WWE Crown Jewel: Shawn Michaels' unsuccessful return in 2018

The very first Crown Jewel event held by WWE in 2018 saw Shawn Michaels come out of retirement for one last match and one last big payday.

The Heartbreak Kid (HBK) is one of the greatest superstars in WWE history, and included on many fans, wrestlers and pundits’ “Mount Rushmore” of professional wrestling. He also arguably had the greatest retirement match in history in 2010.

Having initially retired in 1998 at the age of just 32 following WrestleMania 14 as a result of a severe back injury, HBK returned four years later and if possible, the second act of his career exceeded his stunning first run.

He had a string of WrestleMania matches to match anyone, living up to his moniker of “Mr. WrestleMania.” There were classics with Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle and John Cena, an all-out brawl with Vince McMahon, a World Heavyweight Championship triple threat match with Triple H and Chris Benoit.

There was also an epic retirement match with Ric Flair in 2008 at WrestleMania 24, where HBK put the lights out on the Nature Boy’s career. Or so we thought – Flair wrestled in TNA and only had his “Last Match” this summer.

His final two ‘Mania matches were against The Undertaker, the opening half to a four-part series of D-Generation X vs The Phenom on “The Grandest Stage of them All.”

The first at WrestleMania 25 was an instant classic between the two old rivals, and one that should have main evented the show. The second one did at ‘Mania 26, a “Career vs Streak” match such was Michaels’ storyline obsession with defeating Taker.

Of course, HBK lost in one of the greatest matches of all time and with that his career ended, and in the most perfect manner. On his own terms after his initial injury-enforced absence, at WrestleMania, in the