Shawn Michaels is currently working backstage on NXT 2.0
Shawn Michaels is regarded as one of the best in-ring performers of all time.
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Currently working backstage for WWE NXT, Shawn Michaels is still heavily involved with WWE. However, there was once a time when he decided to take time off from the company.
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The question that needs to be answered is, why did Shawn Michaels take 4 years off from WWE?
During a Casket Match at Royal Rumble 1998, Shawn Michaels herniated two disks in his back. Due to the injury, it seemed like HBK would never be able to wrestle again and was forced to take time away from in-ring action.
While he was absent from in-ring action, Shawn Michaels continued to appear as WWF Commissioner during the spring and summer of 1999. The Heart Break Kid eventually made his return to in-ring action as a member of the New World Order in 2002.
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Shawn Michaels was the only member of the nWo who never worked in WCW. Following his return to WWE programming, Michaels had an incredible run in the company.
The former member of D-Generation X competed in some of his most iconic matches, most notably against the likes of Ric Flair and The Undertaker.
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Shawn Michaels ended his retirement in 2018 for a one-off match
At Crown Jewel 2018, Shawn Michaels made his return to in-ring competition for the first time in years as he teamed up with Triple H for a match against The Undertaker and Kane.
in the lead-up to Crown Jewel 2018, Michaels had already assisted Triple H beat The Deadman at Super Show-Down 2018.
Following the match with The Undertaker and Kane, Shawn Michaels retired from in-ring action once again and at his age, it is quite unlikely we'll see him compete again.
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About the author
Soumik Datta
Soumik Datta is a professional wrestling journalist who has been following the business for more than a decade.
In 2017, Soumik joined the Sportskeeda Wrestling team and is best known for his work with the WWE team. He has previously contributed to the Sportskeeda AEW, MMA, and the football team where he specifically covered the Major League Soccer.
In 2024, Soumik crossed 50 million reads for Sportskeeda WWE. While working under Sportskeeda MMA, he interviewed prominent UFC fighters, including Justin Gaethje, Sean O'Malley, and Cory Sandhagen, among others. Prior to joining Sportskeeda, Soumik briefly worked for SEScoops and Sports Nova.
Apart from his love for professional wrestling, Soumik also watches Football and has been a lifelong follower of Liverpool FC and Mohun Bagan. He has also been following the Indian Super League and remains the only content creator to have traveled across India to watch 7 ISL Matches in 7 Days, a video which currently sits at 26K views on his YouTube channel. His channel currently amasses over 120K views.
As aforementioned, Soumik also likes to make content for his YouTube channel and travel to various places either with family, friends, or solo, or go on road trips.
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