Shawn Michaels Clarifies Whether He Will Return For One Last Match

Few WWE superstars throughout history can compare their careers to "The Heartbreak Kid," Shawn Michaels. During his prime, HBK was known as "The Showstopper," "Mr. WrestleMania," "The Main Event," and other esteemed titles due to his unparalleled abilities inside the squared circle. A talented athlete on the level of Michaels is someone fans never want to see retire from the ring, but the inevitable happened after Michaels lost at WrestleMania 26 to The Undertaker. He would appear once more in a less-than-stellar tag team match at Crown Jewel on November 2, 2018, but then immediately went back into retirement and assured fans that's where he would stay.

However, buzz started going around in the wrestling community this month when it came out that Kevin Owens approached Michaels about having one final match, similar to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's successful outing with Owens at WrestleMania 38 Night One. The conversation led to essentially the same conclusion — Michaels isn't interested in returning to the ring. He echoed those sentiments on the newest episode of "Culture State."

"Yeah, I've had that final match. Nope. No, father time waits on no man. I'm good. I'm unbelievably happy with my career and it is now time to watch the next generation flourish." Similar reports emerged back in 2017 when it was revealed that The O.C.'s AJ Styles approached Michaels about having one final match at WrestleMania 33, but was turned down in a similar fashion. Regardless of his future inside the ring, HBK's influence continues to be felt all over professional wrestling, especially in the developmental system of WWE. Michaels currently serves as Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, overseeing "WWE NXT" and the expansion of "NXT UK" into "NXT Europe" in 2023.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Culture State" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.