5 Dream WWE Opponents for Shawn Michaels' Possible 'One-Off' Match

The fans chanting "One more match!" at Shawn Michaels may get their wish.

The Hall of Famer has cracked the door open on the possibility of a one-off return, and visions of him mixing it up with the likes of AJ Styles and Seth Rollins will be swirling in the minds of the WWE Universe. 

The topic of returning to the ring came up when The Heartbreak Kid spoke with Jefferson Lake of Sky Sports recently. "I think it's one of those that you would never say never about, and if it was just for a one-off then it's something that I would take a look at," he said.  

Michaels has been the rare wrestler to stay retired. He fell to Undertaker in a Career vs. Streak match at WrestleMania 26 and rode off into the proverbial sunset. He has moved into a trainer role at the WWE Performance Center and seemed content showing up for non-wrestling appearances on TV and pay-per-view.

He offered the slightest hint of that changing, and it's hard not to get excited.

Should a Michaels comeback come to pass, the options for The Showstopper are plentiful. He could face superb storytellers who he clearly influenced. A big name from The Attitude Era would make for a marquee match, as well.

The following are the five top choices for Michaels' dream opponents based on the electricity they would create in the ring, the built-in storylines WWE could use and how much fans would get pumped about seeing them cross paths with him.

AJ Styles

Since arriving on the WWE stage in 2016, AJ Styles has staked his claim as the company's top performer.

He flies around the ring and draws out his opponent's best. He tells engrossing stories between the ropes. Against everyone from Brock Lesnar to Shane McMahon, The Phenomenal One has lived up to his nickname.

In that way, Styles has been in the midst of a Michaels-like run.

It's a no-brainer to pit those two against each other if The Heartbreak Kid made a comeback. It would be a battle of the best of their respective generations: showstopper against showstopper. 

On a Table for 3 episode last year, Michaels grew giddy as he talked about the idea of facing Styles. You can't blame him: Michaels vs. Styles would be something special.

Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan would not only ensure Michaels' comeback match would be a barnburner in terms of in-ring action, there is also ample history between the two to tap into.

Bryan studied under Michaels early in his career in San Antonio, Texas. WWE played up that story when HBK refereed The Beard's world title bout against Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell 2013.

A Superkick cost Bryan his shot at the gold, and the bearded underdog took out his frustrations on Michaels the next night.

Building on that bad blood would be a breeze.

Bryan, for one, would be thrilled about facing his former mentor. In a 2013 interview with Ringside Collectibles, he called Michaels a "dream opponent."

"To me, Shawn Michaels is always going to be the best of all time. There's nobody who is better than him," Bryan said. "If I could convince Shawn Michaels to come back, that would be awesome." It sure would.

And like Styles, Bryan would produce a work of art in there with Michaels. The Yes! Man's energy and technical skill would pair perfectly with Michaels' storytelling acumen.

Johnny Gargano

Credit: WWE.com

Michaels' most outside-the-box dream opponent is NXT's Johnny Gargano.

Johnny Wrestling isn't as big a name as Bryan or Styles. What he lacks in name power, though, he makes up for with in-ring ability. Gargano churns up emotion in the ring like few others.

Dave Meltzer (h/t the Internet Wrestling Database) rated two of Gargano's matches a perfect five stars this year in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. That's unprecedented. WWE usually goes years between five-star bouts.  

When talking possible opponents, Michaels told Sky Sports: "Someone like a Johnny Gargano would be fantastic."

It's easy to see why. The former NXT tag champ is cartoon-quick, smooth on the mat and connects with the crowd in a big way. 

Going toe-to-toe with a legend in a passing-of-the-torch moment would be a hell of a way to welcome Gargano from NXT. 

The Rock

Credit: WWE.com

Two of the biggest stars in WWE history were ships passing in the night.

Timing was a key reason we never saw The Rock and Michaels clash. HBK retired in 1998, and The Brahma Bull hadn't come into his own yet.

When Michaels made his return to the ring years later, The Rock was transitioning from wrestler to movie star. 

Their real-life bad blood was to blame, as well.

Michaels and The Great One's dislike for each other is well-documented. Things even got physical according to The Rock's father, Rocky Johnson. Speaking with Hannibal TV last year, he recalled a story of The Rock and Michaels fighting backstage.

That kind of animosity makes for great onscreen rivalries. It would be smart to take advantage of that, to let them tear into each other on the mic leading up to a marquee match.

The Rock wouldn't produce the kind of classic that Styles or Bryan would alongside HBK, but he has the advantage in terms of star power.

The Rock vs. Michaels is a bout that would entice lapsed fans to tune in and create mainstream headlines. It would be a massive match, a long-anticipated meeting of icons.

Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins has been busy climbing the ranks of WWE's all-time performers. He's on a white-hot run in which he has carried Raw as intercontinental champion.

Against Michaels, Rollins would surely pull out something special. He's a faster, more athletic version of The Heartbreak Kid. Their collision could be today's version of Michaels vs. Chris Jericho at WrestleMania XIX, a meeting of mirror images. 

There's some history to build on, too. The two men shared an intense showdown in 2015 when Rollins was world champion. Michaels told The Architect to stop trying to be the next version of him and be himself instead.

That could easily be the foundation for a match between the two as Rollins looks to prove himself against one of the greats.