However,
10 wwe wrestlers retired too:
Wrestling is not a business built to offer long careers. Furthermore, Some of the top stars of all time only last for a brief moment in WWE history due to injuries. Furthermore, burnout, or moving on to other entertainment industries.
Careers like Ric Flair. Moreover, Hulk Hogan, and Sting, which lasted 20+ years, are the exception that proves the rule, as substance abuse, brutal botches, and untimely deaths would end the careers of their contemporaries due to how unsafe the business was for a long time.
Thankfully. Meanwhile, due to today’s practices, there are wrestlers who have been able to go multiple decades in the business, so early retirements are becoming less common, and it’s now normal to see wrestlers still at the top of their game well into their 40s.
10 wwe wrestlers retired too
We’re going to look back on the wrestlers from previous eras who shone bright in just a brief amount of time. However, left the business far too soon.
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10 Tyson Kidd – 10 wwe wrestlers retired too
Heartbreaking – 10 wwe wrestlers retired too
10 wwe wrestlers retired too
Tyson Kidd may not have been main event ready, but as far as a pure in-ring performer went, he was clearly a rising star in that regard, able to go bell to bell with anybody and moving with a quickness that you rarely see in the ring these days.
Tyson was the last graduate of the famous Hart Dungeon. In addition, so his pedigree was well-established and, as part of the new Hart Foundation, the Hart Dynasty, it seemed like he’d be headed towards star status sooner rather than later.
While that didn’t happen. However, Kidd established himself pretty 10 wwe wrestlers retired too well on the mid-card and seemed like he’d be a mainstay there for a long time, until tragedy struck during a dark match against Samoa Joe in 2015.
Samoa Joe delivered the Muscle Buster to Kidd, and something went wrong with the landing. However, Kidd suffered a horrific neck injury that only 5% of people survive from. Furthermore, However, Luckily. Furthermore, he did, but due to the nature of the injury, he was forced to retire from in-ring action at just 34 years old.
Today. Furthermore, he’s still a part of the WWE working backstage, so he is still a big part of the wrestling world. In addition, It’s just a shame we didn’t get to see him in the ring for longer.
9 Corey Graves – 10 wwe wrestlers retired too
What Could Have Been – 10 wwe wrestlers retired too
Corey is well known to the WWE world these days thanks to his superb work on commentary on NXT and the main roster, but once upon a time, he was a rising star on NXT as a wrestler.
He had a presence in the ring and, most importantly, on the microphone. Meanwhile, It should be no shock that the WWE’s smoothest commentator could handle himself in promos. Therefore, but still, it was impressive to watch.
He was great in the ring too. For example, equally high-flying and technical with a unique look that made him stand out among the crowd. Moreover, Unfortunately, concussion issues cut his promising in-ring career 10 wwe wrestlers retired too short in 2014.
Luckily. For example, that didn’t stop Corey from becoming a key figure in the wrestling world as one of the most popular commentators.
8 Rick Rude – 10 wwe wrestlers retired too
Missed Out On His Time – 10 wwe wrestlers retired too
Ravishing Rick Rude was a star in the late 80s and early 90s, but his biggest mark on the industry would be his part in creating the stable of Degeneration X.
He was looked at as the muscle of the group. but unfortunately, due to complications he had with an insurance company after suffering an injury, he 10 wwe wrestlers retired too could not wrestle in-ring as a performer again unless he paid out an enormous sum of money due to a policy for the insurance claim.
Unfortunately. no company at the time would pay that sum for him, and he needed the money, so he was relegated to ringside affairs, and that’s a shame because Rick Rude was great in the ring, personifying the heel in every way possible.
It would’ve been awesome to see what Rude could’ve done in the Attitude Era. as there was so much great talent that he would’ve fit style-wise in the ring, from Steve Austin to The Rock and Chris Jericho.
Sadly, as he was getting ready to attempt an in-ring return, he died from a drug overdose.
7 I Lee
Ahead of Her Time
AJ Lee was atop the women’s Diva division when she left the WWE, and it’s a shame because she was just a few years short of being around for the women’s revolution.
She had the look, the IT factor, and a great finishing move in The Black Widow. She also worked well with tons of male and female talent in her time in the WWE.
She had the chops on the mic. in the ring to hang with anyone in the Diva Division, but I would’ve loved to see what she could’ve done in this much more serious era of women’s wrestling. What she could’ve done with Bayley, Charlotte, and Rhea 10 wwe wrestlers retired too Ripley.
While the women’s revolution in the WWE was strong on its own. it would’ve been an even better era if neck injuries hadn’t forced her to retire at the age of 28.
6 Wade Barrett
Bad News For Everyone
Wade Barrett had everything going for him right out of the gate in WWE. The leader of the Nexus group. an immediate feud with John Cena, everything was set up perfectly for him to become a huge star.
Some questionable booking screwed up that push. but he was at the very 10 wwe wrestlers retired too least going to be an upper mid-card mainstay for years to come.
In his five years with the company, he was a five-time intercontinental champion, so he definitely made a memorable mark.
Not to mention. in just his first two years, he headlined multiple PLEs and was hugely over with the fans during his Bad News Barrett segments.
But WWE life isn’t for everyone, and that’s what ultimately drove Wade Barrett to retire. The rigorous schedule and lack of creativity with his character eventually became too much for Wade to continue.
Thankfully, Wade is back in WWE as a commentator now and is excelling in that position in a big way.
5 Batista
Big Dave Got Too Big
Batista was an absolute superstar in the mid-2000s, having countless classics with the likes of Triple H, John Cena, and The Undertaker. He was nicknamed “The Animal” and personified that in every way.
Batista was a monster both in the ring and in his presence in general. But as he’s gone on to say. as WWE moved into the PG era, Big Dave wasn’t exactly into it as much anymore.
The standout from the Ruthless Aggression era didn’t love the direction the company was taking toward kid-friendly storylines. characters, and overall presentation.
It was in 2010 that he would officially quit as a full-time performer. stating the direction the company was going in as a major reason why. He returned for a few months 10 wwe wrestlers retired too in 2014, during which he won the Royal Rumble and main-evented WrestleMania.
Then, he returned for one last bout with Triple H in 2019, where he lost a career on-the-line match at WrestleMania.
It’s a shame we only got eight years of main-event-level Batista. He was one of the most compelling in-ring performers of all time. had a ton of great promos to accompany that.
But it was clear that the ring was too small for the star Batista would become on the big screen. and he had to leave for greener pastures.
4 Mick Foley
Gave It All For Us
Mick Foley is one of the best of the Attitude Era and a WWE Hall of Famer, but you’d be shocked to hear that his full-time wrestling career ended in 2000.
That means he only had four years as a full-time performer in the WWE. It’s hard to believe. but he was so over and popular in that timeframe that he made enough money for himself and his family that he decided to preserve his health by calling it quits by then.
Foley would return here. there, even wrestling a few hardcore matches against Edge and Randy Orton, but as a weekly performer, that was it for Foley.
It makes sense. as Mick gave his body for our entertainment every moment of those 4 years, and decided to retire while he could still walk.
Still. it’s hard to fathom that 10 wwe wrestlers retired too he only got 4 years in WWE when he changed the industry so much in that short amount of time.
3 Bret Hart
A Legend Cut Down
Bret Hart is a legend of the game. Anyway. you slice it, he was the guy you came to see when it came to the 90s alongside Shawn Michaels.
The beginning of the end for Bret started with the most infamous moment in WWE history. the Montreal Screwjob, which not only cost him the title but also embarrassed him on his way out to WCW.
10 wwe wrestlers retired too
It would be in WCW that his full-time career would end. during a match with Goldberg, where he caught a kick the wrong way and suffered a terrible concussion that eventually was too severe to continue his career.
It was tragic to see. because Bret was as big of a draw as ever and clearly had so much more to give.
He was such a unique wrestler. who managed to make every move look real while also keeping his opponents as safe as possible.
The Excellence of Execution wasn’t just a moniker; it was the truth. Every move he performed was done with purpose and precision, and was amazing to watch in motion.
The biggest what-if that remains is that Bret would’ve been brought back into the WWE after WCW was purchased. We could have had amazing feuds with him. The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin for a round 2, 10 wwe wrestlers retired too or even gotten him and Shawn Michaels back in the ring again.
The fantasy booking is endless, and that injury is the reason it never came to fruition.
2 The Rock
The Great One Left Us In the Dust
The Rock had one of the craziest rises to fame anyone has ever seen in the WWE. Starting at the age of 25. it took barely any time at all for him to, not only take over the wrestling world, but the entertainment world as a whole.
The Rock went from WWE 10 wwe wrestlers retired too champion to hosting SNL in a matter of two years. and it was only a matter of time before the ring became too small for his massive persona.
We only got 5 years of full-time action from The Rock. and although he also had multiple memorable feuds from 2003-2004, it was clear he had his eye on the big screen.
The Rock gave us numerous iconic feuds. put his mark on the WWE by becoming one of the defining figures of its most popular era.
Now. The Rock is one of the most famous men in the world, crushing box offices with his movies and now, becoming part of the WWE once again.
He made waves during a surprise return in late 2023. which fed the biggest feud the WWE has seen in years, showing that The Great One still has a lot to give to the industry if that’s 10 wwe wrestlers retired too where he decides to focus.
1 Stone Cold Steve Austin
Austin 3:16 Ended Way Too Soon
Stone Cold Steve Austin was the biggest star of the Attitude Era alongside The Rock and, in many ways, changed how wrestling was perceived.
It went from corny to cool. and suddenly, it was a pop-culture phenomenon, with Steve Austin appearing on talk shows and WWE wrestlers in commercials of all kinds.
It all started the day Steve won his first WWE championship against Shawn Michaels. From 1998 to 2003, he was not only the 10 wwe wrestlers retired too biggest wrestler in the world, but arguably the biggest star in entertainment.
What makes it all the more remarkable is how brief his run at the top really was. While Austin had a decently long career of roughly 12 years as a full-time wrestler in mainstream promotions. his time at the top in the WWE was really only 5 years.
That’s due to the wear. tear of a serious neck injury and various knee injuries, which eventually led Austin to look to the film world to continue his career.
Stone Cold would consistently return for special appearances. just to deliver a stunner or two to a roaring crowd, but the mark he left on the industry in just five years is something we may never see again, and that’s the bottom line.
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10 wwe wrestlers retired too
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