Shawn Michaels Has No Regrets About Crown Jewel Match: ‘It Was Like a Glorified House Show’

– Shawn Michaels’ return to the ring at Crown Jewel may have been controversial, but he has no regrets about it. Michaels returned to the ring last October to team with Triple H against Undertaker and Kane at the Saudi Arabia show, a show that drew heavy criticism for a variety of issues. Speaking with the ChallengeMania podcast, Michaels discussed his involvement in the match and why he doesn’t view it as going back on his retirement.

Highlights from the discussion, as well as the full podcast, are below:

On if he ever has any regrets about returning at Crown Jewel: “No, there are no regrets, but … so again, honestly, and no one will ever believe me but I’ll tell you anyway [laughs], but honestly, again it was — it’s not a WrestleMania, it’s not a this, it’s not a … to me it wasn’t coming back as the Heartbreak Kid. It was a tag [match]. I know that’s not the same, and I know nobody will understand it, but in my mind, it was like a glorified house show, a live event … I don’t mean that to be intellectually insulting to the wrestling fan, but in my mind, it was just so not the same.”

On why he did it: “I got asked. It was almost like, as a favor [laughs]. And it was totally just, Hunter and I [did] the DX thing, a tag match. None of that felt like — it felt like a totally separate entity to me than the other. And that’s why I felt okay doing it. And the thing is, it was done with the intent of again, being a nice little fun thing to do. And I can’t say that it turned out to be all that fun. It was okay, and it was great being out there with those guys. But again, it was just one of those things that you sorta do because you’re a company dude and you go, ‘Oh alright, you know, I’ll do this’ and it’s separate and all that. To me it just sort of lives out there on its own.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Challenge Mania with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.

Listen to “BONUS EP: WWE Superstar Shawn Michaels” on Spreaker.