10 Precise Moments Wrestlers Should Have Retired

6. Shawn Michaels - WWE WrestleMania XXVI

Finn Balor Kane
WWE.com

Shawn Michaels, the cheeky bastard, was very keen on making the distinction of his comeback clear. The very first person to say "Don't call it a comeback!" in earnest, he wanted you to not expect a classic. He wasn't performing any new material, you see. He was just playing the greatest hits. That's bullsh*t.

Whoever played their greatest hit with Kane?

Crown Jewel 2018 was an hilarious disaster in which Kane lost his wig and had about as much luck covering for it as the Saudi Arabian kingdom. Triple H tore his pectoral muscle. The Undertaker was so gassed that he nearly lost a dying breath versus hair match when - brilliantly - he couldn't get it out of his eyes. Just use your hands mate.

Michaels meanwhile entered a relatively respectable performance, but the disasters endured by his fellow professionals still couldn't shine his own stint. This was Michaels brazenly lowering himself for more small animal-exploding machine gun money, and he knew it.

He should have left the memories of WrestleMania XXVI - in which he was the defiant, cocky, seminal Showstopper to the end - alone.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!