When Shawn Michaels returned to have a segment with Roman Reigns on Monday Night Raw, it sent the WWE Universe into a fantasy booking frenzy. With so many fans rejecting the idea of Reigns challenging The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33, a lot of people felt that the inclusion of The Heartbreak Kid into the match could add that extra bit of drama that it so desperately needs.
Whether you're a believer in that theory or not, you can't deny that it's always great to see HBK on WWE television and more often than not, he's got something up his sleeve for the showcase of the immortals. After all, since retiring he's made some kind of impact or appearance at pretty much every edition of ‘Mania despite no longer being an in-ring competitor.
That's impressive.
But what would be even more impressive is if WWE finds a way to incorporate Michaels into the match that actually makes sense. After all, it does seem pretty random that Shawn of all people would try and give Roman advice - but then again maybe that's the point.
Whatever the case may be, it adds another layer to this feud that we weren't previously aware of. With that being said, here are five ways HBK can get involved in Roman vs. ‘Taker at WrestleMania.
#1 Special guest referee
In terms of experience levels, there aren't too many other Superstars who have been a special guest referee more times than Shawn Michaels. The Heartbreak Kid loves a good bit of drama and that's exactly what the referee role provides, with potentially his most notable appearance in a black and white striped shirt coming at WrestleMania 28.
The fact that he tried to ruin The Undertaker's chances of keeping the streak going may dampen his chances of being selected for this role at WrestleMania 33, but it would certainly be interesting. Nobody would quite know what Shawn's intentions were, and even HBK himself probably wouldn't find out what would happen until minutes before going out.
Speaking of that Hell in a Cell match.
#2 Screws Reigns
Shawn warned Roman on Monday Night Raw about ‘Taker getting in his head - but the Big Dog refused to listen. As a result, there's a chance that in Orlando, HBK could let his demons get the better of him by screwing Roman Reigns out of a victory against the Deadman.
It wouldn't make the most sense in the world, especially considering that Shawn is retired, but it would certainly get people talking.
It might not make ‘Taker look great by insinuating that he needs assistance in picking up the win these days, but it does increase the likelihood of him extending his career all the way through to WrestleMania 34 which is what a lot of fans would like to see happen. Of course, this scenario seems unlikely, but we've learned over the years to never say never in the WWE.
Let's play a little game of role reversal.
#3 Screws ‘Taker
How many times has Shawn Michaels super kicked The Undertaker in the face? More times than we'd care to remember is the answer. The Heartbreak Kid is one of the most untrustworthy characters in the history of professional wrestling, and we'd like to see him keep that streak going at WrestleMania 33 - pun most certainly not intended.
Shawn has always had issues with ‘Taker dating back over a number of decades, so keeping him involved as a central factor in this match would lead to even more curiosity from the WWE Universe. It may lead to nothing, but there's a chance that Michaels could end up replacing Mick Foley as the General Manager of Monday Night Raw, which would allow for the story to continue for months.
Time for the weaker side of the former world champion.
#4 Pleads for mercy
Let's picture a scenario that many are expecting at WrestleMania - Roman Reigns flips a switch and destroys The Undertaker. He beats the Deadman down using a string of underhanded tactics that leave the crowd no option but to boo the hell out of the Big Dog. It's so bad that ‘Taker can barely stand up, and the fans are convinced this is a heel turn.
Then, out comes HBK to try and talk some sense into Reigns. He says that this isn't the way to do things and that he needs to win this with honour. Reigns knocks Michaels down to the outside before resuming his destruction of ‘Taker, eventually picking up the pinfall. Just imagine the heat on Roman as a result of him beating up two old school legends. Classic.
We conclude with the tamest possibility of them all.
#5 Caught in crossfire
This one could include quite a few other Superstars, but it depends on which way the WWE wants to go with it. In this instance we'd have Michaels sat in the front row at WrestleMania 33, watching from afar as Roman Reigns battles The Undertaker.
He could either be sat with his family, his Kliq pals or potentially a string of ‘Taker's former victims that come to see whether or not this will be his last stand.
Either way, we'd have either Roman or ‘Taker accidentally hit Shawn whilst battling on the outside which adds a lot of tension to the remainder of the bout. Fans will wonder whether Shawn would then proceed to get involved with the finish, but we'd actually have him refrain from interfering and instead make the spot just a fun call back to his interaction with Roman on Raw. Simple.
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