The WWE legend Shawn Michaels had a pretty conclusive finale to his career back at Wrestlemania 26, in a streak vs career main event against The Undertaker. Since that fateful night in 2010, HBK has remained a certified retiree and stayed far away from the squared circle, aside from the odd cameo. As many Hall of Fame inductees have proven in the past, retirement is never truly a permanent phase, in fact it’s merely a marketing ploy. This seems to be the case once again as rumours are starting to circulate which suggests that we’ll be seeing Michaels return to the ring once again at Crown Jewel.
In the latest of WWE’s terrible decisions, they are set to return to Saudi Arabia for a very short-notice international Network Special. Making a shed-tonne of moolah and leaving their foot-print in a part of the world seemingly untouched by the mainstream wrestling scene, it was a natural decision for them to return to Saudi Arabia for a follow-up to The Greatest Royal Rumble, despite the backlash. Fans and employees alike have been very outspoken about the political agenda behind WWE’s relationship with Saudi big-wigs, but nevertheless, WWE are continuing to send fantasy content their way as part of their second event this year.
Crown Jewel already has a huge triple threat Universal Title match confirmed, featuring a rare appearance from Brock Lesnar. It seems that they are also going to be treated to an absolute star-studded tag team match between The Brothers of Destruction, Triple H and his partner, the returning Shawn Michaels.
WWE
HBK has recently been involved with the promotional material for Taker’s very definite final match with Haitch at Super Showdown. His most recent appearance heavily implied that the feud between he and The Undertaker is far from over, eight years after we reached the spectacular conclusion. Now I’m all up for a little nostalgia here and there — sprinkle me some throwback moments on top and you’ve got my attention — but never do I expect them to quite literally re-hash an entire programme for the sake of selling out an international arena.
Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker have put on some absolute belters throughout their legendary careers, do we need to see one more? Not really.
I’ll be the one to go out on a limb and say this, it would probably end up being a terrible match. Granted, the majority of the match can rely on Triple H and Kane, two semi-regular performers who could probably carry the majority of the allotted time. Also granted that Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker are two of the best workers of all time, who could work a great match with almost anyone. But need I remind anyone that it has been a very long time since Michaels actually competed in a match. Most ex-wrestlers would probably be quick to tell me that you never forget how to string a match together and once the adrenaline kicks in, you’d be off to the races, but how can you really expect a man who was reaching the end of his physical capabilities to jump back in and compete at his former standard?
Looking back on their matches from ‘Mania 25 & 26, would you really want those timeless classics to be tarnished by what could be an extremely sluggish and tedious affair? For those unfortunate few who were privy to Impact Wrestling during the Hogan era, you might remember a match dubbed ‘The Legends Match’, in which Sting and Ric Flair renewed their historic feud for one last bout in 2011. Needless to say, it was terrible. Sting was able to string a few spots together but a retired Flair was very much past the point of being able to live up to ‘The Nature Boy’ quality that we all want to remember him for. It was hard to watch, and I worry that Shawn and Taker might fall into that same fate.
The WWE’s continued need to placate the Saudi government with these huge matches and Wrestlemania quality moments is becoming downright pathetic. It wouldn’t surprise me if in an event or two’s time, we’ll see the ‘final match’ between Vince McMahon and Steve Austin. These are rivalries and matches that deserve to be allowed to rest in history.
Nevertheless, I will admit that seeing Shawn Michaels suit up one last time will be a treat. I just hope that this is a one time deal and this return isn’t fleshed out for more than just the one event. I’m sure fantasy bookers are salivating at the idea of potentially having Shawn step in the ring with the likes of AJ Styles, Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan, but quite frankly, this isn’t what Shawn’s character or career needs.
What are your thoughts on Shawn’s potential comeback at Crown Jewel? Let us know in the comments below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaE58Kp806U
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