Inducted by Andrew Ardizzi
Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker.
The Grim Reaper and the Heartbreak Kid.
The Deadman and a simple man defined by his defiance of fate.
Throughout their careers, it seemed their paths were inextricably linked after a point, which is a remarkable thing considering they both worked for WWE throughout the ‘90s and never had a match 1 on 1 until 1997. It might shock you to know they only ever had five singles matches over a span of 20 years.
Beginning with their no contest at Ground Zero in 1997, to their epic Hell in a Cell, and through that winter to their Casket Match at Royal Rumble 1998, Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker made magic happen every time they set foot in the ring opposite each other. Their matches were classics because of what they did in the ring as much as it had to do with the story behind their matches. Their matches were also classics because at the core it was a simple David vs. Goliath story, but was rounded out with the cockiness, arrogance, defiance, inevitability, and intimidation both respectively brought to the dance.
The cherry on top was that when the stakes were highest, their indomitable wills took center stage and they stole the show nearly every time. In wrestling, any two people can have a match, but to have a great match or something that stands the test of time, wrestlers need to have chemistry together. Otherwise, the physical and narrative stories fall flat.
One year prior to their clash at WrestleMania 26, HBK and the Undertaker wrestled one of the best matches of their careers in a 30-minute epic that saw Undertaker finally defeat Michaels in his fourth try. It was exciting, it was physical, it was competitive, and you really didn’t know what was going to happen next. That was the case until Michaels made that fateful mistake when he attempted a moonsault. Taker caught him, hit the Tombstone, and the rest was academic. In the aftermath, some began to refer to it as one of the greatest WrestleMania matches ever.
After that year’s WrestleMania they went their own way. Michaels took some time away, while Taker would win the world championship. As the year wore on HBK returned as we neared the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania season.
As it would turn out their WrestleMania 25 match won the Slammy for WWE Match of the Year. HBK accepted that award, stated he believed he could still defeat the Undertaker, and challenged him to a rematch. One month later Taker, who was champion at the time, denied his request and said he had nothing to prove to Michaels. HBK then tried and failed to earn the right to face Taker by winning the Royal Rumble. A month later, HBK cost Taker his title to draw his ire so much that their WrestleMania rematch was an inevitability.
Taker granted HBK’s request on one condition – Michaels had to put his career on the line. In accepting this match though, a very real reality set in – how could they possibly top the epic scale of their WrestleMania 25 encounter? The answer was quite simple in hindsight: deliver the opposite of what fans expect. Where fans expected a sequel tonally equal to the original, we got a back-and-forth, dirty fight that was much more measured than their match the year before. Before we knew it, more than 20 minutes had passed. The action slowly tapered down into a series of big moves. Then in a blink, it was over. The streak was intact and HBK was going home for the last time.
What makes this match special isn’t the simple equation of the players involved, nor does it matter that it took place at WrestleMania. That’s secondary and isn’t what places it beside their encounter from the year before—if not ahead of it. What highlights the importance of this match is the journey they walked to get to that point. Their matches built their rivalry organically over time with the natural conclusion being a major WrestleMania match between them; never mind a sequel a year later.
Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker were rivals through and through. They grew together and tested one another throughout their careers, so much so that as this match wore on, reality overwhelmed HBK and Taker. Their styles completely complemented each other’s and they knew their epic battle needed to end even though neither was willing to give an inch.
We remember this match not because it was a good match necessarily, but because it was the main event. I think we do because in the end, it was a story about two polar opposites who were evenly matched in every way. Their styles were the perfect counter to the others. That reality washed over the Undertaker with every big move he threw at HBK to finish the match. Michaels just kept getting up. We remember this match because of HBK’s fearless, never-say-die attitude and his utter defiance of the Undertaker’s aura. To Michaels, he was just a man.
We cherish this match as a goodbye to HBK and his greatest hits, when even in the jaws of defeat, he still had the gall and audacity to taunt the gigantic Deadman with his own gesture before slapping the taste out of his mouth. It’s a very human moment to understand the inevitability staring you in the face, and you decide then and there you’re going to make your last stand. This match could have ended any number of ways, but HBK letting his brash, defiant nature shine one last time prior to a thunderous, decisive match-ending leaping Tombstone was the most HBK way to end things. The 2.99 kickout, the taunt, the slap, and the thunderous Tombstone sum up the evolution of him as a character and a man. He possessed a defiant will to survive and daringness to smack the face of his greatest rival.
This match was a snapshot of their rivalry that showcased the best they had to offer.
This match was their last call, their greatest match, and their definitive masterpiece.
