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WWE returns to Saudi Arabia in just under a month's time for an event called WWE Crown Jewel. As many had speculated, The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels will return to WWE for this event as he teams up with former ally Triple H to take on The Undertaker and Kane.
This return is a setback for some, not least because Michaels already had his retirement match at WrestleMania 26 where he lost to The Undertaker in a Streak vs Career match. To others, the return is a setback due to the nature of the match, four older wrestlers in their late 40s to early 50s who are not full-time stars having a match together.
HBK has had a legendary career and in some people's minds he is the best ever to enter the squared circle but there is a fear his return will be a setback. Here are 5 reasons why it could be.
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#1 His retirement match was perfect
Many wrestling fans saw Shawn Michaels' retirement match against The Undertaker as the perfect way to go. After putting on a 5-star match the year before at WrestleMania 25, HBK and The Deadman put on another classic at Mania 26 in which Taker defeated HBK to end Michaels' storied career. Even the match, 2 years later, between Triple H and The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell which Michaels was the guest referee in for felt like the finale.
This is why it is disappointing for many that Michaels is returning at the WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view. Michaels retiring against The Undertaker was the perfect conclusion to a great rivalry and a great career. The moment between himself, Taker and Triple H at the end of Hell in a Cell, at the top of the ramp, with each other's arms raised was also special and had the feeling of finality. Despite this WWE has chosen to go down the route of a match which will feature these three Superstars.
After the perfect conclusion to a rivalry and a career, for Michaels to not just return, but to return against the man who retired him is disappointing. His retirement is already tainted by his return to the ring however special the match itself is.
#2 He should fight an up and coming superstar
One of the main issues with Shawn Michaels' return is that it is in a match not unlike what we have seen in the past. Michaels' match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania was billed as 'the finale' and Triple H's match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania had the tagline 'One Last Time'. Therefore this match provides little to entice more people to watch the show. If WWE wanted to get more out of HBK's return then they could have booked him in a match with a younger, up and coming Superstar.
One possibility is for Michaels to face Shinsuke Nakamura. After a successful spell on NXT, Shinsuke has not quite hit the heights in the main roster that many expected. In order to establish Nakamura, WWE could have booked him in a match with Shawn Michaels in what could have been a past vs present type match similar to Hogan vs The Rock from WrestleMania 18. This could have had the potential to be a great match as well as a way to establish Shinsuke on the WWE roster.
Another possibility for HBK is to fight somebody like Finn Balor. For many similar reasons as given for him facing Nakamura, Balor and Michaels could have a fantastic match as well as having the possibility to elevate Balor to a higher level. Drew McIntyre and Dean Ambrose are other possibilities for WWE to be paired with Michaels in a one on one match but the match pitting him and Triple H against The Brothers of Destruction is certainly a more disappointing one.
#3 The match takes the spot from other stars
Shawn Michaels' match with DX partner Triple H against The Undertaker and Kane is undoubtedly an attraction that will increase the interest in WWE's Crown Jewel pay-per-view, however, this spot on the card could be better filled with Superstars who feature regularly WWE.
DX and The Brothers Of Destruction are legends in the WWE but the match itself adds no value to the event other than being an attraction. Apart from Triple H, who is 49, everyone else in the match is over 50-years-old. Michaels is 53 now and clearly, his best days are behind him and this is true for the rest of the participants in the match.
WWE need to focus on their next generation of stars and having this match on the card takes that away. There is a place in the company for part-time stars but for 4 men who are well past their prime, it simply does not make sense to have this match.
#4 The timing is odd
One of the most disappointing things about Michaels' return is that the timing of it is very odd. If Michaels was to make his in-ring return at WrestleMania or SummerSlam then it would have made more sense, but for the Heartbreak Kid to return at an event that does not have the allure of one of the big two pay-per-views is odd.
HBK returned on the September 3rd edition of Raw to promote the match at Super Show-Down between Triple H and The Undertaker. Instead of returning in this manner, it may have been a better idea to make his return a surprise.
If Michaels had appeared out of the blue during Triple H's match with The Undertaker at Super Show-Down, costing The Undertaker the match, then his return could have been given special significance. Instead the way things have played out has been predictable and subsequently, his return has been underwhelming.
#5 He could ruin his legacy
Shawn Michaels had one of the most historic wrestling careers and, to many people, he is the greatest in-ring performer of all time. HBK's achievements speak for him, a multi-time WWE champion, the Showstopper has also won every honour there was to win in the WWE. His matches with The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Bret Hart and others at WrestleMania are thought to be some of the finest encounters in the companies history.
However, could HBK's return to the squared circle taint his legacy? After a long absence from in-ring action and being 53-years-old it is possible that Michaels cannot perform like he once could. The Showstopper was well known for his high flying and athleticism during his career and now 9 years on from his retirement match we most likely will not see the same Shawn Michaels as we once did.
The main issue with Shawn Michaels' return is the way in which it has been booked. HBK being paired with Triple H against The Undertaker and Kane is an underwhelming match for HBK to return. If he had been in a one on one match with AJ Styles or Daniel Bryan then it could have the makings of a perfect return match, but as it is a tag match pitting him with Triple H against The Undertaker and Kane provides little to get excited about.
