10 Things WWE Are Secretly Telling Fans About Their Future
7. It's Never Off The Table
There was point during the initial hysteria around Shawn Michaels' planned Crown Jewel return where select bookmakers made The Rock an even money bet to win the 2019 Royal Rumble.
Ignoring the madness that WWE has even become an entity in which money can be made from predetermined outcomes, the story was instead telling for how the widest floodgates were swinging open in light of the Saudi Arabian investment.
'HBK' retirement was sacrosanct in an industry notorious for its entire disregard for the concept. Ric Flair, Terry Funk and others have parodied that particular notion over the years, but Shawn having neither the emotional want nor financial need seemed set to buck the trend and hopefully trigger a brand new one in the process.
Some will view the news as a step back for Michaels and the entire industry's bought and sold soul, but it's two forward for the most fanciful fantasy bookers. Shawn in Saudi and The Rock in the Rumble suddenly saw Stone Cold Steve Austin speculated for WrestleMania and countless inter-generational dream matches pitched as darkly realistic possibilities in a world where an Amy Winehouse hologram has her own tour lined up.
Heroes of Wrestling reanimated corpses as early as 1999 - the technology has only improved since.