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Before Brock Lesnar ended the Undertaker's streak, there was a great deal of speculation as to who, if anyone could end the legendary Wrestlemania record. Up and coming wrestlers battled with legends to see who might be the one to pull of the impossible.
At Wrestlemania 25, Michaels would step up to the plate and engaged Undertaker in a match that would become a benchmark for both their careers. In fact, the match was so nice, they did it twice--and the second time, HBK put his career on the line.
As history tells it, Undertaker defeated Michaels at Wrestlemania 26 and vanquished him for good. Michaels is retired...or is he? Shawn has openly discussed a possible return to journalists and on social media, and has repeatedly said he wants to face a wrestler from his generation if and when it happens. Could that opponent be Taker?
Fans were teased with the prospect of Undertaker facing down Michaels in the ring recently on Monday Night Raw. The hoopla surrounding a potential rematch between the two legends seems to have largely overshadowed the actual match that is happening between Triple H and Undertaker at the Super Show Down Under in Australia.
Speculation has run rampant, and now all eyes will certainly be on the Super Show and the triumvirate of Undertaker, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels. Almost certainly the bout will be an important chapter of the saga between HBK and Taker.
So, if the two legends do indeed lock up again, what can fans expect? How will they top their two previous encounters, especially their WM 25 match which had been held up as the greatest of all time until Omega vs. Okada part two eclipsed it?
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Here are then things that could happen if Undertaker and Shawn Michaels lock horns again at Wrestlemania.
#1.A strong build-up culminating at the match.
Expect WWE to pull out all the stops for this clash of two wrestling titans. The two will likely engage in a long series of confrontations that won't be official matches but will still stoke fan excitement to breakneck levels.
No one can craft their hype machine quite like the WWE, and with the full creative force of the entire company behind this match it may take on epic proportions before it even happens.
#2. The match will be longer than average.
In times past, wrestling matches could go on for an hour or more. Ric Flair and Bob Backlund were as famous for their time limit draws as their victories, and the original Iron Man match concept had the athletes in the ring for sixty minutes, not thirty.
These days a match on Raw might run less than five minutes, and ten to thirteen minutes is the average length. When HBK and Taker lock up, however, it will likely be for the better part of an hour. Part of this has to do with pacing; Both men are no longer in their primes, and the match will have to slow down at several points to allow them to recover.
The other factor is in their approach to wrestling, which involves a slow build up. Taker vs. Michaels won't be a squash by any measure.
#3. Michaels will likely play the Heel.
At this point, it would be disastrous or even stupid for WWE to book the Undertaker as the bad guy. Given his legacy, fandom, and long history, fans will simply not boo him for a any reason.
HBK, however, has always been quite nimble when it comes to leaping the heel/face fence. He can assume the role of villain to build up Undertaker even more as a great hero, and this will be the direction WWE likely will take.
However, HBK has his fans, so his villainy will be stunted somewhat. There will be no Katie Vick type behavior this time around.
#4. The match will be brutal.
As Dusty Rhodes might say, HBK and Taker have really 'put a clubberin' on each other in their previous encounters. That was when they may have been concerned about their future in the sport, and wanted to protect their bodies.
Now that both men are semi-retired, they are looking for one last epic match as a capstone to their career. Expect these two old school tough men to bring the violence to new heights.
#5. There may be blood.
Recently the WWE has been allowing blood in limited circumstances, such as when Kevin Owens put the beat down on Vince McMahon.
Especially at a PPV, which doesn't have to go by FCC rules, you can expect one or both men to don the infamous 'crimson mask' as Gordon Solie might say.
#6. Expect all of their repertoires to be on display.
Of course, one expects to see the Tombstone Pildedriver and Sweet Chin Music in a match between these two titans, but there are other spots the duo is famous for.
Shawn Michaels was leaping from the ring to deliver elbow drops through the announce table before ECW made it an art form. Undertaker is famous for his insane over the top rope suicide dives as if he were a man half his size.
Both legends will likely bring everything they have to the table--perhaps literally!
#7. The Match could be a Hell in a Cell.
When most people think of Hell in a Cell, Mick Foley's famous scripted dive onto the table comes to mind....right before his UNscripted plunge through the cage's roof.
What a lot of people don't recall, or never learned, is that the inaugural Hell in a Cell was a contest between Undertaker and HBK--a contest that Michaels won, albeit with some help from Kane.
Taker never avenged his Hell in a Cell loss, and if this is to be the final match in their saga then Hell in a Cell would be a good way to bring closure to the feud.
#8. There could be surprises.
The long history between Taker and HBK has been interjected with their supporting cast. Terry Funk became involved in the brutal Hell in a Cell between Undertaker and Mick Foley, which almost seems fair given the fact that it's the Deadman.
Triple H, Kane, or others could easily put themselves into the conflict in a variety of ways. Triple H is particularly interesting, because he wields power that could be used against the Undertaker. No doubt there will be others dragged into the conflict between the two living legends.
#9. This will probably be Shawn's last match ever.
Shawn Michaels was 'retired' by the Undertaker years ago, and there's no doubt that his full time wrestling schedule is done for good. However, he feels that he has at least one more great performance left in his body--and this will likely be that final great performance.
With his unmatched legacy--Triple crown champion, household name, Playgirl model--Michaels could just let things lie, but if he comes back for this match it will likely be his swan song.
#10. Taker will likely take the fall.
This one is a simple numbers game. Undertaker may have fallen to HBK in their Hell in a Cell encounter, but that was due to chicanery and outside interference from Kane.
Then, Undertaker defeated Michaels twice in a row at Wrestlemania, retiring him in the process. Simply put, Michaels does not have a single clean win over Taker for their entire series. Meanwhile the Undertaker has two clean pins to his credit. HBK walking out the winner would bring closure to the feud for good.
There you have it; Ten things to expect from the HBK/Taker showdown. Please leave your comments below and thanks for reading.
