Will massive WWE legend come out of retirement to fight Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 41? Hall of Famer gives his take
Kevin Owens had expressed his desire to square off against a retired WWE legend. WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff addressed the former Universal Champion's comments recently.
The Prizefighter discussed his dream opponents in a recent interview with MuscleManMalcolm. The 40-year-old, who realized his dream of facing Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38, disclosed that he wanted to fight Shawn Michaels. The Heartbreak Kid retired from in-ring competition in 2010. Six years ago, he came out of retirement for a one-off match as he teamed up with his DX partner Triple H to defeat The Brothers of Destruction at Crown Jewel.
On his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff was asked whether he believed Owens could convince Michaels to come out of retirement to face him at WrestleMania 41 as he did with Austin. Although the Hall of Famer did not rule out the possibility, he claimed it was unlikely to happen.
"I don't know Shawn well enough or have spoken to him enough recently to get a read on that question. I have the impression, based on the very little time that I spent with him last week [during his NXT appearance], and some of the conversations we had that that's just not where his heart lies," he said.
The former RAW General Manager pointed out that Michaels' passion currently lies in building NXT and did not seem interested in making an in-ring comeback:
"I think his heart lies in the Performance Center. I think he is probably as passionate about the Performance Center and what he's trying to build there, along with Paul Levesque, and WWE in general. I think the passion that he has for what he's doing is probably the most important thing to him right now. I don't think he's got a lot of desire to get back into the ring but I could be wrong." [22:23 - 23:02]
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels has turned down Kevin Owens' request for a match multiple times
In his interview with MuscleManMalcolm, Kevin Owens revealed that he had asked Shawn Michaels to come out of retirement to face him multiple times. However, The Heartbreak Kid has turned him down each time.
The Prizefighter added that he had now given up on the idea after the WWE Hall of Famer refused three years in a row.
"Well, the answer is always Shawn Michaels. I really try pretty much every year, but I think I’m done trying now." Kevin Owens said. "I mean, it’s been three years running where he’s politely said no to me. I think the next time I ask, he’ll probably just tell me to, you know, uh… F off - to put it nicely," he said. [H/T - WrestleZone]
Owens challenged Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Saturday Night's Main Event. However, he failed to dethrone The American Nightmare. After the match, The Prizefighter attacked his rival. He also got into a physical altercation with Michaels' best friend, WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H.
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