Deeper Dive: AJ Styles Vs. HBK?

Rumors have popped up that WWE might not be done lining up retired Superstars to come in for a cameo run. With the big anniversary Royal Rumble coming to us from Texas in January, it seems as though WWE has reached out to Shawn Michaels and offered an encounter with AJ Styles. Thus far, the retired HBK has declined.

To his credit, HBK lost a Streak versus Career match and vowed he’d never wrestle again, and he hasn’t. Would he be persuaded to work a match with a star as big as Styles?

On one hand, I say why not. If Michaels can still go, a match between the two could be amazing. As of this writing, Styles is still the World Champion. Would WWE have Michaels face Styles with the title on the line, or would such a match see Styles dropping the title before January?

I mean, it’s not as though Michaels would be the first wrestler to say he’s retired, only to un-retire. Or, to lose a retirement match only to come back. I mean, HBK himself was effectively retired but came back. His idol, Ric Flair, has done it. Terry Funk should probably be in the Guinness Book of World Records for the sheer number of times he was in retirement matches. So, there’s a precedent.

On the other hand, Styles is at the top of his game-there’s a reason why he has the big championship. Michaels has not worked on the grand stages of WWE in several years. No matter how gifted and talented as someone is, that’s a tall order to expect him to knock off all the rust and then work an epic match which could maybe just be a one-off. I suppose my concern would be, would this sort of return engagement taint our memories? What happens if it’s not nearly as good as we expect it could be on paper?

In the end, if Shawn decides to come back, I trust that he feels confident that he can perform at a high level, and have a match worthy of his return. I trust he wouldn’t come back and half-ass it for the sake of a paycheck. If he doesn’t come back, as he said he would not, I think that’s probably for the best. It’s easy for us to drool over the possibility of that dream match, but if he thinks he can’t or won’t measure up to the fantasy of the match, then he’s wise to leave it to our imaginations.