Shawn Michaels Had People Worrying Every Day About Him After WWE Return

Shawn Michaels retired from the ring, and he was paid a ton of money just to sit at home. Then he returned to the ring after his retirement that lasted from 1998 to 2002. Bruce Prichard was there when he returned in 2003, and there was a lot of worry.

During a recent episode of Something To Wrestle With, Bruce Prichard discussed Shawn Michaels’ in-ring return in 2003. He stated that every week was a gift for HBK as they wondered how much longer he could go. Then the time in the ring started to help Shawn Michaels and convince him that he could go even longer.

“There were times throughout it from the second week of Shawn returning when he did,. We were thinking, ‘Okay, how long is this going to be able to last? How long are we going to be able to do this?’

“So, everyday in many respects was a gift that, ‘Okay, man he’s going alright,’ but the more that he worked, the more he felt like, ‘Okay, I can do this a little longer.’ It’s when you stop working, you’re not working as much and it’s harder to get back into the swing of things and get back into the groove of things.

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“So, you would periodically have these times where Shawn was hurt and he was. He had an awful lot of wear and tear on his body and his body was paying the price.”

Time away from the squared circle can do some real damage to a Superstar’s longevity. It is important to keep that ring rust off as well. If someone’s body is used to taking the wear and tear from the ring it can get easier to perform. This was obviously a concern for those backstage who wondered how much more HBK could take.

Shawn Michaels is now an influential force backstage in NXT and NXT UK. He left those days in the ring behind him, and there doesn’t seem to be any interest from his side to ever wrestle again. At least fans were able to get one more good run out of the Showstopper from 2003 to 2010.

Thanks to Wrestling Inc for the quote