A Perfect DEAD (man's) End for HBK!

PHOENIX – One could argue that it wasn’t Shawn Michaels who lost on The Grandest Stage of Them All Sunday night. Yes, Michaels fell in defeat to The Phenom, who extended his unbeaten WrestleMania streak to an unprecedented 18-0. However, by ending The Showstopper’s illustrious career, The Deadman effectively provided the WWE Universe with perhaps its greatest collective loss in WWE history: the end of an icon’s ring career.

Their rematch was destined to happen – many believed that as soon as their epic first confrontation at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania concluded one year prior. It certainly remained foremost in the mind of HBK, who demanded another opportunity against The Phenom at The Show of Shows since last December’s Slammy Awards ceremony on Raw. Yet after months of calling out The Deadman and coming up short in bids to earn a rematch, Michaels finally succeeded after costing The Undertaker his World Heavyweight Title inside the Elimination Chamber last February.

Of course, garnering The Undertaker’s sole, undivided attention is a double-edged sword. The Phenom finally agreed to face The Showstopper one more time at WrestleMania – with the stipulation that it would be Shawn Michaels’ last time as a WWE Superstar, should he fail to end “The Streak,” a prize that many would equate to a World Championship … or perhaps hold in even higher regard.

Sunday’s rematch between HBK and The Undertaker was only the fourth such contest to end a WrestleMania without championship gold on the line. However, it was, by far, the most important of those matches. Furthermore, indecision or controversy was all but eliminated by the stipulation that this “Streak vs. Career” Match could end only via pinfall or submission.

“I wouldn’t have agreed to this match if I wasn’t at a place where I was ready to take on the inevitable, which is the end of my career,” Michaels told WWE.com in an exclusive interview hours before the confrontation. “I like to be a man of my word. I’d like to honor what I said to The Undertaker … that if I don’t beat his streak, I will walk away.”

That said, Michaels was more than ready Sunday night. Before a capacity crowd inside the University of Phoenix Stadium, fans’ loyalties were divided as “Mr. WrestleMania” gave the Showstopping performance of his career – and a match that must have left The Undertaker wondering, even if just for a moment, whether or not he could defeat HBK at a second consecutive WrestleMania.

Though it seemed impossible to conceive, Michaels and The Deadman outdid their epic confrontation from last year – a match that was deemed universally as 2009’s Match of the Year. The tide turned multiple times Sunday night, but when Michaels connected with the Sweet Chin Music that has silenced 25 years’ worth of ring opponents, posters stating “17-1” began popping up sporadically in the crowd.

Unfortunately for them, The Phenom wasn’t quite ready to relinquish his unbeaten WrestleMania record, a streak that is unparalleled in the history of WWE.