By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

In an interview with the Miami Herald promoting his new EyeBlack endorsement deal line, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels opened up about why he chose to retire from in-ring competition rather than shift to a part-time in-ring schedule.

“WWE would have allowed me to work any kind of way that I wanted. I could have very easily have said, ‘Hey, I’d like to slow down over the next couple of years, do a few things here and there,’ and I think everybody would have been fine with that, but for me, I think that would have probably been harder on me," Michaels said. "Personally, I think the job would be harder for me to do, personally, on a semi, here and there, in and out type basis."

Without a doubt, Michaels says he physically could have continued to wrestle. However, he did not want to deal with the phone ringing on a constant basis asking him to work a program to fill in. He says he felt it was easier on him and WWE to "walk away completely" when he wanted to focus on raising his children with his wife.

“You have to be careful because if you leave it as an open option, you’re going to be getting calls on a regular basis. Every time somebody gets injured or every time somebody comes up with an idea, the phone is going to be ringing, and you’re going to have to deal with ‘should I or shouldn’t I?’ I didn’t want to run into that. I didn’t want to put myself through that, and I didn’t want to put the company through that," Michaels said.

Michaels added he's "certainly not going to wrestle" again, but he's "more than happy to be there and help out any way I can.” One way was special referee for The Undertaker vs. Triple H at WrestleMania. In the interview, Michaels reflected on it being the final time the three of them would be in the ring together.

Michaels also hinted at future WWE involvement related to his EyeBlack deal. "“I’m very excited about this new relationship,” Michaels said. “Beyond being a cool product in itself, it’s functional, and I’m looking forward to using EyeBlack product in my hunting adventures and in some WWE related activities.”

Link: Michaels's full interview worth reading is at MiamiHerald.com .

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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