10 Best Shawn Michaels WWE WrestleMania Matches

9. Vs. Ric Flair - WrestleMania XXIV

Heading into his match with his idol Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXIV, the result was inevitable. 

Everyone knew The Heartbreak Kid was going to retire The Nature Boy on the night, but the hope was that the occasion would give Flair one final great match. 

While this was by no means a Ric Flair in his prime, he still had something left in the tank and the two told a great story of the mentor trying to keep up with the student in a bid to continue doing what he loved best. 

Really, there was nobody else 'Naitch could have been in there with, because Michaels was the best possible person to carry him to something respectable in his last official WWE match. 

They started off with some great wrestling sequences, the younger and quicker Michaels trying to use that speed and stamina against Flair's wily veteran instincts. The pace picked up as Michaels attempted a top rope move, only to be thrown off in Flair-esque fashion, while Flair himself managed to hit a top rope crossbody on the fiftieth time of asking. 

HBK missed a stunning Asai Moonsault, smashing his ribs off the Spanish announce table, but managed to successfully hit another Moonsault to the outside later. 

Towards the end, the drama built and built, as Shawn failed to pull the trigger with the superkick and found himself trapped in the Figure Four. 

Flair was permitted to kick out of one Sweet Chin Music but two more kept him down and, eventually, out. 

And so ended one of the great careers in the history of the business (let's forget TNA shall we?), as Michaels graciously left the ring in order to give the Dirtiest Player in the Game the proper sendoff he deserved after what had been a hell of a match, despite a few minor flaws.