For one reason or another, every wrestler has to hang up their boots eventually. Whether due to injury, age, or a lack of interest from WWE and the fans, there are dozens of great wrestlers who you’ll probably never see wrestle again.
Some of these are great legends who cemented their legacy; others are young stars who had their career cut short.
Let’s take a look at 20 beloved wrestlers we’ll never see in the ring again.
First off, let’s start with an icon whose career ended so abruptly, fans still hope he can come back.
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[tps_title]Edge[/tps_title]
Edge’s sudden retirement in 2011 is still a sad moment for a lot of wrestling fans. Edge was forced to retire due to lingering neck issues that if left untreated could have left him paralyzed. Despite a lot of fans wanting the Rated-R Superstar to return, Edge has said that he will no longer wrestle. He seems at peace with the decision.
One of Edge’s best buddies is also “retired” due to injury, though he thinks he could have ONE MORE MATCH!
[tps_title]Christian[/tps_title]
Christian wanted “one more match, ” but the Canadian Superstar is retired, due to concussions and a host of other issues. Even though he says he is not “technically retired” Christian admits that WWE won’t clear him to wrestle.
Let’s take look at another legendary tag team on these next two slides!
[tps_title]Bubba Ray Dudley[/tps_title]
After suffering a nasty concussion during a Ring of Honor show, Bubba Ray aka Bully Ray announced his effective retirement from wrestling. While things could always change, the 20-plus year veteran put his body through the ringer with tables of fire, death-defying falls through tables, and way too many shots to the head with chairs, trash-cans, and other objects. The Dudleys currently run a wrestling school in Tampa Florida and Connecticut.
As for his tag partner? He has taken a different path.
[tps_title]Devon Dudley[/tps_title]
After the Dudley’s left WWE in 2016, Bubba returned to the indies. Devon stayed with WWE but is now a backstage producer. The two still train at their school and have wrestled a few times together on the indies, but it seems that BROTHER Devon is content to help the next generation succeed in the ring the way he did. OH TESTIFY!
Next up is a Canadian who looked like he was on his way to the top, but his promising career was violently stopped by a life-threatening injury.
[tps_title]Tyson Kidd[/tps_title]
Tyson Kidd came back from a serious leg injury and re-built his career in NXT. Kidd then moved back to the main roster where he formed a powerful trio with Cesaro and his wife, Natalya. But during a dark match against Samoa Joe, his career ended. Kidd took a muscle buster wrong and broke his neck. The incident was so serious that there were fears Kidd would be paralyzed. Thankfully Kidd made a full recovery. But he still can never wrestle again. Kidd isn’t done with WWE yet as he currently works as a backstage producer.
Next up, another foreign star whose improbable run was cut short.
[tps_title]Santino Marella[/tps_title]
The Italian comedic wrestler had a few great runs with the company before he retired. Marella dealt with knee and lower back issues for years and was able to kick his back problems. But his neck couldn’t properly heal, even after a double fusion surgery on his vertebrae.
The ultimate big guy is next. Is his career at the top over?
[tps_title]The Big Show[/tps_title]
Big Show has teased retirement for a few years, but a recent hip surgery might mean it is over for the Giant. The Big Show has wrestled for over 20 years. That is impressive for anyone, much less a guy dubbed The World’s Largest Athlete.
Another voice of WWE who was forced into another role with the company is up next
[tps_title]Corey Graves[/tps_title]
You might not know it, but before he was a commentator on NXT and Raw AND Smackdown, Corey Graves was one of NXT’s top up-and-coming stars. However, he had to retire due to lingering concussion issues. He was given a “trial run” as a commentator on NXT, and it seems like he’s aced it by becoming the number one guy on BOTH main brands. Graves was heading towards being a top star not just in NXT but on the main roster; in fact, there were rumors that he was going to be introduced on the main roster in a feud with CM Punk. Alas, that never came to be and Graves began an illustrious career behind the commentary table.
Next up another commentator loved and hated by fans!
[tps_title]JBL[/tps_title]
John “Bradshaw” Layfield retired from in-ring competition in 2009. Since then, the brawler and backstage bully “lived the gimmick” and became incredibly wealthy due to investments. He also commentated for WWE until leaving earlier this year to focus on his philanthropic efforts. JBL is 50 and will likely not be seen in the ring again. He knows the toll years of wrestling took on his body. Lingering back and neck issues (a common malady of wrestlers) mean we won’t see the Wall Street Bully lacing them up again.
From one legend to the next, another transcending star who left us wanting more.
[tps_title]Stone Cold Steve Austin[/tps_title]
That Stone Cold even had the run he did as the top wrestler of the 90s is a miracle. Austin broke his neck during a match against Owen Hart. Despite that, and having to wear two gigantic knee braces (he was the Bionic Redneck), Austin wrestled for another four years as one of the biggest wrestling stars of all time. Austin insists that he can no longer wrestle due to his lingering neck issues. But that doesn’t stop us from wanting him to get in the ring one more time, does it?
Stone Cold wouldn’t become the ultimate anti-hero if it weren’t for this next “wrestler.”
[tps_title]Vince McMahon[/tps_title]
Vince is 72. But don’t tell him that. Reportedly the WWE CEO never skips a training day and remains in peak physical condition. He has taken a significant step back from his on-screen role in the last few years. He is used on TV sparingly and only when the moment matters. The former WWF and ECW champion recently took a headbutt and a frog splash from Kevin Owens, but don’t expect more from the WWE head.
We’ll keep it in the family for this next one.
[tps_title]Stephanie McMahon[/tps_title]
Funny enough, Stephanie is still contracted as a wrestler for WWE. However, she last wrestled in 2014 against Brie Bella. Despite giving birth to three children and running a global business, Stephanie has kept in phenomenal shape. She could probably wrestle again if she wanted to. But, she seems content to be the hated authority figure that always gets destroyed come WrestleMania.
[tps_title]Mark Henry[/tps_title]
Despite his infamous “fake” retirement that lured John Cena into the Hall of Pain, the World’s Strongest Man is indeed done in the ring. He retired rather quietly after Wrestlemania 33. The strongman and Olympian is still affiliated with WWE, however. He works backstage as a producer and has been complimented as having one of the best minds for wrestling.
From one trailblazer to the one who many believe started the revolution of Women’s wrestling in WWE.
[tps_title]AJ Lee[/tps_title]
If we are going to be fair and look at who started the “Divas Revolution,” AJ Lee deserves to be in the conversation. The anti-Diva was one of the first modern female wrestlers to get her merchandise and proved that women could wrestle at a high level on the main roster, paving the way for Paige and a host of other NXT stars. Lee retired abruptly following WrestleMania 31. Since then she wrote a book about her time in WWE and struggled with mental illness. She has also said that WWE is sexist and unfair towards female wrestlers. So, I wouldn’t expect her back in the fold anytime soon.
Another big reason AJ Lee will never come back to WWE? Our next entry.
[tps_title]CM Punk[/tps_title]
Not since Bret Hart and the Montreal Screw Job was there a dirtier break-up between a wrestler and WWE than when CM Punk left the company. CM Punk torched his former employer on his way out the door, lobbing damaging accusations that eventually landed him in court. Punk moved onto a failed MMA career and is now writing comics and doing reality TV. If he would ever return to wrestling, it would be on the independent circuit; the Bullet Club has called dibs. I think Punk will mend his relationship with WWE eventually, but don’t expect it anytime soon.
Speaking of the Montreal Screwjob, let’s move onto our next star who retired and came back once, but seems content to remain the scenes.
[tps_title]Shawn Michaels[/tps_title]
Shawn Michaels retired in 2011 after losing his 2nd WrestleMania match in a row to The Undertaker. However, he still maintains his peak physical condition and recently moved to Florida to work with rising WWE stars at the Performance Center. But will we see HBK in the ring ever again? He has said no. Repeatedly. He takes wrestling so seriously and works so hard at it. He would want to devote himself fully to a comeback, and he feels like he couldn’t do it again.
From one legend who couldn’t wait to retire to one forced to retire due to injury and caution.
[tps_title]Daniel Bryan[/tps_title]
WWE forced Daniel Bryan into retirement following a string of concussions and nerve damage to his neck and arm. The move was done out of caution, but also not wanting Bryan to wreak further havoc on his body. However, the founder of the Yes! Movement still wants to wrestle. He implied on more than one occasion that once his WWE contract expires, he will return to wrestle on the independent wrestling scene. But as for wrestling in WWE? Don’t hold your breath.
Another wrestler part of Daniel Bryan’s improbable run is up next.
[/tps_title]Batista[/tps_title]
“Never say never, ” but the odds of Batista returning to WWE and wrestling are slim. He recently told Jim Ross he’d want to come back but only doing a full-time schedule. That seems unlikely considering Batista is now one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars. The success of Guardians of the Galaxy means Mr. Bautista is going the way of The Rock and John Cena.
Next up, another legend in his 50s who may be retired, but is known for leaving fans wondering if this is the end.
[tps_title]The Undertaker[/tps_title]
He lost in the main event at Wrestlemania in 2017. He ended the night taking off his jacket, hat, and gloves and placing them in the ring. Then he kissed his wife and walked back into the smoke and mystery. So, is The Undertaker retired? Possibly. Probably. He may not even know. Jerry Lawler saw him at Survivor Series and said the 52-year-old looked like he could still go. Looking like it and being able to wrestle are two separate things. The belief is that Undertaker’s retirement will be made official during a Hall of Fame induction at the 2018 Wrestlemania in New Orleans. But perhaps he’ll give us one more match in the same building where his streak ended.
Another 90s megastar, perhaps the biggest one, is next!
[tps_title]The Rock[/tps_title]
The Rock is still considered a part of the WWE family. Yes, he’s the biggest movie star in the world right now, but it isn’t surprising to see him show up occasionally. Will he ever wrestle again? I wouldn’t count on it. The last time he wrestled, back in 2013, Johnson tore muscles in his abdomen and filming on a movie had to be delayed. Insurance companies and Hollywood producers aren’t going to clear Rock to wrestle anytime soon. The Rock will continue to appear for WWE, but I expect he will never wrestle again.
And finally, the greatest of all time!
[tps_title]Ric Flair[/tps_title]
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Flair is 68 and has suffered major health setbacks in the last year. It is honestly a miracle he is even alive. Flair still makes appearances for WWE and on the independent circuit, but he is officially retired, and we will never see him wrestle again.
Did we miss anyone?
Do you think we’ll see any of these stars in the ring one more time? Share your thoughts in the comments below.