There were those that didn't want Shawn Michaels to come out of retirement because they - like him - believed in the commitment he'd made after a career and life well lived and a spectacular main event against The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI (and more on that later). There were those that were happy to just see 'The Showstopper' do what he did better than most one more time. Then there was 'HBK' himself, a man presumably chuffed to be trousering a f*cking fortune considering the alleged offers he's turned down in the past.
Somehow, everybody above were deeply unsatisfied with the eventual outcome.
Part of a match regrettable as it was happening, Crown Jewel's wretched main event saw Michaels try and fail to carry a contest over the line he shouldn't have agreed to in the first place. He knew it too - sadder than the effort between the ropes was the wistful post-match promo.
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
