels had indeed caught a bear by shooting it with a bow and arrow.
Michaels noted that his first day of hunting bear near Bathurst was a little colder than what he is used to.
"Obviously bears are like me, they don't like the cold weather and so I'm looking forward to it looking up also. I'm a Texas guy, so this is winter for me," said Michaels.
Michaels was able to participate in another famous Maritime experience during his stay when he hit the water for his first time lobster trapping.
"You see all these guys and they're busting their humps from 4 a.m. in the morning to 2 o'clock and I enjoyed being out there with them and watching how they make their living. You admire guys who are working seven days a week working those hours to feed their families and take care of themselves and obviously it's a vital part of this community," he said.
Michaels' previous encounters with Eastern Canada were spent wrestling with the WWE, formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation. Michaels wrestled in Moncton and St. John's, NL. His Bathurst stop marked one of his first trips to a smaller area on Canada's East Coast.
"I've been all over Canada, all over the world, but I haven't seen a lot of the rural areas. I love being out in the sticks. Obviously, with the peace and quiet, plus getting out on the field," he said.
Michaels said there were even a couple of fans waiting for him at the Bathurst Regional Airport.
"It was great coming off the plane. There was a couple of ladies there who obviously watch wrestling and they were spectacular and I enjoy again, getting to travel to some of the small places that I've never been before and be familiar how the long arm of the WWE stretches there. It's pretty cool. It's always nice," he said.
The wrestling career of the recently inducted WWE Hall of Famer is a long-tale of championship titles, signature moves and show stopping performances. In total, he spent 22 years with the WWE.
Amongst the vast array of his fond memories was his first world championship in Wrestlemania 12 in a legendary match against Bret (The Hitman) Hart. Another was wrestling with and against D-Generation-X tag team partner and friend Triple H.
Three of Michael's main highlights are arguably three of the best matches of all time in Wrestlemania history.
Stage names such as 'Mr. Wrestlemania', 'The Showstopper', and 'The Main Event' were given to Michaels over the years and he lived up to the meaning behind those names through to his very last match.
At Wrestlemania 24 in 2008, Michaels wrestled the legendary Ric Flair to his retirement. A year later at Wrestlemania 25 Michaels faced the Undertaker in an unsuccessful attempt to end his diabolical streak of never losing a match at a Wrestlemania. It is one of the most talked about matches in the history of the event.
Lastly, Michaels faced the Undertaker a final time one year later at Wrestlemania 26 with his career on the line. Once again he was defeated and ended his long stint in the WWE.
"I've accomplished far more than I ever possibly could have imagined. It was a phenomenal run and I enjoyed every second of it. As I say, I enjoy going back and visiting everybody. I'll always be a part of that company and I'm thankful that those are just a few of many, many memories that I have because I've got a bunch," he said.
Michaels' main event now is spending time with his wife Rebecca, son Cameron and daughter Cheyenne.
He said he misses the camaraderie of hanging out and travelling the world with his wrestling friends, but likes knowing he's just as comfortable in the public as he was in the public eye.
"When you do that for as long as you do it, you're not sure you can be normal and have normal friends and have other friends outside of it. So I've enjoyed seeing that that's possible. Knowing that I can meet people that weren't in my line of work and have the same amount of trust and friendship with them that I have with the other guys," concluded Michaels.
 |
| Retired World Wrestling Entertainment legend Shawn Michaels, right, sat down to a meal at Papa Joe and Evy's restaurant in Bathurst during a recent trip to the area. Shown from left are: Josh Ishmael, videographer; Zach Mark, Keith Mark, hunter and co-host of 'Shawn Michael's MacMillan River Adventures'; Tony Glidewell, videographer; Mike Roy, owner of Bear Par Outfitters; and Michaels. |
"One of the things I love doing is getting out and hunting. My family and I live almost exclusively on wild game. It serves two things, it feeds the family and it lets me get out of everybody's hair at the house and get out and do something I enjoy with my buddies," said Michaels in an interview with The Northern Light.
Better known by his stage name the Heartbreak Kid but he was born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom. He is a Texas resident who is now doing work in television.
Michaels and his comrade shot more than bears during their stay, as they also filmed for their upcoming show called 'Shawn Michaels' MacMillan River Adventures' which premieres June 28 on the Outdoor Channel.
"I'm not doing a reality show, it's not really even a hunting show, it's more of an outdoor lifestyle show. We're just two guys who have families who live an outdoor lifestyle so some of that will be captured on film," said Michaels.
Michaels began hunting after what was thought to be a career-ending back injury in 1998 when the Undertaker gave Michaels a back body drop outside of the ring. The crushing blow left Michaels with two herniated discs and one was crushed completely.
A friend introduced him to hunting during his time away from the wrestling mat and Michaels continued hunting even after returning to wrestling in 2002.
Michaels has hunted all over North America including white tail deer in Texas, moose in the Yukon, antelope in Mexico and elk in Colorado. Some of his excursions will be featured on 'Shawn Michaels' MacMillan River Adventures'. He added that footage of the hunting trip near Bathurst is expected to air on the show as well.
The Northern Light interviewed Michaels on the second day of his week-long trip to the area and he hadn't caught a bear yet. However, a few days later Roy contacted the paper to say that Michaels had indeed caught a bear by shooting it with a bow and arrow.
Michaels noted that his first day of hunting bear near Bathurst was a little colder than what he is used to.
"Obviously bears are like me, they don't like the cold weather and so I'm looking forward to it looking up also. I'm a Texas guy, so this is winter for me," said Michaels.
Michaels was able to participate in another famous Maritime experience during his stay when he hit the water for his first time lobster trapping.
"You see all these guys and they're busting their humps from 4 a.m. in the morning to 2 o'clock and I enjoyed being out there with them and watching how they make their living. You admire guys who are working seven days a week working those hours to feed their families and take care of themselves and obviously it's a vital part of this community," he said.
Michaels' previous encounters with Eastern Canada were spent wrestling with the WWE, formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation. Michaels wrestled in Moncton and St. John's, NL. His Bathurst stop marked one of his first trips to a smaller area on Canada's East Coast.
"I've been all over Canada, all over the world, but I haven't seen a lot of the rural areas. I love being out in the sticks. Obviously, with the peace and quiet, plus getting out on the field," he said.
Michaels said there were even a couple of fans waiting for him at the Bathurst Regional Airport.
"It was great coming off the plane. There was a couple of ladies there who obviously watch wrestling and they were spectacular and I enjoy again, getting to travel to some of the small places that I've never been before and be familiar how the long arm of the WWE stretches there. It's pretty cool. It's always nice," he said.
The wrestling career of the recently inducted WWE Hall of Famer is a long-tale of championship titles, signature moves and show stopping performances. In total, he spent 22 years with the WWE.
Amongst the vast array of his fond memories was his first world championship in Wrestlemania 12 in a legendary match against Bret (The Hitman) Hart. Another was wrestling with and against D-Generation-X tag team partner and friend Triple H.
Three of Michael's main highlights are arguably three of the best matches of all time in Wrestlemania history.
Stage names such as 'Mr. Wrestlemania', 'The Showstopper', and 'The Main Event' were given to Michaels over the years and he lived up to the meaning behind those names through to his very last match.
At Wrestlemania 24 in 2008, Michaels wrestled the legendary Ric Flair to his retirement. A year later at Wrestlemania 25 Michaels faced the Undertaker in an unsuccessful attempt to end his diabolical streak of never losing a match at a Wrestlemania. It is one of the most talked about matches in the history of the event.
Lastly, Michaels faced the Undertaker a final time one year later at Wrestlemania 26 with his career on the line. Once again he was defeated and ended his long stint in the WWE.
"I've accomplished far more than I ever possibly could have imagined. It was a phenomenal run and I enjoyed every second of it. As I say, I enjoy going back and visiting everybody. I'll always be a part of that company and I'm thankful that those are just a few of many, many memories that I have because I've got a bunch," he said.
Michaels' main event now is spending time with his wife Rebecca, son Cameron and daughter Cheyenne.
He said he misses the camaraderie of hanging out and travelling the world with his wrestling friends, but likes knowing he's just as comfortable in the public as he was in the public eye.
"When you do that for as long as you do it, you're not sure you can be normal and have normal friends and have other friends outside of it. So I've enjoyed seeing that that's possible. Knowing that I can meet people that weren't in my line of work and have the same amount of trust and friendship with them that I have with the other guys," concluded Michaels.
