10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 2018

3. Shawn Michaels & The Undertaker's Saudi Arabia Regrets

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It was only during the celebrated WWE Network docuseries on The Undertaker's last few years with the company that fans learned definitively how devastated 'The Deadman' was with Crown Jewel 2018's disastrous main event.

The contest pitting D-Generation X against The Brothers Of Distraction was catastrophic for more than just the obvious reasons. A cloud hung over the relationship between WWE and Saudi Arabia due to the country's horrendous human rights record, and said cloud had never been thicker following the suspicious death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

But about those obvious reasons - Triple H, Kane, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels somehow looked even older than they actually were, yet wrestled as if they'd never stepped between the ropes. 'The Game' got legitimately injured early on. Kane's mask and wig fell off. And this was what 'The Heartbreak Kid' came out of retirement for.

After Undertaker shared his regrets, Michaels finally did the same. Speaking to the New York Post, he said;

“I had no idea that from [Undertaker’s] standpoint he was looking at it as that might be one he could walk away on...That’s something that I think to myself now, ‘oh my goodness I wish that I’d have known that. For me it was...just a chance to be with my buddies...All I can do is apologize to the guys.”
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett