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The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 26, 2010)
After losing to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25, Shawn Michaels became obsessed with avenging the defeat. “The Deadman,” despite not wanting to give Michaels another opportunity, finally gave him the chance with the condition that if Michaels lost, he had to retire. This set up the iconic “Streak vs Career” match, where either The Undertaker’s 17-0 WrestleMania streak would come to an end, or Michaels’ career would.
Despite the fact that there were no titles involved, many would argue that the stakes for this bout were the highest of any non-title match in WWE history. Fans heading into this matchup were already excited due to their incredible encounter the year before, but the stakes being what they were made this sequel all the more electrifying.
While the matchup itself was incredible, as the two went back and forth with several near-fall moments, there was one particular element that elevated the match even further. It relied on a singular character moment that felt like something straight out of a movie.
As a weakened Shawn Michaels was struggling to get to his feet, The Undertaker paused out of respect, signaling for him to stay down. In a final act of defiance and resilience, Michaels stood up and slapped “The Phenom” across the face. Enraged, The Undertaker then delivered a final leaping Tombstone Piledriver, ending both the match and the legendary career of “The HeartBreak Kid.”
Ultimately, these matches are symbolic for many reasons. They remind fans that it’s not always about championships or athletic dominance, but about the emotional epilogue that closes the chapter on the careers we watch and love. The question now is whether
AJ Styles will meet the same fate as four of the five wrestlers on this list at the Royal Rumble this weekend. One thing is sure: if Saturday night is indeed the end of AJ Styles’ WWE career, fans will truly miss him and wish him nothing but the best.
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