8 WWE legends and what happened in their final match
When Shawn Michaels was advertised to make an appearance on Monday Night Raw last week, the majority of WWE fans thought he would be there simply to promote the upcoming match between The Undertaker and Triple H at Super Show-Down.
However, following an intense war of words with the returning Undertaker, it feels more possible now than ever that HBK might come out of retirement before WrestleMania 35, with the Barn Burner Fired Up podcast reporting that he could have matches against ‘Taker, Kevin Owens, Johnny Gargano and AJ Styles.
If any of those dream encounters come to fruition, it will be the first time since WrestleMania XXVI, where Michaels lost to The Undertaker, that he has competed in a WWE ring.
So, are the reports true? Will HBK really go back on his retirement and lace up the boots again? Or will he stick to his word and are we all getting excited about something that might not even happen?
Either way, all the talk about Michaels’ potential retirement U-turn got us thinking about his fellow WWE legends and who they fought in their final match, so let’s take a look at how eight Hall of Famers ended their careers with the company.
#8 Hulk Hogan
Due to financial disagreements with Vince McMahon in the mid-00s, Hulk Hogan didn’t have an official retirement match with WWE. Instead, he defeated Randy Orton during the 13-time world champion’s “Legend Killer” phase at SummerSlam 2006 and fans never saw him compete in a WWE match ever again.
"The Hulkster” would go on to compete in matches against Ric Flair during his ‘Hulkamania Let The Battle Begin’ tour of Australia in 2009, while his last high-profile match came when he lost against Sting at Impact’s Bound For Glory event in 2011.
According to wrestling stats database profightdb.com, his last official match took place in January 2012 with Impact in Manchester, England when he teamed with James Storm and Sting to defeat Bobby Roode, Bully Ray and Kurt Angle in a six-man tag.
#7 Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes competed in what was thought to be the final match of his career when he was defeated by Randy Orton in a Texas Bullrope match at the 2007 Great American Bash.
Three years later, “The American Dream” stepped back into the ring one final time in July 2010 when he joined forces with his sons, Cody Rhodes and Goldust, to defeat Caylen Croft, Curt Hawkins and Trent Barretta in a six-man tag during a show for FCW, WWE’s former developmental brand.