HBK On Possibility Of Royal Rumble Return, Wanting To Work With Samoa Joe

With the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view from the Alamodome in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas fast-approaching, the talk of whether or not Shawn Michaels would consider a return continues to be a consistent one among internet wrestling circles.

In a interview with ESPN to promote his new film, “The Resurrection of Gavin Stone,” the WWE Hall Of Famer revealed that in seven years, both Vince McMahon and Triple H have never once approached him about returning, as they both know and respect the reason why he retired.

“It’s funny because the two guys who really make the decisions, which is Vince [McMahon] and Hunter [Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque], in seven years have never even approached me,” Michaels told ESPN this week. “I guess I’m semi-amused that people think ‘Vince is saying this’ and whatnot because those are the two people that understand why and respect why I retired and understood it.”

While he apparently won’t be entertaining the idea of returning to the squared circle, it hasn’t stopped “The Heartbreak Kid” from fantasy booking himself against current WWE talent.

As far as who he would like to work with if he were willing to return to the ring, Michaels mentioned Samoa Joe as someone he has envisioned himself doing cool stuff with.

“I look at Samoa Joe and I’ve told him a number of times that I see his stuff at NXT and think to myself, ‘Man, I could have a great deal of fun with you,'” said Michaels. “He’s a guy I have sort of enjoyed, and one of those sleeper guys that no one talks about.

HBK continued, “We have contrasting styles. I get that everybody wants to see me and AJ [Styles] or Seth [Rollins] or Dolph [Ziggler]. From my standpoint, I think really telling a great story out there [is most important]. I could do it with a guy like Samoa Joe. His stuff looks really good, and sometimes he just looks like he’s beating the tar out of somebody.”

Check out the complete Shawn Michaels interview at ESPN.com.