5 potential opponents for a possible Shawn Michaels WWE return

It's rare when a wrestling retirement actually sticks. Just ask Terry Funk.

Or, better yet, just ask Shawn Michaels, who has actually retired twice (thrice if you count his hiatus due to a back injury in 1998), only to return to competition. Granted, his latest return was intended as a one night deal during the 2018 Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia - and only because he considered it a "glorified house show" (the money probably didn't hurt, either.)

Since he retired in 2010, speculation always flares up about a potential return every time Michaels gets physically involved in some sort of angle. These rarely pan out to be anything more than a set-up for a guest referee spot, if anything. Up until 2018, Shawn had been wearing the whole "not breaking his word and staying retired" thing like a badge of honor.

Since that Crown Jewel match, though, it's possible that Michaels has rediscovered the itch to perform in the ring again. Which is why when this happened on SmackDown Live this week...

... the speculation of "one more match" that comes around after something like this happens has a little more gravity to it.

Chances are good that this is just a set-up (albeit a really good one) for a Ziggler/Miz match at SummerSlam. But... if Shawn really has "one more match" in him, who could we be seeing him take on?

This is always fun, so let's take a look at five opponents that Shawn could face in "one more match"

#5 Dolph Ziggler

It's tempting to say "let's get this out of the way" here because it seems like the most obvious pick, all things considered. He's the one who had the heated exchange with him on SmackDown - and he's the one who kicked him in the face right afterwards.

Dolph's been compared to the Heartbreak Kid for years, and it's easy to see why. Both men are great performers, fantastic on the mic, and they're both pretty funny (Ziggler was actually touring comedy clubs during his time away from the ring). He's also a great choice to have in the ring with Michaels, in the unlikely event that age has caught up with HBK more than we expected.

So, it may seem like the obvious choice, but it's also a good one.

#4 The Undertaker

At a time when ticket sales are, shall we say, less than ideal, WWE could use any guaranteed money maker they can get their hands on. A WrestleMania rematch between The Showstopper and The Phenom would certainly do just that.

Now, no disrespect meant to either performer - after all, Shawn's in the Hall of Fame and Undertaker is going in eventually (and may as well already be, really) - but fans really don't want to see this match. Michaels has been in one match since 2010. And, while Undertaker's last match was pretty decent, it also involved two current and very talented Superstars (Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre) and another with absolutely no regard for his own well being, Shane McMahon.

That being said, if both men are game for one more go in the ring, WWE would be crazy not to make it happen.

Besides, if anybody has the ability to surprise us, it's those two.

#3 Triple H

While The Game can certainly be considered a part-timer - at least in regards to performing in the ring - he's obviously still well involved in the company. I probably don't need to tell you that. The last match he had, against Batista at WrestleMania 35, was actually pretty good and the Cerebral Assassin clearly keeps himself in shape.

I probably didn't need to tell you that, either.

Another thing you can file under "no duh" is that Triple H and Shawn Michaels have history. Not just with D-Generation X, but their feud that led to Shawn coming out of his first retirement was really epic. Since then, they reformed DX, and HBK was an important element in Triple H's WrestleMania feuds with both The Undertaker, Daniel Bryan, and his WrestleMania 31 match with Sting

A WrestleMania 36 One Night Only match between the former DX teammates would not only be a huge draw but would actually probably be a pretty good match. The two of them know each other so well, that all that would be needed is a good story to wrap it around and, well, we'll let you come up with that. I've got two more entries to add to this list.

#2 AJ Styles

It wasn't long after the Phenomenal One debuted in WWE that fans began to envision all sorts of dream matches. AJ Styles vs John Cena. AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan. Styles vs Brock Lesnar. And, those all eventually happened.

But, there was one dream match that just seemed like it wasn't going to ever happen. A match almost as elusive as Sting vs Undertaker. A match that even Styles would have loved to wrestle in, based on this image he posted to social media.

In fact, in 2017, Michaels was proposed this very match... but for WrestleMania 33. Sadly, HBK turned it down.

“I guess I’m breaking something with you... but I could have had that match.They didn’t have an opponent for AJ at WrestleMania. I said that I hadn’t been asked because I hadn’t—but then I was,"

"I wish that young man was here 10 years ago, man. I honestly do. I think he’s very talented.”

But that was when Shawn was dead set on staying retired, before the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia possibly offered him enough money to put his kids through college twice to return to the ring, and before he possible got the taste to get in the ring one more time (we're just speculating on that part).

During the Raw Reunion this past Monday, Michaels - along with Triple H and members of both DX and the nWo - got into a scuffle with Styles and his buddies in the "OC", so there's a set up for that match right there.

While Styles is nearing the end of his career (he said so himself), he's still one of the best performers in the business (and probably has one more WWE Championship in him, too) and could definitely pull off a great match with Shawn, given enough prep time.

So, maybe AJ will get his wish after all?

#1 The Rock

We were actually going to go with John Cena here, but the more we thought about it, the more this made sense.

While Dwayne Johnson's returns to the ring have been, obviously, more frequent than Shawn's, any time The Rock returns to the ring is an event. And not just because he's one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood (though that helps). He's a sure-fire Hall of Fame member - and the fact that he's not already in, makes us think that he's not ready to hang up the boots.

Also, consider the fact that Mr. WrestleMania and The Great One have never (and THE ROCK MEANS NEVER) faced off in the ring before. They were supposed to, but it never happened. That program was supposed to take place in the early 2000s, but because of some apparent personal issues between the two, it never happened.

That was years ago, plenty of time to heal old wounds. Plus, with all the extra money WWE has to work with these days, they might be able to make both of these legends a deal they can't pass up.

Who would you like to see Shawn Michaels take on in one more match? Share your ideas in the comments below!