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During a recent conference call that was set up to promote the upcoming Backlash pay-per-view, WWE legend Shawn Michaels revealed something quite interesting that The Undertaker told the Heart Break Kid before the latter's induction into the promotion's Hall of Fame.
While answering a question about Undertaker, Michaels clarified that he came to know a lot more about the Deadman from the documentary 'The Last Ride'. HBK stated that Undertaker was always a private person, and he didn't know about a lot about his struggles until he watched the documentary.
What did Undertaker say to Shawn Michales?
As recalled by Shawn Michaels, he was at the baggage claim with The Undertaker when the latter said that HBK retired at the 'perfect time'. HBK was quoted saying,
"The year after we had my last match, we were sitting at baggage claim and we're waiting on our bags where I'm going to get inducted into the Hall of Fame, and he looked at me and said, 'You made the right choice. Perfect time to go out."
Shawn Michales further revealed that if the tag team match at Crown Jewel 2018 which saw HBK and Triple H teaming up to take on Undertaker and Kane went well, then it would have seen Undertaker retire from in-ring action.
"Fast forward to the tag match, I had no idea that in his mind, had it gone well, that he would have possibly been able to retire on that. I assumed that he was more looking towards that WrestleMania moment. I just looked at that match as another tag match. I looked at that just as a chance to go out there with my buddies and have some fun, and not take anything too seriously. I didn't know that was a situation, where had it gone well, it might have made it easier for him to walk away... I assumed in his mind it needed to be the same way, and it needed to be a WrestleMania moment." (h/t WrestlingInc)
Michaels further stated that since Undertaker never showed his emotions, no one really had an idea about the depth of the mental struggles of the Deadman following his unimpressive performances in the recent years. However, it was indeed great to see Undertaker kick back and fight for a deserving end to his career.
After reflecting on his matches in the last four years, Undertaker -- who has always been his biggest critic -- began a journey of redemption. At WrestleMania 36, he had a fantastic match against AJ Styles that also saw him bring back his 'Phenom' and 'American Badass' gimmicks. WWE's 'The Last Ride' series captures this journey of The Undertaker in-depth, and it is a must-watch.
