Should Shawn Michaels Make a WWE Return at WrestleMania 32?
With the Show of Shows down in “Big D” next year, WWE wants to make WrestleMania 32 the biggest one to date. So, why not bring back one of WrestleMania’s brightest stars in his home state of Texas for the big show?
Shawn Michaels is the greatest in-ring performer in WWE history. You don’t get the nickname, “Mr. WrestleMania”, for being a solid mid-carder in the business.
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There have been 31 WrestleManias in history, and Shawn Michaels has taken part in 20 of those shows (18 as a performer).
Outside of The Undertaker, nobody symbolizes WrestleMania more than Shawn Michaels.
With that being said, Michaels’ final WrestleMania as a performer came at WrestleMania XXVI in 2010. The Undertaker put his 17-0 WrestleMania streak on the line, while Michaels put his legendary career on the line. Undertaker defeated Michaels and ended his one-of-a-kind career.
That’s where it should end, not at WrestleMania 32 in AT&T Stadium next year.
Look, I get it.
Shawn Michaels is one of the greatest of all-time and seeing him in a match in WrestleMania again would tear the roof off of “JerryWorld”. Nobody ever outperformed Michaels on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Nobody.
But, as great as seeing Michaels would be next year, what would be the point?
(Photo Credit: Wrestling123.org)
Michaels entered the Hall of Fame almost an exact year after his final WrestleMania in 2011 and officially capped off one of the greatest careers in the history of wrestling.
Plus, Michaels’ infamous past with back issues isn’t something you want to take a chance with at this point in his life (HBK will be 50 this July).
I know, I know. Wrestling fans love the nostalgic feel of the business sometimes.
I mean, how cool was Triple H going one-on-one with Sting at Wrestlemania 31, with appearances from D-Generation X and the nWo?
Nostalgia is great, especially in wrestling, but so is one’s health.
Plus, who’s to stay Michaels even wants to compete at WrestleMania 32?
This past week on WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross’ podcast, The Ross Report, Ross asked Michaels about him and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin appearing at WrestleMania 32 in Texas next year.
“I’ve already had an offer. I’ve enjoyed being retired,” Michaels said.
According to Michaels, WWE not only offered him a spot in WrestleMania 32, they offered him a position on WWE’s creative team.
When Ross asked Michaels about joining WWE’s creative team, Michaels replied,
"“It wouldn’t be a great fit for me. There’d be a lot of stifling going on. I’ve been able to sway them on things other people couldn’t. I’d be open to the Pat Patterson gig, where you have a couple of projects and you could write in from home about it. If you’re going to be there every week, you might as well go back and be an on-air character and make more money.”"
Trust me, if it was my decision, I’d book a Shawn Michaels/Daniel Bryan match on the WrestleMania 32 card without any hesitation. But, let’s be realistic, Michaels has been retired for five years and Bryan’s health may not keep him in the wrestling business for too much longer.
I know it’s not what people want to hear, but it’s the truth.
Shawn Michaels will forever be one of my favorite performers of any generation. I enjoyed Michaels not only as the Heartbreak Kid, but as Shawn Michaels the person.
Not only did the back injury Michaels suffered in 1998 changed his career, it changed his life. When Michaels returned from a four-year hiatus in 2002, he was still The Showstopper, but he was a new man.
One of my favorite quotes from Shawn was from the end of his WWE Hall of Fame speech:
"“I have never won ‘Most Popular’. I wasn’t the ‘Prom King’. I wasn’t the ‘Homecoming King’. So I guess, in my adult life, the most important thing to me was you all believed in me and thought I was good.”"
He was more than good.
He was The Heartbreak Kid. He was The Showstopper. He was (and will always be) Mr. WrestleMania.
But, Shawn’s career is over. He ended it on his terms. That’s how it should be.
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