10 WWE Matches That Completely Exceeded Expectations

Under typical circumstances, Triple H vs Shawn Michaels at the second-biggest show of the year would sound like a pretty great prospect, but 2002 wasn’t a typical year.

2002 was the year that Michaels had decided to make his in-ring return, almost four years and five months after his last official match, following a layoff stemming from a back injury. That meant that ring rust was a very real concern, no matter how good Michaels had been before his lengthy hiatus.

There was also the small matter of this SummerSlam match having an “unsanctioned” stipulation, meaning there was always the possibility of the action degenerating – no pun intended – into a gimmicky mess to mask any potential shortcomings.

Of course, ultimately there wasn’t a single shortcoming in sight. Michaels hadn’t lost a step. In fact, other than the new attire, it looked as if he’d never even left. He and Triple H went almost 28 minutes in a brutal street fight that still stayed true to the story it was trying to tell.

Safe to say, Michaels’ comeback shortly became a permanent one.