Why did Shawn Michaels retire from WWE in 2010?

WrestleMania 26 had one of the greatest WrestleMania main events of all time, with Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker battling in a 'Streak vs. Career' match.

The Undertaker, at the time had a 17-0 winning streak at WrestleMania, which was at risk. Following Michael's defeat the previous year at WrestleMania 25, he agreed to put his career on the line.

.@ShawnMichaels puts his career on the line for a chance to end The @undertaker's Streak in a CLASSIC at #WrestleMania XXVI: Courtesy of @WWENetwork.FULL MATCH ▶️ https://t.co/gJ0zBr1zS1 pic.twitter.com/KeBWiv3xX4

— WWE (@WWE) March 11, 2021

The Undertaker was victorious again at WrestleMania 26, making Shawn Michaels retire from WWE. This was the kayfabe reason behind Shawn Michaels' retirement in 2010.

However, Michaels had been wrestling for multiple decades, and wanted to spend time with his family, so WWE helped him with that. The Heart Break Kid's retirement was booked in the best way possible.

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Did Shawn Michaels come out of his WWE retirement?

Shawn Michaels came out of his WWE retirement in 2018. It was at WWE's Saudi Arabia event called 'Crown Jewel'. The match saw DX take on The Brothers of Destruction.

The build-up to this match saw Triple H cutting an exciting promo where he talked about the era when D-X and Brothers of Destruction competed actively. Triple H stating that their era will be back for one more match hyped up the WWE Universe.

SO MUCH HISTORY in one ring...#DX @TripleH & @ShawnMichaels battle The #BrothersOfDestruction @KaneWWE & The #Undertaker at #WWECrownJewel! pic.twitter.com/fv3tby1qRj

— WWE (@WWE) November 2, 2018

Unfortunately, the match was very sloppy and did not deliver. WWE fans as well as critics were disappointed. Shawn Michaels later stated that he regrets coming out of retirement for such an underwhelming match.

"All I can do is apologize to the guys.", Michaels said.

Since the match in 2018, Shawn Michaels has not stepped back into a WWE ring as a wrestler. The former D-X member is now a backstage writer and producer for NXT.