Shawn Michaels and The Lessons of Retirement: How to Retire With Grace?

Few would have predicted that Wrestlemania XXVI was to be Shawn Michaels' last match.

In the world of wrestling, however, retirement matches seldom means the end. Whether its Ric Flair, Randy Savage, or Hulk Hogan, the desire to hear their names cheered once more is enough to bring them back to the squared circle.

The decision to finally hang up the boots is a gamble for the promotion and the respective wrestler.

With the likes of Undertaker and Shawn Michaels still headlining Wrestlemanias well into their 40s and the likes of Flair and Hogan in their 50s and 60s, wrestling careers are longer than those in mainstream professional sports.

However the sight of a former hero limping around the ring with multiple injuries begins to take the lustre off their career.

Where once they flew from the top rope or performed miraculous shows of strength, their careers are now stuttering, predictable and bordering on parody.

We may still pay to see these superstars, but they no longer add something new to the wrestling world.

The example of Shawn Michaels took many by surprise. Few believed that he would lose a second time, few believed that the match would be clean, few believed that it was to be the end. And yet it was.

The storybook career of Shawn Michaels was monumental. From his background as a rocker in tag team wrestling to his breakout with Diesel and Pamela Anderson at his side, the Heartbreak Kid was the epitome of a WWF superstar come good.

Slowly working up the ranks and title scenes, he reached the pinnacle of his career in Wrestlemania XII.

He has low points too, the actions of DX pushed boundaries in terms of taste, his involvement in the Kliq and his refusal to put over Bret Hart at Wrestlemania XIII, all partly taint his career. But few can ever say to have a perfect working career.

What makes his career rounded was his retirement. Battling back from injury, Shawn returned to wrestling as veteran.

He still performed the same matches with little parody or effort. Other than an injured eye and a receding hairline, he still looked as he had 10 years before.

In ending his career at the main event of Wrestlemania, Shawn ended his career with grace, akin to that of Pete Sampras winning at the US Open.

Providing that he remains in retirement, Shawn has done what few have ever done in wrestling. To picture Shawn or indeed Pete, is to imagine a superstar at his peak.

Until Bret Hart made his return, his career was forever tainted by that match in Montreal and that match with Bill Goldberg.

The sight of Bret back in the ring has added a new chapter to his career, and while he is not in his prime, he has won back the authority of his career, its end, and his legacy.

Several superstars, arguably not as important to the wrestling world are now contemplating their careers. The likes of Jericho, Edge, Rey Mysterio, and Kane may not have the same power over their retirement but it is on the horizon.

For Chris Jericho the decision to retire in the event of an unsuccessful title victory is a gamble. If he is serious, his departure is hardly momentous, no build up, no hype, no Wrestlemania moment.

If he retires and then makes a return, he joins a long line of retirees that re-craved the bright lights when their characters have passed their prime.

Maybe though Y2J will win and swerve the wrestling world. But given the whispers currently being heard surrounding Jericho, the likelihood is that he will be gone.

Wrestling carries little of the prestige of other sports. Whether wrestling careers 'matter' is questionable given the entertainment definition of wrestling.

For those however who still seek an element of credibility, wrestling careers need to be nurtured and when the time is right, due respect shown as it comes to an end.

Not all will get to finish at Wrestlemania, but for those that get the honour, it is the ultimate way to retire.