Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels remains one of WWE's most iconic rivalries. Undertaker beat Shawn ... [+]
From now until the end of time, WrestleMania lineups will be haunted by the ghost of Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels. It’s a feud that casts a shadow sure to break the hearts of any wrestler trying to top their WrestleMania 25 classic.
A&E’s new season of WWE Rivals, which airs this Sunday at 8/7c, will feature the iconic rivalry between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Though the two WWE Hall of Famers had only a handful of matches together despite their long, illustrious careers, Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels was considered to be one of the more memorable rivalries in WWE history.
“You never got anything conclusive with anything that had ever happened to Undertaker and Shawn Michaels together, ” commented WWE Hall of Famer and long-time WWE Executive Michael P.S. Hayes. Hayes was discussing their rivalry headed into WrestleMania 25.
“The first match at [WWE] Ground Zero, there wasn’t a definitive winner. At Hell in a Cell, it was Kane that came out that caused Shawn to win, but The Undertaker really whooped his ass.”
Undertaker and Shawn Michales had a third match at WWE Royal Rumble 1998, which also featured outside interference from Kane. The interference from The Big Red Machine led to another tainted win for Michaels, who defeated The Undertaker in a Casket Match. This match was notable in and of itself because Michaels infamously injured his back taking a bump on the casket. Michaels would only wrestle one more match against Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 14 before retiring for four years. It wasn’t until Michael’s 2002 comeback run where he would secure a long-awaited rematch against The Deadman—seven years after Michaels’ return.
Undertaker Vs. Shawn Michaels Exclusive Clip (WWE Rivals)
Despite being a great rivalry creatively, The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels was a mixed bag from a business standpoint for reasons out of their control. Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels was one of two headline matches on a weak WrestleMania 25 card that drew 960,000 buys on PPV. It marked the first time in two years that WrestleMania came in under one million buys, though the previous two WrestleManias featured box-office celebrities in Floyd Mayweather (WrestleMania 24) and Donald Trump (WrestleMania 23).
Buyrates For PPV’s Featuring Undertaker Vs. Shawn Michaels
- WWE Ground Zero In Your House 1998 | 180,0001
- WWE Badd Blood 1998 [sic] | 240,0002
- WWE Royal Rumble 1998 | 300,0003
- WWE WrestleMania 25 | 960,0004
- WWE WrestleMania 26 | 885,0005
The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels always seemed to be two ships passing in the sea, but whenever they worked with one another it was magic. Undertaker and Shawn Michaels’ match at WrestleMania 25—largely considered to be the greatest WrestleMania match of all time—featured the first clean finish to a match of their years-long rivalry. One where Undertaker finally defeated Michaels, preserving his streak at 17-0.
Undertaker extended the streak to 18-0 in a rematch against Michaels the following year (to the tune of 885,000 buys), which proved to be Michaels’ second retirement match (until 2018).
New episodes of “WWE Rivals” air Sundays at 8/7c on A&E
1. Up from 165,000 buys for WWE Canadian Stampede In Your House 1997
2. Up from 240,000 buys for WWE Ground Zero In Your House 1998
3. Up from 280,000 buys for WWE Royal Rumble 1997
4. Down from 1,024,000 buys for WWE WrestleMania 24
5. Down from 960,000 buys for WWE WrestleMania 25
