After an instant classic at WrestleMania XXV, Shawn Michaels became obsessed with being the man to bring an end to Undertaker's streak. He issued a challenge for a match at WrestleMania XXVI but the Dead Man refused. He entered the Royal Rumble but was eliminated by Batista. With no other option, he interfered in Undertaker's World Heavyweight title defense at Elimination Chamber and cost the Phenom his title. It was a drastic measure to take but it ended with Undertaker finally accepting a match against the Heartbreak Kid...with one stipulation. If Michaels lost, his Hall of Fame career would come to an end. It was a major risk for Michaels to take but a necessary one if he wanted to prove that he could, in fact, beat the Undertaker on the biggest stage possible. The all-time greats picked up where they left off a year earlier, breaking out their most effective moves but failing to put the other away on the first try. A Tombstone on the arena floor, the same move that felled Jake Roberts 18 years earlier, was met with a kickout from Michaels while Sweet Chin Music failed to keep Undertaker down. A chokeslam and Last Ride from the Dead Man were also unable to secure a win. Michaels targeted his attack on the knee and ankle of his opponent. He dug into his WrestleMania past and utilized Kurt Angle's ankle lock and Ric Flair's Figure Four but neither netted him the tap out victory. A crossface, the signature move of the late Chris Benoit, also failed to score the win. A moonsault onto Undertaker, through an announce table and another dose of Sweet Chin Music weakened the Phenom but did not put him away. After Michaels kicked out of a second Tombstone, Undertaker yelled at his rival, telling him to stay down. HBK, in one last act of defiance, mocked Undertaker's throat slash gesture and slapped him, leading to a third Tombstone and a win for the Dead Man. Both Undertaker and Michaels could have settled for a repeat of their WrestleMania XXV match, pulling out the same spots and wrestling the same style of match and the fans in Phoenix would have been perfectly fine with the product they were offered. Instead, the ring generals crafted a completely different match that played on the original but never settled for emulating it.