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What's the story?
After Shawn Michaels' appearance on Monday Night Raw this week, speculation that had previously been bubbling that the Heartbreak Kid may return to the ring has now fully erupted.
After reports emerged that WWE has "internal plans" for Shawn Michaels to return to the ring at WWE's next event in Saudi Arabia, it's now emerged that five matches may be lined up for HBK - and the opponents make up an incredibly versatile ensemble indeed.
In case you didn't know...
On this week's Raw, Shawn Michaels made an announced appearance to speak about an upcoming match between The Undertaker and Triple H, being billed as the last time ever, at WWE's Super Show-Down at the 100,000 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 6th.
However, when Michaels backed his old friend Triple H to win the match, there was an unannounced guest in the form of The Undertaker, who decided to take a shot at Shawn Michaels for retiring, claiming that the WWE Hall of Famer hasn't stepped in the ring since WrestleMania 26 out of "fear" rather than respect - seemingly setting up a future angle between the pair.
The heart of the matter
According to the Barn Burner Fired Up podcast, WWE is indeed planning on having Shawn Michaels face off against The Undertaker one more time, but it won't be "one more match" - as HBK is being lined up for potentially another four after that!
Joe Peisich detailed a list of opponents WWE hope to have HBK face, with AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, and an NXT talent - likely to be Johnny Gargano - named as four of the five. The fifth Superstar in line for a dream match is as yet unnamed.
I've heard there are ideas for him to wrestle up to five matches, but not with the Undertaker. One with The Undertaker, one with AJ Styles, one with somebody in NXT - most likely Johnny Gargano - and now I've heard from a source that there's talk of him facing off against Kevin Owens.
What's next?
Well, this would be huge. I think we'll get a very strong hint about whether Michaels is returning or not by the role he plays at the WWE Super Show-Down on October 6th, live on WWE Network. If so, the first match is likely to be against Undertaker. Will the rest come to fruition? Only time will tell.
Would you like to see Shawn Michaels come out of retirement? If so, who would you like him to face? Let us know in the comments below.
