Shawn Michaels was recently interviewed by Bill Simmons of ESPN.com. Below are some highlights:
On a possible ring return: "No… I understand the skepticism with that, but I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t know I was ready. It’s funny, I made the decision a month before WrestleMania 25. I knew that 26 was going to be my last one. I didn’t know how it was going to look or what it was going to be, but I knew that was going to be my last one… I can’t even remember who it was, but like a month before WrestleMania 25 asked how old my boy was. I said he was nine and the guy said, ‘Wow, halfway gone.’ He said he was halfway to 18 and when he’s 18 he’s gone. That blew me away… He’s halfway gone and I’m not going to miss that. Period… The company is behind it. The ending, the story, everything about it was perfect… To come back, to have another match would taint that moment. That in and of itself is reason enough for me to not come back. I watched the NBC special, I cried. I know the story. It was beautiful… That’s how I worked. I wanted to create beautiful moments. My last one the most beautiful thing I ever had the privilege of being a part of and there’s absolutely no way I will ruin that."
On his relationship with Vince McMahon: "For me, the greatest boss in the world to ever work for. I know the real man. I know the text that he sent me after that special. He’s a good man. People don’t know him… That’s why I walked through fire for him and that’s why I walked through walls for him, not because he’s some kind of crazed Hitler. There is a decent dude there. He’s got tough, tough decisions to make. And I’ve watched him make them and weep and struggle… Walk a mile in that man’s shoes. I’ve seen and I’ve walked with him for 25 years, but that’s my opinion of him. I will always be a WWE guy and proudly say it. I am a former WWE superstar and damn proud of it."
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
