Shawn Michaels Reveals WrestleMania 25 Match With Undertaker Went Longer Than Planned

WrestleMania 25 delivered one of the most talked-about matches in WWE history when Shawn Michaels faced The Undertaker, but behind the scenes, things didn’t exactly go the way originally planned.

During a recent interview with Adrian Hernandez on Unlikely, while promoting his new documentary, Michaels was asked about the legendary match and whether rumors about the originally planned match time were true. According to Michaels, those early stories were accurate—and he admitted that he and Undertaker weren’t thrilled with how things were initially scheduled.

When discussing the match’s timing, Michaels confirmed that the bout wasn’t supposed to run as long as it ultimately did. He explained that both he and Undertaker felt strongly about the situation but chose to focus on delivering the best match possible once they got into the ring.

“I believe it was— I was more than 15. I want to say it was maybe 20 or 25. Regardless, we went considerably longer. Yeah. But it— yeah, yeah, no, it was sort of something that the stories of it being on much earlier and the time being less, those were all accurate. We were obviously a bit offended by it and some of them got adjusted, but not to the adjustment that we were kind of happy with and we just went out there and kind of did our thing from that point on.”

That decision paid off in a big way. Michaels and Undertaker ended up delivering a match that many fans still consider one of the greatest WrestleMania bouts ever. The performance became a defining moment for both men and set the stage for their rematch the following year at WrestleMania 26.

Even years later, hearing Michaels confirm that the match exceeded its planned structure adds another layer to the story behind one of WWE’s most celebrated encounters. It also reinforces the idea that sometimes the best moments happen when performers trust their instincts and go beyond what was originally mapped out.