WWE News: Shawn Michaels talks whether Vince McMahon approached him for WWE return, wanting to work with Samoa Joe
What’s the story?
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels recently appeared in an interview with ESPN to promote his new movie, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone. During the conversation, the legendary superstar revealed whether he had been approached by Vince McMahon for a return to the WWE and also spoke about why he considers Samoa Joe to be a dream opponent.
In case you didn’t know…
Over the past few months, there has been a lot of speculation around Michaels making a return to in-ring action. However, ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ has repeatedly made it clear that he does not have any intention of doing so. In October last year, WWE Champion AJ Styles had posted a fan-made Royal Rumble poster which showed him and ‘The Icon’ standing face to face.
Styles had also expressed interest in having a dream match against Shawn Michaels in some of the interviews that he gave but the latter claimed to be happy with his retired life. When ‘Mr. Wrestlemania’ appeared on the 9 January episode of Raw this year, many expected him to announce his participation in the Royal Rumble match but as it turned out, he was just promoting his upcoming movie.
The heart of the matter
Michaels claimed to find it amusing when he is asked about having been approached by the WWE because the two top guys who run the WWE, Vince McMahon and Triple H, are the ones who understood and respected his decision and never approached him in the past few years.
Here’s what ‘The Showstopper’ said:
“It's funny because the two guys who really make the decisions, which is Vince [McMahon] and Hunter [Paul 'Triple H' Levesque], in seven years have never even approached me. I guess I'm semi-amused that people think 'Vince is saying this' and whatnot because those are the two people that understand why and respect why I retired and understood it.”
Contrary to the general view that wrestlers like AJ Styles, Seth Rollins or Dolph Ziggler are ideal opponents for him, Shawn Michaels opined that Samoa Joe is the kind of guy he would love to face. According to him, Joe’s style is completely different to his and so their confrontation would tell a better story. This is what Michaels had to say about ‘The Submission Specialist’:
“I look at Samoa Joe and I've told him a number of times that I see his stuff at NXT and think to myself, 'Man, I could have a great deal of fun with you’. He's a guy I have sort of enjoyed, and one of those sleeper guys that no one talks about.We have contrasting styles.
I get that everybody wants to see me and AJ or Seth or Dolph [Ziggler]. From my standpoint, I think really telling a great story out there [is most important]. I could do it with a guy like Samoa Joe. His stuff looks really good, and sometimes he just looks like he's beating the tar out of somebody.”
What next?
With Michaels being very firm about his decision of not wanting to make an in-ring return, it is difficult to foresee him having much of an involvement with the WWE in the days to come.
Sportskeeda’s Take
‘The Heartbreak Kid’ is certainly one of the biggest names to have set foot inside a WWE ring and the fans would undoubtedly love to see him compete once again. However, it is about time for everyone to show respect for his decision to stay away from wrestling and allow him to choose if and when he wants to step inside the squared circle one more time.
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