Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker

[7.0] "An overwrought spotfest, that was better than their pervious match, I did love it when I was younger and there is something here, certainly more than the pervious year's WrestleMania match which I thought sucked, this was an improvement, but that is partially nostalgia"

[10.0] "I prefer this to the Mania 25 match. It's more emotional and passionate. The storytelling is magnificent. It is a No DQ match, but there are no weapons used, cause that's not the reason for the stipulation, it's only there to make sure this has a real ending. In the beginning, when Shawn realizes Taker's leg is now a weakness, the facial expression he makes before targeting it is fantastic. So well paced, the build to the high spots and the finish give the sense of reality. The reality that Shawn is a man on his last legs, something he himself realizes on the finish, where he basically tells Taker to take him out, doing the taunt, and slapping the hell out him. It's fitting that Mr. Wrestlemania went out on an absolute classic at Wrestlemania."

[9.0] "Running from the opposite way here. Everyone praises this match for the same reason, so I won't do the same shit over and over again, I will start my rating providing something that most part of the fans don't do. I can't hide my bias here and personal opinion on how wrestling work and should work, everyone who already saw any of my reviews know that I am guy pretty "relax", don't have an plot that I want each single match to follow, but I do think that bet his career on matches USUALLY doesn't make any sense. If you're doing an career x career, makes sense, career x title is already too dumb for my taste, career x STREAK? Shawn Michaels, one of the greatest ever, is betting his professionalism to beat a win streak, is that really what was the best? I do hate it. And it gets a bit worst, the match is technically an No Disqualification Match, but I bet my soul on the line that no one could find here an single weapon. Not an chair, an table (commentary doesn't count). The match is awesome, just realistic as the first one with great nesrfalls, dramatic moves and a even better limb work by HBK, Undertaker sold his life here and that moonsault HBK did wasn't a botch, he just end up hitting Taker's legs. I do think that match is pretty good with an outstanding storyline behind, that helped them to create their plot for the next two WrestleMania matches Undertaker had. Oh, and "Shawn Michaels career is over" might be the best line Michael Cole ever dropped in his non high skilled career."

[10.0] "The match at WM25 was more focused on the in-ring work however this match is more story focused. Still an excellent performance from both from the near falls to the back and forth action. Still one of the best retirement matches in wrestling."

[9.0] "This is a rematch for the ages. The last time they met, they shook up the world of professional wrestling by putting on a mesmerizing epic. It was David vs. Goliath, Heaven vs. Hell, Light vs. Darkness, now it's Streak vs. Career, and it's simply one of the greatest pieces of storytelling ever told. What was a masterpiece in duality the year prior has now turned into obsession and desperation for another opportunity at The Holy Grail, and in that aspect, it's a masterpiece in its own right. What was a sumptuous celestial blue lighting at WrestleMania 25 has now turned sunset orange (intentional or not, I interpret it as such and I find it magnificently poetic), and melancholy takes over. It's an emotionally exhausting ride, and once again, they work wonders together. It's not quite as masterfully structured as its precursor ; it's about six minutes shorter, faster paced, heavier on spots and finishers, but it's another engaging thriller. The first 10 minutes or so are outstanding; I love that blazing start, Taker landing awkwardly after going Old School serves as a brilliant opening for Shawn to go after the leg, and he does so expertly and laser focused, even pulling out a slick Tombstone counter right into an Ankle Lock. Then Taker hits a Chokeslam under ten minutes into the match, and from there, it mainly relies on spots, finishers and kickouts, which is fine, but which also caught me off guard a bit (not necessarily in a good way) considering the clinic they were putting on beforehand. There's a wicked Last Ride counter in there but also an awkward Moonsault on the announce table from Shawn, which lands on Taker's feet. Shawn getting one final big time kickout before getting up, slapping the hell out of The Undertaker who hits him with the most emphatic Tombstone I have ever seen to end it all before paying homage him, is a thing of beauty. Way to go for my GOAT! Mr. WrestleMania indeed. ****1/2"

[8.0] "For me it did not live up to the hype the first match carried. It started slow and we sort of skipped the second gear and went full throttle with the last. The difference of throat slit by Shawn from the start and at the end was perfect storytelling. A solid match that seemed melodramatic. Maybe a longer duration, faster pacing and the addition of JR at the commentary would have made this better than last year. Still one of the greatest retirement matches we can witness in wrestling. What a couple of legendary careers. P..S. felt that the selling from Shawn wasn't much there, especially after the tombstone on the ground."

[10.0] "With the Career on the line these two just put on such a classic, Shawn did everything to get this match tried to ask, tried to win the rumble, cost Taker the title. Shawn kicks it off with a throat Slit which upsets Taker, Shawn uses this to his advantage as Taker hurts his knee early on, Shawn works the leg throughout with Taker with some great selling Shawn is able to get out of a few last rides even leading to a moonsault to the leg after some superkicks, Shawn and Taker both find kickouts throughout with some great nearfalls what really brought this to a 10 for me is how Shawn remained himself through and through ending and starting with Shawn trying to get the undertaker to pull the trigger a great callback to Mania 24 with HBK and Flair. Taker then ends HBKs legendary 25 year career with one last piledriver for the 3, And Shawn would never wrestle again"

[10.0] "A perfect match. Streak vs career, David vs Goliath, probably the best WrestleMania main event in history, at least top 3. Surprisingly technical and psychologically dependent, with Michaels working Taker's legs for the bulk of the match, before his own finally give out from underneath him as he's put out of his misery despite his clinical defiance. The textbook wrestling retirement match, those final few minutes are quite literally flawless."

[7.0] "I slightly prefer their Wrestlemania 25 match. This had all the cons of that match but just more noticeable. Why is Undertaker hitting a choke slam like 7 minutes into the match. Outside of the Tombstone to the outside and the moonsault through the table, it felt like they didn't really know what to do for some parts of the match. However, the ending was still awesome and Michaels once again puts on a good performance here. It's just a shame how this wasn't the way he ended up going out."

[8.0] "Felt like a rehash in some ways to their earlier bout, the no DQ stipulation didn't really add a whole lot. That ending though, so fucking good. Self indulgant maybe, but HBK has had a career that earned that send off"

[9.0] "Is this match overrated? Probably, but you can say about anything which has been called the best of that thing. This was the style these two came up on, shown off one last time. This match was Texan territorial wrasslin brought to 2010. The Jumping tombstone super finisher is utterly ruthless to watch, and the perfect demonstration of storytelling without needing ten minutes of talking in a match. Beauty, sincerity, and Texas, told through two iconic careers. Yeah if you're born after 2005 you'll probably shit on this match, but that's probably due to the kids being wrong and me being right."

[7.0] "This match is overrated and heavy handed. Yet I still liked it. The crowd helped. But this reaked of self indulgence. Maybe these two have earned this. A different era match with two legends. Good but I wasn't moved."

[6.0] "I hate to say this, but this wasn't all that great as people say it is. I enjoyed some moments in this match, like the tombstone on the floor, the moonsault through the table, the final few moments between Shawn and Taker before Taker hit a fucking jumping tombstone to end Micheals. Besides those moments, this wasn't all that memorable. I feel this wasn't at the same level as the year prior."

[8.0] ""A great match with strong emotion and storytelling, especially with the 'Streak vs Career' stipulation. The pacing was slower than their WM25 bout, but the drama and atmosphere were still top-tier. Both performers delivered a memorable main event, even if it didn't surpass their previous clash. Solid 8/10 for me.""

[10.0] "This is the match that I can watch every time .This match for me better than from 25th wrestllemania, but not because of spots, for me them two are one of the best in history in this, but emotions, because of Shawn Michaels retiring.It was such an emotional moment and imo opinion this is the best retiring in history of wrestling (forget about the match in 2018).This match in absolutely perfect!"

[4.0] "The ostensible stakes were greatly disappointed by the action itself. What had just occurred before our very eyes was to indulge the audience by emulating a superior match from the year prior--Taker and Michaels's match at Wrestlemania 25 was a delightful surprise, but knowing the competitors involved, the expectations had an already sturdy floor. Here, during the main event of Wrestlemania 26, we are invited in with the stakes of "Career vs. Streak, " furthering the hype between the two. But given the melancholy and tiredness of Michaels's performance, this was already over before it began, and the repeated usage of each of their biggest hits had become expected."

[10.0] "It's honestly better than the WrestleMania 25 match. The stakes might be what makes it better, but I just like it more. Both are amazing. 10/10"

[10.0] "How can someone say that wm25 match is better than this match it was a pure wrestling match This match had better ring action and better chemistry between these two wrestlers"

[10.0] "This was beautiful. What was different about this match and the match they had at WM25 was the way they told the story. At 25, the story was told through moves and the brilliant construction of the match. WM26 was pure emotion. Their first match at WM25 is my all time favorite bout, but I can absolutely understand why someone would pick this match instead. It was more simple, primal, raw and emotional. Sometimes that's all you need to tell a compelling story and HBK and the Undertaker are master storytellers. There were still some great spots (tombstone on the floor, moonsault into the announce table...etc.), but it was the old school psychology and storytelling that separate this match from other contemporary matches. Undertaker injures his leg maybe a minute or two into the match and he sells it the entire time. He even sells the injury after the match is over. That's dedication to one's craft. The ending sequence is simply masterful. Taker begins to motion that the end is near, but before he does, he almost begins to feel sorry for Michaels. He shakes his head and yells at him to stay down. HBK, can't go out that way, however. He mocks the Undertaker's cut throat taunt and slaps him hard across the face. An enraged Undertaker then hits him with a destructive jumping tombstone for the win. What an ending to an incredible career (Crown Jewel never happened)."

[8.0] "This is much worse than the Wrestlemania 25 match, but I still think it's a great match. The whole career vs streak story had everyone locked in. The rightfully even got the main event spot too. The actual match was very good too. I loved the ending when Shawn slapped taker and taker just hit him with the best tomb stone I've ever seen."

[9.0] "There is nothing I can say about this match that hasn't already been said. Absolute masterclass. The storytelling with Undertaker's injured leg during the entire match was brilliant, Shawn Micheals refusing to give up was brilliant, and this was an amazing way to send off HBK. Shawn Michaels has always brought out a different side of The Undertaker that no one else I've seen has been able to do. He really MOVES when he is against HBK, and their chemistry is perfect. Obviously the buildup was fantastic, especially at the Elimination Chamber."

[10.0] "This is professional wrestling at its absolute peak. Everything about this match hits: the story, the pacing, the emotion, the legacy. It's not just "Streak vs. Career, " it's a love letter to wrestling itself. Shawn Michaels gave everything he had left, and The Undertaker matched him step for step. Every move meant something. Every glance told a story. A masterclass in how to end a career with grace, emotion, and meaning. One of the greatest matches of all time."

[5.0] "This isn't anywhere near the classic from the year before. There was no reason for it to exist and they also rehashed the same spots. Shawn kicking out of the tombstone here was just another kick out. In 2009 it was the shock of the year. Unfortunately after that everyone started kicking out of it. This is not a bad match and if this happened without the 2009 match, I think it would be a classic."

[10.0] "Another five star classics between these two. A great way for Shawn Michaels to go out and we can pretend the disaster at Crown Jewel never happened. This match may even be better than their encounter the year before which is crazy. Everything about this match is why I love professional wrestling, and it doesn't get much better than this."

[10.0] "This is Shawn Michaels' final match. No, there was no 2018 Saudi disaster of a tag match. It never happened. This is his final match and it's the greatest retirement match of all time. It'd be an all-time classic even without Michaels' career on the line. This was the perfect way to end a career. The matches that Michaels and Undertaker had at HIAC 1997, WM 25, and WM 26 could be put together as examples of wrestling perfection."

[10.0] "Too bad it wasn't Shawn's actual final match, but I'll just pretend that other one didn't happen. Jumping Tombstone will always make me pop."

[9.0] "Compelling storyline with Streak vs. Career background made a huge effort to tell a beautiful fairytale and they accomplished it. However, both guys went out of gas pretty quick and it affected the whole match structure, which was mainly focus on a sequence "big spot-break". Amazing, but not as great as year before."

[10.0] "My favorite match ever, simply perfect, impossible not to get emotional with HBK's farewell. Every time I see her again, tears fall from my eyes"

[10.0] "the best retirement match in wrestling history. Poetic ending to the career of hbk. A match i make sure to always watch atleast one time a year. Love the final moments of hbk career where he doesn't back down until the very end. 5 stars"

[10.0] "The first match is just the slightest bit better, but this was still an excellent send-off for HBK. Very much a solid match that (once again) carried Wrestlemania."

[10.0] "Perfect match. From storytelling it was an awesome match, I Don't find it fully well from wrestling quality, it was bit slower in somepoints, but it was overall a perfect match, if we consider everything. (*****)"

"That's probably best non cruel singles match at wrestlemania with real good story. Unlike others I think that Wrestling there's better than at wrestlemania 25 but wm 25's story building is way better. Btw not counting End of an era as singles match because Michaels participated at it almost as much as HHH and Undertaker"

[10.0] "this match was the perfect sendoff for the heartbreak kid, he comes back together with the undertaker to give us one last banger to give us one of if not the greatest ends to a career of all time, it's slow, but that fits it because of their ages and the fact that they've both been in the business for years and the pain is starting to get to them, and by the end, it also adds the story beats of the undertaker actually having sympathy for shawn but knowing that shawn literally just wouldn't give up unless he either won and took the streak or lost his career, so he had to put him down, ending an all-time career"

[10.0] "The perfect sendoff for a perfect wrestler. The only grievance I have with the match was that it was too short, for what they were enduring and the stakes, I think it should have been longer. However, the technical prowess, high spots, amazing kick out progression, and upper echelon storytelling make this a truly one of a kind match. When it comes to their two big Wrestlemania matches, the choice is really all subjective. But both options are both solidified and validated because of their statuses within WWE history. *****"

[10.0] "Phenomenal match, and an awesome sendoff to the career of the Heartbreak Kid. The stakes (Taker's streak and Shawn's career on the line) provided a very tense atmosphere, and enhanced the match as Shawn fought desperately to beat the streak."

"For me Wrestlemania XXVI was my first real introduction to the spectacle of professional wrestling, I'm glad that 15 years on, it still holds up to the standards that my memories were telling me about, HBK v Taker 2 is such an interesting match in both story and in-ring ability. That Moonsault to the annouce table is still so cool."

[9.0] "While not quite as a good as their all-time classic from the year before, this match was still pretty damn great and made for a fitting send-off for Shawn Michaels (let's pretend THAT other match never happened). There was a lot to like about this. Firstly, Shawn's relentless focus on Taker's knee added a fresh element to differentiate this from WM25 and played into the match at important moments, most notably when Taker failed to hoist HBK up for the Last Ride the first time around. I was actually a tad irked that he ended up hitting the move anyway on his second attempt as I thought it negated a bit of the great work they did. I also would have liked more attack on the leg by HBK after his moonsault through the announcer's table which perfectly struck Taker in his injured left knee. I think that would have raised my already high opinion of the bout even further. I also commended them for telling a story that perfectly built on the Mania 25 finish. While Michaels lost that match, there was an open question in kayfabe as to whether he could have won if he were more focused and less willing to showboat by taking high risk manoeuvres like his final moonsault that cost him. Here, however, Taker and Shawn left no doubt as to who the better man was. Taker simply had Michael's number, and his final jumping Tombstone was a perfect way of symbolizing that fact. While there was definitely less suspense in this match given the retirement stipulation which made it rather obvious that Michaels was going to lose, they both did a crack job at making one think that maybe just maybe the Streak was going to rest in peace instead. I also liked that they didn't go too overboard on the finisher kickouts; there were about as many as were present in their prior bout, and while the Tombstone kickout wasn't as effective this time I still thought Taker did a good job a switching up his reaction from one of shock last time to one of pure anger this time around. It helped keep things feeling fresh. While some will also argue that the Tombstone on the outside was excessive and shouldn't have been kicked out of only midway through the bout, I'd instead retort that it was also helpful in freshening things up while also serving as an effective way of really switching the match's momentum to Taker and building babyface sympathy for Michaels. It was also the move that I think really woke a hitherto somewhat muted crowd up. Speaking of which, the crowd's reactions reflected Taker and Michaels' successful efforts at building suspense because, at first, they were a tad quiet and probably quite tired given that this time both men were given the main event spot. However, by the end of the match they were going crazy for everything. Overall, while it didn't quite reach the dramatic heights of the previous year's sensational clash, both men did a tremendous job of overcoming the stipulation to tell a great story that not only was the perfect capstone to HBK's legendary career but managed to avoid simply coming off as a 'greatest hits match' as so many other retirement matches often do. A must watch. ****1/2"

[6.0] "Watching these WM matches cause of WWE countdown... I am not that high on this match. There's only a thin line running through it, and I believe the reason for that is the lack of creative inspiration. First off, Undertaker's sudden leg injury, which thinking about it now may be from him rushing his signature moves too early which is neat, is too thin of a crutch to use as a direction this match can hold on too. You can tell from the overall match structure being pretty much a back and forth, where my interest is kept afloat by the constant pace. And the uninspiredness ironically creaks it's head in moments of inspiration, such as Shawn baiting Taker's dive for a knee attack. But there just that, MOMENTS of it, that accentuate the lack of it surrounding. I know cause I've experienced that before. Another gripe is the use of the outside Tombstone Piledriver, which the way its executed, has AMAZING potential as a crisis moment. Taker catches Shawn and pretty much has to turn him 180° to get him in position, so it takes a while with alot of time for Shawn to struggle. So you get this amazing buildup of Taker turning him, which can easily be interpreted him getting ready to throw Shawn into the steel post, a common maneuver, but then he keeps turning him into the TOMBSTONE, all while Shawn is panicking, and he actually hits it on Shawn on the outside? ! That is an great way to upper the stakes of the match in a match with already high stakes. The whole sequence and the result is jarring enough to strike the fans hard, having Shawn make a fuck up as big as that with his career on the line. But that also depends on how it's followed, and.... it basically acts as the opener to the finisher fest sequence, where Shawn is already 40/60 with the Undertaker a couple minutes after. The moment is not a huge matter in the match, it is downgraded from a huge checkpoint to another cool spot. Overall even with the preset stakes and the demeanor both wrestlers bring, it's an underwhelming match planning wise."

[10.0] "It really is just as good as the first one, but it's not the first one, so I think it's the 2nd best of the two. Still a literal perfect match and may have felt more "complete" but that's just the beauty of the first one in my opinion. It didn't have a dramatic and anticipated ending, like this one, it was sporadic and real. I don't know, try to find a flaw in this match, you can't. Shawn Michaels is the greatest worker of all time and Undertaker was just on a different level from 2009 to 2013."

[7.0] "While the pacing is vastly improved over their Wrestlemania 25 match, I do think it's a worse match as a lot of it feels like a repeat. Kicking out of a tombstone was a shock in a previous match, but in this one it's totally expected. The general structure of the match should've been completely different, but we basically repeated the Chokeslam > Last Ride > Tombstone structure."

[9.0] "This was a great follow-up to their match the year prior, and it had improved pacing, but it also lacked in the big moments that the first one had. I liked Shawn's repeated targeting of the knee, as this gave a solid baseline of a story the entire match, but the melodrama at the end was also a bit much. Still, this was another wildly entertaining Wrestlemania match that absolutely delivered in what it was attempting to do. ****1/2"

[10.0] "my Favorite Match of All Time! Yes I prefer this over the 1st one due to more storytelling and more drama . The legend Shawn Michaels retires right here having maybe the greatest match ever! 5 stars match"

[10.0] "[5 Stars] An excellent match, one of the best in WWE. But I preferred their confrontation at Wrestlemania 25, having said that HBK and Taker still gave an incredible performance and frankly to retire on this match is honorable but unfortunately Shawn came out of the latter and took away a good part of the prestige of this match (*****)."

[8.0] "This match is no doubt an absolute classic. That being said, it cannot hold a candle to their Wrestlemania 25 match. And the biggest reason for me happened before the bell even rang. The very MOMENT they announced it was for Shawn's career, I knew he was losing. How many times in company history has someone put their career on the line and won? I think Triple H did it once, but after this match? Maybe Cena did it once? If at all. So it was a foregone conclusion what the result of the match was. Now, look at Wrestlemania 25. No such stipulation. Shawn had beaten Undertaker in pretty close to all of their previous matches by hook or by crook. And they're two of the greatest ever. It was very conceivable at 25 that, if someone was beating Undertaker, why not Shawn? That match had suspense in the storytelling. This one had none due to the stipulation. Stipulation aside, this match was a bit more basic too. There were less surprises that left you on the edge of your seat, in my opinion. That being said, there was still great wrestling, plenty of amazing spots, and masterfully done drama and storytelling. Even though their prior match was SO much better, that one was one of the best of all time. That doesn't take away from the fact that this one, too, is incredible, and worth watching as well."

[10.0] "The REAL best match of all time. In my opinion, far far better than the WM 25 one. Technically, in ring and scenario wise, much faster pace. Obviously, a better build, you can't top a streak vs career stipulation. The emotions are real and very very powerful."

[9.0] "Not as strong as their last bout but a very nice, neat knot on this rivalry and on Shawn Michaels' career. Lovely pacing  it comes out hot becoming the strong and deliberate genre of match Taker excels in with strong action and a beautiful job selling effort they were putting in."

[10.0] "This is like a thousand times better than their Mania match the last year. These guys go out there and wrestle to a great degree, there's a little sloppiness but the big spots hit hard. I'm not the biggest Shawn Michaels fan but I will admit he does have his great performances. This is probably Taker's best match of his career. I know there's some bullshit melodrama with it looking like Shawn's about to suck off Taker, but that ended with the sickest Tombstone if all time. Five Stars out of Five."

[10.0] "This match definitely feels like a direct continuation of their last encounter. And I'd say that in a vacuum, this match manages to be better than the first one, specially considering there weren't any in-ring accidents this time. Nevertheless, this match is really, really good. Beautifully crafted in terms of psychology, selling(even when some may consider HBK's selling exaggerated at times), crowd reaction, etc. From the start, Michaels focus on Taker's leg, like he found the secret key to end the streak. And the whole match is like that, with Michaels focusing on that leg even when doing a Moonsault into the announcers desk. This match is a man fighting against his destiny in a wrestling format, and much like Herman Melvill's Moby-Dick, it was Shawn's obsession that led him to his ultimate end."

"Undertaker vs HBK, tanto WM 25 & WM 26, melhores combates numa WM, e a quadrilogia com Triple H, ficou perfeita. E o final da luta com leaping tombstone, fechou com chave de ouro o combate, e a rivalidade Undertaker vs HBK"

[10.0] "The match between The Undertaker and HBK at WrestleMania 26 was like the ultimate showdown. You had the mystique of The Undertaker's legendary streak, and then there was HBK, who was at the peak of his game but also facing the end of his career. The whole thing was just so dramatic! The storytelling was on point. You could feel the weight of what was at stake for both of them. For The Undertaker, it was about maintaining his undefeated streak, which was a huge part of his legacy. For HBK, it was literally his last chance to prove he still had what it took in the ring. That kind of pressure makes for some of the best wrestling moments! The match itself was a classic. The pacing, the near-falls, and the emotional moments really drew you in. I mean, who could forget that superkick followed by the Tombstone? It was like the perfect culmination of their rivalry. Greatest match ever."