Shawn Michaels Discusses Retiring Twice From The Ring, Returning The First Time

Phil Strum of The Poughkeepsie Journal interviewed WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels this past weekend at an autograph signing at Collector's Realm in Poughkeepsie, New York. During the interview, Michaels discussed retiring from the ring twice and the difference between the two retirements.

"The first ? I never said I retired the first time," Michaels explained. "I guess, in my mind, retirement is when you leave on your own terms. The first one, being told I was never going to wrestle again as the result of a back injury, obviously that's not the way you envision your career ending.

"Having dealt with that and gone through it and having the opportunity for a second chance, and that the second chance, as you say, being almost a decade, was at first, honestly as much of a shock to me as it was to everybody else. The genuine intention was to come back for one match and sort of see how everything did. To honestly feel like, holy cow, I feel like I can do what I used to do. I went with that until I felt that the peace within me that I could walk away again and it would be on my terms, my timing and all those things you wish and you envision being like. I got the opportunity to do that."

Michaels also discussed his retirement, his two WrestleMania matches with The Undertaker, the "Mr. WrestleMania" monicker and more. You can read the full interview at this link.

Source: The Poughkeepsie Journal