Shawn Michaels is unquestionably one of the most beloved and accomplished wrestlers of all time, which makes it all the more crushing that he turned down a reunion match with his most iconic foe: the Undertaker.
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In a recent appearance on "Inside the Ropes," Michaels revealed that he had passed on a WWE pitch that would have matched him up against Undertaker in a repeat of their momentous fight at WrestleMania XXVI.
He was somewhat vague on the details but confirmed the essential setup.
"It was probably about four or five years ago," Michaels said. "And honestly, I don't get into too much detail about it because I'm never sure how much we're supposed to say about that."
"But yeah, it was The Undertaker," the two-time Hall of Famer continued. "It was me taking a step back and thinking, 'Wow.' Of course, when you really think about it, it's one of those moments where you go, 'Holy cow, that's a pretty nifty twist on everything.'"
Michaels vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI is still remembered with reverence by wrestling fans. HBK, determined to end The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania, threw everything he had at the Deadman, including his signature moves and several near falls.
However, Undertaker's resilience and power prevailed, as he withstood Michaels' attacks and ultimately finished him off with a Tombstone Piledriver. The win extended Undertaker's streak to 18-0, and Michaels, bound by the stipulation, was forced to retire.
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Since then, Michaels has made a number of on-screen appearances and is currently WWE Senior Vice President of Creative Talent Development. It sounds like the company generally understands that Michaels takes his in-ring retirement seriously and has only ever really tried to get him to come back to face the Undertaker and one other time, against AJ Styles.
"For the most part, the company has always known, and I think I've made it clear, that I'm done," Michaels continued. "They certainly know that. Every year, they're aware of what's being floated out there, and sure, offers are always on the table. It's like, 'Do you want to do it?'"
"I can comfortably say there's always been a place there for me, just in case I wanted to insert myself into the mix," HBK concluded. "But in reality, the only times the WWE has formally asked me to come back were for The Undertaker and last year for AJ Styles. Those were the only times anyone officially brought it up."
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