With Rey Mysterio’s ‘retirement ceremony’ set for WWE Raw tomorrow, let’s focus on what retirements actually mean in wrestling.
While Mysterio, given the circumstances, probably won’t retire come Monday, several athletes called it a day before him.
And more than dozens were lured back by a combination of money, admiration, and the bright lights of WWE.
Today we look back at 10 of the most interesting returns from retirement in wrestling history.
10. Beth Pheonix
In 2012, Beth Phoenix’s run in WWE came to an end. The ‘Glamazon’ was frustrated with where WWE’s women’s division was going.
She decided that she would, together with her recently retired husband Edge, take time to focus on her kids rather than wrestling all across the world.
In 2017, Phoenix returned to the company when she was selected to be part of that year’s Hall of Fame class.
Since then she has started to work for WWE’s announce team and has also made sporadic appearances in the ring. Her wrestling days seem to be alive again.
9. Ricky Steamboat
The legendary Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat retired in 1994. That is a long long time ago.
But in 2009 he could not say no when he, Roddy Piper, and Jimmy Snuka were asked to do it one more time in a match against Chris Jericho.
The match took place at WrestleMania XXV and Steamboat looked the best out of all the legends. He was moving around like young cat that night.
His comeback worked so well that he stayed on for another month, wrestling a ten-man tag match on Raw the next night and a singles match with Jericho at Backlash.
8. Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels would never step foot in a WWE ring after his retirement in 2010.
WrestleMania XXVI. His second WrestleMania match against The Undertaker. The stars seemed to align that night, the perfect retirement.
HBK always said he wouldn’t return. Not for anyone. So naturally he did – nine years later.
For the Saudi Arabia crowd HBK and Triple H teamed up one more time to face The Undertaker and Kane in an, as they themselves have admitted, awful matchup.
7. Bret Hart
In 2000, Bret Hart suffered an injury at the hands of Goldberg in a WCW match and nine months later he decided he was unable to continue wrestling going forward.
Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart retired his legendary career and was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.
It took four more years before Bret Hart returned to the center stage, when he was involved in an angle between himself and Vince McMahon for WrestleMania XXVI.
At that show Hart wrestled his first match since 2000 and defeated the Chairman in a match that was more chair-shots than anything. Truthfully, Hart was never medically cleared to compete. This resulted in Hart taking no bumps in his matches at WrestleMania, Raw, and SummerSlam.
6. Trish Stratus
Arguably one of the biggest female stars WWE ever had, Trish Stratus retired from in-ring competition at Unforgiven in 2006 by winning the Women’s Title one final time.
Stratus would return for sporadic matches such as when WWE came to Toronto in 2008 and 2009, before returning to compete at WrestleMania XXVII. At the event, she teamed with John Morrison and ‘Jersey Shore’ star Snooki to defeat Dolph Ziggler and LayCool in a very quick match.
Since then Trish Stratus has been put in several matches, including the Royal Rumble and a tag team match at Evolution. Her most recent bout, which she again said was her retirement match, was a loss to Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam 2019.
5. Mick Foley
Mick Foley retired in 2000, then again in 2004, and once more in 2012.
The former WWF Champion has tried, but just never managed to stay away from the ring. While his retirement match against Triple H in 2000 seemed perfect, Foley was just not done yet.
In 2012 – the same year he competed in the Royal Rumble – Foley, the man that fell off the Cell through an announce table and then through the roof of the cell onto the canvas in the same match, wanted to go one more time against Dean Ambrose.
However, doctors finally told him that it was over.
4. Ric Flair
One of the saddest retirements of all time. After a career that spanned from 1972 all the way to the year 2008, Ric Flair earned the right to retire.
Flair claimed he would never ever wrestle again. Two years later he began to wrestle for TNA.
His career had to be ended by Spike, the network TNA was on at the time, who just did not want to have an elderly man trying to wrestle on their screens – fair.
3. Edge
In a way more positive return to the ring, Edge has finally returned this year after being forced to retire due to a neck injury in 2011.
The fans felt gutted when Edge had to announce his retirement in tears and out of nowhere. At least he got to retire with the World Heavyweight Championship.
A year later he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Everything seemed over.
However, in 2019 rumours surfaced that Edge was indeed planning on coming back. As medical science has progressed, Edge was able to return without risk.
After his match at WrestleMania against Randy Orton, a rematch is now scheduled for the ‘Greatest Wrestling Match Ever’ at Backlash 2020.
2. Mark Henry
In 2013, Mark Henry delivered what was probably his greatest work. His retirement speech in 2013 was touching, but his retirement did not last long.
Minutes after ending it he attacked WWE Champion John Cena, claiming he had ‘a lot left in the tank’. One of the biggest swerves ever.
In 2018 the ‘World’s Strongest Man’ officially retired by being inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, he returned later that month for the Greatest Royal Rumble.
1. Terry Funk
When a wrestler comes out of retirement this is often referred to as ‘Funkin’ it’. That is because nobody has returned from retirement more often than Terry Funk.
Funk had his first match in 1965. His final match, to date, was in 2017. That is a long time to stay outside of a ring for Funk.
During an interview in 2010, he claimed that he will never really retire. So everyone should get their tickets now for the next Terry Funk ‘retirement’ match.
Did we miss any? Let us know on Twitter!
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