Shawn Michaels Says There Was An ‘Out Clause’ In Undertaker Retirement Storyline

Back in 2010, Shawn Michaels made his WWE exit after losing a Streak vs. Career match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26. The pair had a rematch of what was one of the best WWE matches of all time at WrestleMania 25 the year before. However, in their rematch at the University Of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, Michaels’ career was on the line if he lost.

Of course, at the time, The Undertaker still had his undefeated WrestleMania streak to worry about. Unfortunately for “HBK”, he was once against bested by “The Deadman” at “The Showcase Of The Immortals”. Michaels would wrestle his last match for a decade that night. In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Michaels revealed that he wasn’t sure about his retirement until after the match was actually over.

Michaels apparently had an “out clause” for the storyline that would allow him to return to the ring if he changed his mind:

“I don’t know that I ever completely decided that it was going to be it [for my career] until after that match was over. We had always sort of discussed sort of an ‘out clause,’ so to speak, if I had the desire to do it again.

“But I can remember myself, and ‘Taker, and Michaels Hayes just sitting there after the match, like we had done the year before, just the three of us, sort of sitting there, alone, taking it in, and I said, ‘You know something, guys? I feel good with that.’”