Why Shawn Michaels retired early from WWE in 2010 – Explained

Shawn Michaels had a colorful WWE career. Despite the past controversies and personal demons he faced during his pro-wrestling run, HBK overcame it all and went on to become one of the best in-ring competitors to step foot inside the squared circle.

In 2009, Michaels and The Undertaker put on what is now considered one of the best WrestleMania main events in the history of the premium live event. This was followed by the infamous No Disqualification Streak vs. Career match at WrestleMania 26, where The Deadman and The Heartbreak Kid put it all on the line.

The epic battle between these two legends ended with ‘Taker winning his 18th WrestleMania match and forcing HBK to retire. The episode of RAW that followed saw Michaels bid an emotional farewell, where he thanked the people he worked with, and especially the fans.

But why did he leave everything behind despite the run that he was on back then? What made him arrive at such a decision?

The reason behind the retirement

In 2010, just months after his retirement, Shawn Michaels would reveal in an interview with Bill Simmons the reason he left WWE.

As early as a month prior to WrestleMania 25, a casual conversation with an unnamed backstage employee was all it took for HBK to make the decision.

The employee asked after the WWE Hall of Famer's son Cameron, who had just turned nine at the time. Upon responding to the employee’s question, that same staff member replied that his (Shawn Michaels) son was “halfway gone.” This meant that Cameron was halfway to his 18th birthday, which was when he would start making his way into the world.

What that WWE staff member said to Michaels blew him away, making him realize that he could miss out on his son’s journey to adulthood. He further explained that taking the decision to retire wasn't a debatable issue for him.

Shawn Michaels came out of retirement for a special one-off appearance

Shawn Michaels made a one-off comeback in 2018. This was during WWE’s Saudi PLE – Crown Jewel – where he teamed up with fellow D-Generation X member Triple H to face Kane and The Undertaker, collectively known as The Brothers of Destruction.

Despite being heavily critiqued by wrestling pundits, the match between the four wrestling greats still provided some awesome entertainment for the crowd in attendance. Since that match, he hasn’t stepped inside the ring to compete.

Shawn Michaels is currently serving as WWE’s Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative. He also overees NXT’s creative elements.

He may be out of in-ring competition, but he continues to help mold up-and-coming wrestlers into WWE Superstars.