10 Wrestlers Who Should Have Stayed Retired
9. Shawn Michaels
As with his aforementioned WrestleMania 24 rival, Shawn Michaels is another name that still crops up when discussing the legitimate greatest to ever do it.
The conversation might be more divided than it once was thanks to the obvious influences (for better and worse) Michaels' style left on future generations and NXT trainees, but try not to be totally shouted down by the haters - 'HBK' has the CV to match any of the all-timers. And his retirement match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26 was a perfect illustration of that. Michaels rode off into the sunset with his head held high.
So high in fact, that he heard the constant calls for a return and defiantly said "No". All until a controversial deal with the Saudi Arabian Sports Authority produced a dollar figure too great for him to turn down. In 2018, Michaels teamed with Triple H against The Undertaker and Kane at the second Saudi show Crown Jewel and played his part in a match that was universally and correctly panned.
The bout was marred by botches and the undeniable reality that four were brutally past their prime. The return did little more than sully his first send-off, and stain his record with one of his biggest turkeys.