The Undertaker reveals how he convinced WWE legend to come out of retirement

The Undertaker retired from in-ring competition in 2020 after spending 30 years in WWE. In a recent podcast episode, the Hall of Famer recalled how the infamous Crown Jewel 2018 match involving Shawn Michaels came together.

Michaels' career initially ended in 2010 after losing a retirement match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26. Eight-and-a-half years later, The Heartbreak Kid returned to team up with Triple H against Kane and The Undertaker in Saudi Arabia.

On Six Feet Under w/Mark Calaway, The Undertaker said he and the other wrestlers in the match encouraged Michaels to reverse his retirement decision:

"We've talked Shawn Michaels, who said he was not ever gonna wrestle again and had no intentions of [wrestling] and did not want to, we're like, 'Dude, you could do this in your sleep. Come on. It's you and Triple H against [The Brothers of Destruction]. How many years of ring time? We could all do this in our sleep. This is gonna be easy money.' We talked Shawn into it, finally," he said. [47:14 – 47:42]

Although Michaels and Triple H defeated The Brothers of Destruction, the dream match was widely criticized by fans. Triple H's involvement was limited after he suffered a torn pec, while Kane's mask and wig fell off at one stage.

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The Undertaker on the backstage reaction at WWE Crown Jewel 2018

Reflecting on the post-match atmosphere behind the scenes, The Undertaker said everyone apologized to each other for incidents that occurred in the ring.

The Phenom described the bout as a "trainwreck" and recalled how his opponents were clearly frustrated after the match:

"We're all p****d, right?" The Undertaker added. "Everybody's p****d. Shawn is p****d because he came out of retirement. Paul's [Triple H] p****d because he had a WrestleMania match that year. He tears his pec. Glenn [Kane] loses his mask. I lose my pride [laughs]." [48:25 – 48:45]

The Undertaker also discussed the possibility of himself and Kane receiving another WWE Hall of Fame induction as The Brothers of Destruction.

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What are your memories of the WWE Crown Jewel 2018 tag team match? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit Six Feet Under w/Mark Calaway and embed the video, with an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.