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The rumor mill heated up this fall with word that The Rock was in talks to have another run with WWE, and that he had WrestleMania 35 in his sights. The general consensus was that WWE was eyeing Rock for a return at the Royal Rumble and that he would either win that PPV’s signature match, or otherwise use his appearance to set up a showdown for ‘Mania, most likely against Roman Reigns.
Simultaneously, rumors gathered steam regarding Shawn Michaels getting back into the ring. We’ve already seen those rumors come to fruition to an extent with HBK working the Crown Jewel event in a tag team with Triple H. Still, reports suggest that Michaels won’t stop at that, but rather will stick around to work a handful more matches, potentially wrapping up at his signature event—WrestleMania.
There isn’t a clear story charted for Michaels at ‘Mania now. Meanwhile, with Reigns out to battle leukemia, The Rock, too, is without a dance partner. His most likely alternative opponent, Triple H, is also injured and The Brahma Bull has purportedly rejected the idea of working a physically punishing bout with Brock Lesnar.
The Rock vs. Shawn Michaels is far from a foregone conclusion, or even a likely matchup for ‘Mania. However, given each man’s current status, and the status of the roster around them, they do pose one of the more intriguing possibilities for a first-time match with the respective star power—particularly in wrestling circles—to make sense as opponents for one another. This article speculates what would happen if WWE did book The Rock vs. Shawn Michaels for WrestleMania 35.
#5. The Rock wins
When it comes to stroke within WWE, The Rock arguably has more at his disposal than anyone not in the McMahon family. He’s the lone star to transition from top WWE star to an even bigger star outside of the wrestling business as a bona fide Hollywood A-lister.
To put it bluntly, The Rock doesn’t need WWE at this point. Though he may feel a loyalty to the company for launching his career and for all his family’s connections to it, he has the complete right to only come back if it suits his preferences.
The Rock would have quite reasonably put over his younger cousin Roman Reigns to further his career and credibility. But in a showdown between The Rock and Shawn Michaels, neither man has a wrestling future to build toward. Particularly given rumors of past heat between The Rock and Shawn Michaels, (founded in HBK’s rival Bret Hart backing The Great One backstage, while Michaels pushed for Triple H) there’s little reason to expect Rock to return just to do the honors for Mr. WrestleMania.
#4. Burying the hatchet
As mentioned previously, there were rumors of heat between Shawn Michaels and The Rock for their political affiliations with WWE, and for some rumors suggesting that Michaels used his position of influence to actively work against the young Brahma Bull.
There’s little reason to think that these two still have meaningful heat. A lot of time has passed, both are legends, Michaels found Jesus in the interim, and Rock started a whole new life in show business that makes it doubtful he’d hold onto an early career wrestling beef. If Rock and Michaels were to have a WrestleMania match in 2019, though, it points toward the two more formally burying the hatchet putting rumored animosities behind them. At this point, it would be a matter of two huge names, gifted performers getting together to entertain the fans and collect a big payday. It’s silly to think they’d be anything but cooperative and congenial with one another in that context.
#3. An instant classic
Particularly given how long it has been since either man wrestled full time, there is reason for some skepticism about the quality of a singles match between The Rock and Shawn Michaels. However, truly great performers who know wrestling and know how to manipulate a crowd as powerfully as The Rock and Michaels aren’t going to deliver an out-and-out flop.
Michaels has proven his ability to come back with remarkable proficiency based on his original comeback in 2002 as well as his one-off return for Crown Jewel this fall. He’s not getting any younger, but it still seems misguided to doubt that he’d come to WrestleMania ready. Similarly, The Rock has proven his work ethic, as he came back looking quite good for his two-match series with John Cena and would surely work just as hard to hold up his end for a match with HBK.
#2. They close the show
A match like Roman Reigns vs. The Rock surely would have main evented WrestleMania 35 for the combination of Rock’s overwhelming star power and WWE pushing Reigns as the top star of today. The Rock vs. Shawn Michaels is a bit less certain proposition to close out the biggest show of the year, given that both men are part-timers at best, wouldn’t have a title at stake, and there would be some questions regarding their quality of performance given the degree of ring rust between them.
However, it’s tough for anything to follow Rock’s electricity when he steps into a WWE ring, and Michaels built a legacy on turning in genuinely great matches in the highest profile contexts possible. For sheer star power, as well as the match’s potential to steal the show, it’s hard to imagine any match main eventing over The Great One vs. The Showstopper.
#1. Triple H figures into the program
Were it not for Triple H suffering a torn pectoral muscle at Crown Jewel, we would have to expect that he would work a match at WrestleMania 35, probably against Batista or The Rock, with other stars like Kurt Angle and Braun Strowman as dark horse alternatives. However, with The Game out of a match, the most he can do is to participate in the build of another program. If Shawn Michaels vs. The Rock were to happen, The Game would be a natural fit to play a supporting role.
While Shawn Michaels and The Rock were in very different places in their careers when they shared a locker room, and otherwise mostly missed each other as main event level talents, Triple H is the bridge between them. He had high profile programs and great matches against both men.
Moreover, he is openly real life dear friends with HBK and has clearly expressed his mutual respect and sense of camaraderie with The Rock—his professional rival when each man was coming up in the business, and a fellow defining star of The Attitude Era. Triple H could provide key connective tissue for a Rock-HBK promo, besides helping to carry some of the promo weight as neither star could necessarily be expected to show up on Raw week in and week out in the build to ‘Mania.
