10 Wrestlers Who Ruined Their Own Legacy

‘The Heartbreak Kid’ finished off his perfect career with a spectacular performance at WrestleMania XXVI against The Undertaker. Following this (and the first of two Hall of Fame inductions) at WrestleMania XXVIII, Michaels and ‘Taker assisted Triple H to the back to end the show: a beautiful moment that, to many, truly showed the end of an era.

Michaels managed to resist ruining this moment for oh so long so fans were shocked and largely dismayed in late 2018 when HBK unexpectedly jumped from promoting a match between Triple H and the Undertaker to being physically involved.

That lucrative Saudi Arabia deal had come knocking and it demanded a Brothers of Destruction vs D-Generation X nostalgia match.

At Crown Jewel that November, Michaels put in an awful performance in what was a no-win situation. The match was largely agreed to be an unwatchable mess that demonstrated what "past your prime" truly means. Kane's mask fell off, Triple H got injured and Michaels looked understandably out of his depths.

HBK has since said that he “regrets” coming out of retirement for a “glorified house show”. At the time, Saudi Arabian WWE shows were largely inconsequential and considered “non-canonical” but it doesn’t change the fact that Michaels put the boots on, went to work and ruined the sanctity of his previous retirement.