HBK (Contains Raw spoilers)

It has been announced that Shawn Michaels is going to be part of the Hall of Fame class of 2011, something that has actually surprised me, I didn't expect him to join so soon, but I guess after you're letting Koke. B. Ware into the Hall of Fame, somebody I hadn't actually heard of before the announcement, they're running out of the bigger names to get people talking.

Since the Heartbreak Kid retired at last Wrestlemania, it was met with disbelief by many, I don't think anybody really thought it was the end of Michaels, a lot, including myself expected him to come out the next night on Raw and just refuse to leave, to fight back into it. It was almost as if we felt he was too good to retire, he still so clearly had IT, and unlike somebody like Flair, it didn't seem right for him to retire, when he still looked as good as he did ten year previous. Wrestlers have had such a history of clinging onto the spotlight, Michaels' humility came as quite a shock.

Even since then, when it looked like the end, rumours have persisted for long, that WWE have been trying to bring him back, using him as the big name, looking to rely on the old guard once more. But the return has never happened, and it would appear that with the Hall of Fame 'award' that it really is the end for HBK.

What does everybody think?

Did Shawn get the best send-off he could?

I personally think it was very well done, but the feeling that he wasn't quite yet finished probably tells us that the match wasn't as final as WWE hoped it would be.

Will Shawn never come back, even for one match?

While I believed that he would when he first retired, the fact that there just doesn't seem to be the interest from Michaels, when I'm sure the oppurtunity to return has been there, and I think being part of the Hall of Fame will be the final thing for him, I don't even think we'll see him an onscreen role at all, he seems set on spending time at home. And while I respect him for that, for letting go of the spotlight, when so many others fail to do so, I can't help but wish that he would came back once more.

Your thoughts?

i think most people expected him not to be finished as most people expected one more fued with Triple H

The Hall of Fame doesn't mean anything anyway does it? They just get whoever is available to do it. Loads of people in there I've never heard of. They should do 1 or 2 people a year and make it really mean something.

He did get the best send-off possible. Your final match being the main event of WrestleMania in his hometown I believe. You could argue Triple H would have been more fitting for HBK's final opponent but Taker isn't exactly a bad replacement.

I'm not sure whether he will come back either. I wouldn't be surprised if he did but it would only be a one off thing and not as a General Manager.

I don't want him to come back. Like I have already said, I think he got the best send off possible (which will be topped off with his induction into the HoF). He's got nothing left to prove or do really.

As for the HoF, it shouldn't be every year. It should take place whenever it is needed to induct real legends such as HBK. If that means we don't see it for 5 years or so, then so be it. The fact that they have a celebrity "wing" is a joke.

The Hall of Fame is alot of shite anyway, just another way to get more money out of the fans.

feяgie22 wrote:

The Hall of Fame is alot of shite anyway, just another way to get more money out of the fans.

I agree that it's not as prestigious as perhaps it once was but I don't see how it's a way to get money out of the fans unless you're someone who actually buys a ticket to the event itself. And there's only a limited number of people who do that.

But I agree that it shouldn't be every year. After Michaels and (eventually) Undertaker there really aren't that many who are worth while going in just yet. And most of people who might be worthy (Savage, Bruno Sammartino etc) either don't like WWE or don't like Vince so wouldn't touch the Hall of Fame with a barge pole.

Getting back on topic and Shawn: yes I think he had the best possible send-off. He and Undertaker deservedly stole the show. I'd have preferred it if his final match could ended in a win (although it obviously couldn't happen like that in this case) but Shawn still looked impressive even in defeat which just shows how good both men are.

I can see why some people would have preferred his last opponant to be Triple H but they've fought each other so many times over the years that I don't think it would have meant as much. Shawn and Taker have only really fought each other a handful of times over the years by comparison.

Will he come back? We may well see him on TV from time to time but I don't think he'll wrestle again. Unlike Flair for instance he really doesn't need to and if he doesn't need to then why put his body and health at risk? Also I'm not sure that he has the same sort of need or desire to keep on wrestling like Flair or Terry Funk. He seems to be content with staying at home and doing other things.

mrtc2003 wrote:

feяgie22 wrote:

The Hall of Fame is alot of shite anyway, just another way to get more money out of the fans.

I agree that it's not as prestigious as perhaps it once was but I don't see how it's a way to get money out of the fans unless you're someone who actually buys a ticket to the event itself. And there's only a limited number of people who do that.

Do they get money from the people that BUY tickets?