Farewell, HBK

[Anthony Jordan]

I bought it when he said he's done. I believe he truly intends to retire and be done as an in-ring competitor. I find it a shame that he never won the title in the past 7+ years, but if he's fine with it, so am I. I got a little emotional when Flair hung it up, but tonight hit me 100 times harder. HBK is my all-time favorite. That's not going to change. I said it on FB and Twitter, and I'll say it here, too:

"Teared up watching HBK say good-bye. He was my all-time favorite when I was growing up and still is. I know it sounds corny, but he gave me a lot of strength going up. I wasn't well-liked as a kid, got picked on a lot and had problems at home, yet hearing JR constantly call him "the most resiliant superstar" gave me t...he courage to go on even when I prayed to God to just end it all. God bless you, Shawn. Take care."

Just to expound upon that, I liked the WWF and WCW back then and enjoyed the work of a ton of wrestlers, but Shawn was my favorite. When life went to shit because I was beat on, spit on, stabbed and denigrated every day at school because former friends thought it was fun just to turn on me and home life was a wreck because Dad was dependent on alcohol and I was constantly afraid of what he'd do, my inspiration came from Shawn. I dreamed I could stand up to my tormentors the way he did against the giants who tried to crush him. Was I disappointed when I found out what he was really like back then? Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that I gained hope from him. I believe he has changed, and I wish him well.

[MTMT]

He gave a very classy goodbye- thanking the guys who don't really get much praise, in addition to the obvious ones (HHH, Vince, fans, etc).

Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but I wish HBK had the send-off that Flair got. Flair's farewell was tainted by the fact that he didn't actually retire (I loved that HBK addressed this as a matter-of-fact sort of thing, without bitterness). Had we known that Flair would return to the ring, we wouldn't have wanted him to have such a grand goodbye. We would have wanted that to be saved for Shawn.

That being said, Shawn's farewell was still great. More simple than Flair's, and still very direct, honest, and emotional. It was just him and the fans- a respectful little nod from Undertaker before, and an emotional goodbye from Triple H at the end. While he deserved to have the entire roster come out and pay their respects, he didn't need it. It made his farewell unique from Flair's.

Hart said it best- he is one of, if not THE best wrestlers in the world. Screw "entertainers" or "superstars" or whatever. Wrestler.

Side note- there's been rumors that Taker will be retiring soon. I can't imagine WWE without him. He's one of the few who's been there since I first started watching who is still around today (only others- Kane, Matt Hardy, Edge, Christian, Triple H, Mark Henry, and Funaki). I'd love to see him go 20-0, but I don't know if he can last another two years- even on a very limited schedule. But still... how will they do his farewell? I can't imagine The Undertaker character getting emotional.

[AWA CEO: Mr. Timothy Draven]

That was an emotional goodbye. He's definitely done. He made it clear that he doesn't plan on wrestling "one more match" and also made it clear that he could never work for anyone other than Vince.....sooooo, I seriously believe he's done. HHH gave props to "The Wolfpac" which was awesome....in the end, HHH coming out to hug HBK was a moment that no one will ever forget. The two of them crying together....it was real. I'm sure it's hard for HHH....his best friend is leaving the business....it can't be easy....but for HBK....THE MAN....I know he's sad, but I also know he's happy to be going home to be a family man. He had an awesome career. I was always a fan of HBK. He was my favorite wrestler growing up. Then he went out, and I jumped on the HHH bandwagon and have been a fan of them both since. If you look at Timmy Dravens moves, he's always been a mix of HHH and HBK. (Pedegree, Sweet Chin Music, Elbow from the Top Ropes, Spinebuster)....Definitely sad to see him go, but if he feels it's time, then so be it. He gave the wrestling world a lot of great years. Glad I got to watch him.

[MTMT]

I also gotta say, I was very impressed with the crowd... they yelled out, "One More Match," which Shawn politely explained that he was done... I was really expecting boos. But they applauded him. They respected that decision- disappointed, maybe, but they still respected it. And I honestly don't want one more match. That was a great match for him to leave on.

[Anthony Jordan]

My DVR cut off before HHH got involved. I guess I'll have to YouTube it.

Less was spoken about HBK leaving versus Flair, but I think way more was said.