Shawn Michaels, Other Legends at WWE ‘Super Show-Down’: A Sign of More to Come?

D-Generation X and The Brothers of Destruction will come face to face at WWE’s Super Show-Down on Saturday, October 6. It’s a moment that many fans believed would simply not be possible in 2018, yet it’s happening all the same. So is it the right move?

More importantly, is this what fans really want? It’s not as though all four men haven’t earned the right to come back and perform. Of the quartet, only The Heartbreak Kid has a Hall of Fame ring but the other three will get theirs in due time. These men are responsible for headlining WWE through what many believe was its most entertaining period. So if The Attitude Era Superstars can’t get enough respect, then who can? Is this what WWE wants?

The decision to book Triple H versus The Undertaker was going to be met with tremendous apprehension by many of the WWE faithful. Everyone involved behind the scenes in the company had to know that. The question is, did anyone possessing that foresight believe it would be this much of an issue?

Fans are hard to please, there is no denying that. While many have argued for years that WWE is just not as fun as it used to be, that argument suddenly goes south at the first sign of Attitude Era stars returning to the ring. Everything is fine when those same stars cut promos and then leave. In fact it’s more than fine. The crowd pops for those moments and applaud the Superstars involved for brining passion back to the program. 

Watch the Undertaker confront Shawn Michaels:

The Undertaker sends a chilling warning to Triple H and Shawn Michaels: Raw, Sept. 3, 2018

But seeing them back inside the ropes for a match in this modern era is not met with quite as much enthusiasm. Why is that? Some would say that it has everything to do with the current crop of WWE Superstars, who deserve to stand on their own and  carry the company themselves.

However many others would say that it’s quite simply too hard to watch the legends get back in the ring now. Yes, those legends will do everything in their power to deliver. Yes, they will get over much easier than anyone else in the company because it comes so naturally to them. Their names alone are enough to sell out a house. But at the end of the day, those legends are not the same men they were before.

That’s indeed the conversation that happens between pro wrestling fans everyday. Seeing the old favorites inside the squared circle again, while a great bit of nostalgia, is tough because it’s a reminder of just how much time has passed. There’s no doubt that all four men involved in this particular match will deliver when it counts and will surely take the audience back in time in the process. 

But Shawn Michaels looks old. He’s also retired and has been for eight years. Of the four, he’s the one that was believed to never work a match again. Not only will he be present at the Super Show-Down, but he may indeed return to active competition at Crown Jewel on November 2. The rumors are so constant that it’s practically a reality at this point. That doesn’t mean it will happen of course. But would anyone truly be that surprised if it does?

Watch The Brothers of Destruction destroy DX:

The Undertaker and Kane lay out Triple H and Shawn Michaels: Raw, Oct. 1, 2018

Shawn Michaels left WWE in 2010 like Michael Jordan left the NBA in 1998. Like Air Jordan, HBK left while still on top of his game. Shawn could have continued working for another few years of course, but for what? What was left for him to accomplish? What does he want to accomplish now? Is there a good reason for him to come back or is it all about the money?

That’s the hard part of this for many WWE fans. The idea of HBK going back on his word because of a payday is just too unimaginable to be true. Michaels may have been an egotist concerned only with his own personal agenda during his younger days. But this Shawn Michaels is a family man, a devout Christian and more importantly, he’s a happy guy. He has nothing more to prove to anyone and if a cash grab is an incentive for him long after his career is over, then what does that say about the man himself?

But anyone criticizing Shawn for taking the money may be missing the point. This is not solely about padding Shawn’s bank account and if it is, then so what? Why would fans care about that? Shawn is a proven main event star, a legendary entertainer with more quality matches under his belt than many of today’s stars will ever have. If the company wants him and if he’s willing to once again put his body on the line for old time’s sake, then that’s his business. No one has to like it. His opinion is ultimately the only one that matters.

Of course Shawn is not the only one involved here. The Undertaker is obviously not the same man he once was. He’s far past his prime and some feel he should have walked away after losing to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33. Then there’s Kane, who’s not in the best physical shape of his WWE career. He’s also now the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. The only man left is Triple H, who looks better than ever. But he rarely ever wrestles anymore as most of his work is now behind the scenes.

Watch Shawn hit Sweet Chin Music on one Superstar after another:

12 unexpected times Shawn Michaels hit Sweet Chin Music

Now there’s even speculation that Stone Cold Steve Austin himself could actually return to the ring at Crown Jewel after 15 years of retirement. If all of these returns are happening because of money and the events in question happen every year, is it safe to assume that WWE will keep making the big money offers to the big money legends? If so, does that mean this will continue to be an issue year after year?

Is 2018 merely the beginning for retired legends returning to the fold? Is this a sign that part-time Superstars will become the norm, rather than the exception, in Vince McMahon’s company? Part-timers like Brock Lesnar indeed have great drawing power. Legends like Shawn Michales and The Undertaker are magic on the mic and fans won’t be able to take their eyes off of them in the ring.

But there is an entire other roster that’s currently carrying the load for WWE on a weekly basis. Is it that those Superstars can’t draw without the assistance of legends and part-timers? Or is it that WWE doesn’t give today’s roster the tools with which to succeed in the first place? Only time will tell if this trend is sporadic at best or if WWE is going down a road that will never end. 

 

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Wrestling Rumors. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes,YouTube, iHeart Radio, boinkstudios.com and live every Friday at 12pm EST on Wrestling Rumors Facebook Live