The Heartbreak Kid probably broke quite a few hearts Monday night on Raw.
A teary-eyed Michaels gave a heart-touching speech at the end of the show as he said farewell to the fans after a phenomenal 26-year career. Among the people Michaels thanked were the fans, of which he said, "For years, you guys were the only ones in the world that made me like me;" Triple H for always standing by him for 16 years; Vince McMahon for putting up with him and helping him stay on course when he had his share of issues in the mid-to-late '90s; and the WWE production crew.
He also made it a point to acknowledge longtime rival Bret Hart. Michaels said that he "drove that man crazy in the '90s" and that Hart "had every right to say everything he ever did" about him. He thanked Hart for forgiving him and giving him the opportunity to be his friend again. Michaels also thanked God and his wife and two kids.
The most revealing part of Michaels' speech was when he addressed the fans' chant of "One more match!" Michaels said that he appreciates the sentiment and he knows that people are skeptical of career-ending matches, but he was going to do everything in his power to make sure "one more match" doesn't happen. "I don't want to break my word to you and I don't want to break my word to The Undertaker," he said. I don't think Michaels said it with malice, but I do think he was referencing Ric Flair going back on his vow to stay retired.
Michaels concluded the 14-minute speech by delivering the line that he used when he first turned heel in 1992: "Shawn Michaels has left the building." With that, he made his way up to the ramp, where he was greeted by Triple H. After they hugged, Triple H put two DX glow sticks on the stage and left. Michaels then waved to the fans and headed to the back.
It was a very classy speech that truly seemed heartfelt. I don't know how he will ever top it when he is inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. But I have no doubt that he'll once again find a way to outdo himself. After all, "The Showstopper" has done exactly that for the past 26 years.
Other thoughts on Monday's show:
The Undertaker coming out to tip his hat to Michaels before Michaels started speaking was a nice touch. ...
Raw got off to a hot start with Batista coming out to cut a promo. He had a lot of heel heat. John Cena then came out and offered Batista a rematch for later in the show, but Batista declined. That got him even more heat. Batista obviously is going to demand that the match take place at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view next month. After a brief scuffle between Batista and Cena, Jack Swagger suddenly attacked Cena from behind with the Money in the Bank briefcase. He then declared that he was cashing in his contract for a WWE title shot. By the time a referee made it to the ring, Cena had recovered and locked the STF on Swagger. I thought for sure that Swagger was going to tap and that was going to be it for Swagger's "push." Swagger escaped, however, and then said that, on second thought, he wasn't cashing in. I didn't care for that angle. First of all, why is Swagger allowed to change his mind after he said he was cashing in and the ref was in the ring? Plus, Swagger – who desperately needs some credibility after the way he has been booked since coming to Raw – was made to look like a joke. ...
In the big surprise of the night, Cena chose Randy Orton to be his tag team partner against Batista and Swagger. The crowd popped when Orton came out and was really hot for him during the match. Orton hit RKO's on Batista and Swagger, pinning the latter for the win. It was cool to see blood enemies Cena and Orton on the same side, but WWE needs to be careful not to take the edge from Orton's character. The fans will turn on Orton if he makes nice with Cena, WWE's ultimate good guy. In this instance it was about mutual respect between the two, not friendship. Hopefully it stays that way. ...
I wasn't surprised that Swagger was the one who did the job in the tag team match, but I had less of a problem with that than I did with how he was booked in the opening segment. Just the fact that Swagger was in the main event with three superstars is good for him. ...
Hart cut a good farewell promo, which I think this was his third one since returning to WWE. He paid tribute to Michaels, which was a classy move. After all the hard feelings between the two over the past 13-plus years, it is nice to see them not only gain closure but perhaps become friends. ...
The Miz cut an awesome promo on Hart. As soon as I saw Miz and The Big Show come out during Hart's promo, I knew it was to set up a tag team title program between them and The Hart Dynasty, who are now babyfaces. That answers the question as to whether THD will get a rub from "The Hitman." Miz and Big Show walking out in the middle of their impromptu match with THD was the right finish. It gives Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith credibility, gets heat on the heels and makes fans want to see THD get a title shot. ...
The angle in which Sheamus blind-sided Triple H in the middle of Triple H's emotional promo about Michaels was well done and got a significant heat on Sheamus. ...
At first I thought having guest hosts – two dudes from the movie "Hot Tub Time Machine" – on the show the night after WrestleMania was a bad idea, but they stayed out of the way for the most part. Plus, they were responsible for getting four bikini-clad divas -- Tiffany, Rosa Mendes and the Bella Twins – into a hot tub. By the way, why were Tiffany and Rosa so chummy? Didn't they have a catfight on the final episode of ECW last month? ...
The Christian-Ted DiBiase Jr. lumberjack match – with WWE old-timers as the legends – was entertaining (Christian got the win). It was funny watching the heels and babyfaces brawl, especially Sgt. Slaughter putting former rival Pat Patterson in the Cobra Clutch. ...
The 10-woman tag match – a rematch from WrestleMania – was even more of a waste than the first one. Eve pinned Maryse seconds after the bell rang. ...
Can someone explain to me what Santino Marella said and what the joke was? I didn't get it.