"I'm sorry, I love you." They don't call him Mr. WrestleMania for nothing, and Shawn Michaels delivered in spades for this match. Both he and Ric Flair were gifted at making people listen to their every word, and watching their every move. Leading up to this match, the generally-beloved HBK managed to turn us all against him, as he vowed to put Flair out of his misery and retire him. Flair held up his end of the bargain by wrestling his 59-year old heart out. It was a solid match. But here's why it was so special, beyond simply being Ric Flair's "retirement": even though we all knew that Flair was going to lose, they still had us on the edge of our seats, overcome with emotion, when it all went down. It was a simple, compelling story that required the most delicate of tending in order to prevent it from looking too melodramatic. Both men excelled at this task. I don't want to know if it was scripted, or by whom, but when Shawn mouthed the words "I'm sorry, I love you" right before he super-kicked Flair into retirement, it felt as real as it needed to be.
Follow me @kickyhick :) I hold a degree in English Rhetoric & Professional Writing from the University of Waterloo in Canada. I've done technical writing, executive presentations, and recruiting materials for BlackBerry, and I write for non-profit organizations. My favourite project so far has been combining my passion for writing with being a die-hard wrestling fan. It's a pleasure to write here for WhatCulture, and also for TJRwrestling.com.
