A look at five WWE stars that retired from the ring too soon.
Retirement tends to be the saddest and most unfortunate part of a wrestler’s career, especially in WWE. For years, sometimes decades, men and women devote their entire lives to this crazy profession. The degree of self-sacrifice for the sake of entertaining the fans is unmatched in any other line of work. Fans spend so much time watching their favorites do all these crazy moves that they tend to forget that these are human beings just like them.
And like other human beings, there comes a time in a wrestler’s life when they must retire from their chosen profession.
Wrestling is unique when it comes to retirement, though. Few wrestlers actually enjoy the privilege of retiring when they want or even staying retired. The skills one needs to be a wrestler don’t really translate into any other line of work.
Because of that, some wrestlers return to the ring out of sheer necessity because they cannot survive otherwise. This leads to many sad and unfortunate situations where you see an aged wrestler long past their prime limping into a high school gym to wrestle in front of a crowd of 50 people.
It’s even more depressing for those wrestlers who are forced to retire due to circumstances outside of their control. Wrestling careers are short on average, but for some people, promising careers are ended out of nowhere. There have been many cases where a wrestler was doing incredibly well in the wrestling business, only for some extraneous force to come by and end it for them.
Below are the stories of five wrestlers who retired too soon. All five of them were in the prime of their respective careers, and all of them could’ve had even more promising wrestling careers. Of these five individuals, only one retired by choice; the rest had to retire, otherwise, their lives would’ve been at risk if they continued performing.
5. Nigel McGuinness
McGuinness might be the best wrestler to have never made it in WWE. Though he was signed to their developmental territory, McGuinness’s career was ended abruptly by an unforeseen medical circumstance.
McGuinness had made his name on the independent scene in the U.S and in the U.K., with his work in ROH being particularly entertaining. He had the ideal combination of look, power, and technique, making him a truly well-rounded wrestler. During his career, McGuinness had outstanding matches with the likes of Kurt Angle, Austin Aries, Claudio Castagnoli (Cesaro), Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black, just to name a few. It looked like, as his career progressed, he was getting closer and closer to working for WWE.
And then it all came to a screeching halt.
In late 2012, McGuinness contracted Hepatitis B, making it impossible for him to wrestle ever again. That disease can be spread by the exchange of blood and other bodily fluids, which can happen very easily in a wrestling ring. One drop of blood, saliva or sweat in another wrestler’s mouth or eye, and you have transmission of the disease. As a result, McGuinness could no longer wrestle out of safety for other wrestlers.
Although he has managed to stay involved in ROH to some extent since his retirement, you can tell he misses the action. He has been interviewed several times since his retirement, and his revelations about his forced retirement were pretty emotional. He loves this business, and his heart yearns to get back in the ring, but he knows he never can.
Perhaps the only silver lining of his story is that he has become an advocate for people getting tested for Hepatitis. He doesn’t want anyone else’s wrestling career to end in the same way that his did.
WWE.com
4. Trish Stratus
Trish is the only woman on this list, and the only person to have retired out of her own volition. From 2000 to 2006, Trish was the Diva in WWE. She was the most popular and most accomplished woman on the roster.
Her accomplishments in WWE speak for themselves: she’s a 7-time WWE Women’s Champion, a WWE Hall of Famer, and even held the WWE Hardcore Championship. But most importantly, she was a good worker. You were more likely to find Trish in an actual wrestling match than in a gimmicky bikini contest.
And all of these positive attributes made her sudden retirement in 2006 that much more unfortunate.
Trish retired after only six years in WWE. That’s a very short period in WWE in the grand scheme of things. By comparison, the Bellas, Rosa Mendes, and Alicia Fox have all been employed by WWE longer than she was. Her 6-year tenure was made even shorter when you take into consideration the months she spent recovering from various injuries.
The reason Stratus retired was because she wanted to spend more time with her family and pursue other ventures. It seems that she accomplished everything there was to achieve in WWE, and left after a short-yet impressive career.
Though she has made sporadic appearances following her retirement, her departure did leave a major void in the women’s division. Lita, Victoria, and Mickie James all left within a few years of her departure, leaving the women’s division threadbare. It wouldn’t be until the so-called ‘Diva’s Revolution’ and the rise of AJ Lee (and to a lesser extent, Paige) that we’d see another strong worker at the top of WWE’s women’s division.
Still, one cannot help but wonder just how Stratus’ career would’ve gone if she stayed for a few more years.
wwe.com
3. Edge
Edge was an incredibly popular wrestler throughout his career. From his early days as part of the Brood, to his incredible singles run, he was one of the best wrestlers of the past decade. He is one of the most decorated wrestlers in WWE history, having won an astonishing 31 championships during his career.
Sadly, there’s a chance that number could’ve been higher.
In 2003, Edge sustained a severe neck injury that sidelined him for over a year. From then onwards, he was wrestling, as he put it, ‘on borrowed time’. He returned in 2004 and evolved into a true superstar, winning multiple championships and accolades in the process. Unfortunately, in 2001, his borrowed time ran out.
The damage to his neck finally caught up with him, and Edge was ordered to retire shortly after WrestleMania XXVII. At the time, he was 37 years old, and had been wrestling since 1992. Of that 17-year career, he had spent 15 in WWE. There was a good chance that, had he not sustained that injury, there would’ve definitely been a place for him in the company. He was a great wrestler, excellent talker, and versatile performer. He could’ve transitioned into arguably any role, even if it meant reducing his in-ring capacity.
As a thank you for his contributions, he was given two grandiose retirement sendoffs on both RAW and SmackDown. A year later, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Class of 2012. If there was anyone that deserved such an honor for their abilities and sacrifices, it was Edge.
WWE.com
2. Daniel Bryan
Bryan’s retirement was one of the most depressing announcements in recent history. He was arguably the best technical wrestler of an entire generation. So much so that there’s a Wrestling Observer award with his namesake. He was that good of an athlete, and even more of a beloved superstar. His fan support was so overwhelming that it forced Vince’s hand and made him change the WrestleMania event entirely.
Bryan was forced to retire on February 8, 2016, after a 17-year career. He had to retire after numerous concussion-related seizures and considerable damage to his neck from his high-risk style. While this is good for his long-term health, it’s a tragedy for man wrestling fans that still wanted Bryan to keep going.
Had he not suffered so many concussions, Bryan could’ve taken part in several dream matches in WWE. A healthy Daniel Bryan could’ve had high-profile matches against any or all of the following wrestlers: Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Hideo Itami, Neville, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and most importantly, Shinsuke Nakamura.
All of those opponents would’ve worked well with Bryan, but Bryan himself was begging for an opportunity to face Nakamura. And by the time Nakamura finally signed with WWE, Bryan announced his retirement a few days later. This robbed wrestling fans of the opportunity to see a match between two truly masterful wrestlers of this generation.
Bryan recently discussed his retirement and insists that his in-ring days are not over. That said, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll ever see him wrestling again, as WWE wants to avoid any concussion-related incidents.
WWE.com
1. ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin
Austin was the most financially successful professional wrestler ever, period. He was a bigger star than Hogan, Michaels, Cena, Bret, you name it. Austin was the living, breathing definition of the word, ‘megastar’. His presence instantly made a show much better, which is why his sudden retirement remains that much more disappointing.
Austin’s full in-ring career lasted 14 years, from 1989 to 2003. Compared to most wrestling legends, that’s a short career. Sadly, his career could’ve been much longer and his legacy much greater had he not suffered a terrifying injury.
Everyone knows about the infamous Owen Hart botched Piledriver at SummerSlam 1997. Austin broke his neck and was paralyzed temporarily after taking that move. Though he kept working short-term after that incident, the long-term ramifications were severe. He was forced to take time off for surgery in late 1999, during the peak time of the Attitude Era. By the time he returned to WWE, it was obvious he was on borrowed time.
By mid-2002, nagging injuries, coupled with major creative issues, led to Austin’s premature departure from WWE. He wouldn’t reappear until WrestleMania XIX, where he wrestled his last match to date against the Rock.
Despite widespread desire for him to wrestle one more match, there’s no indication of that ever happening. His doctors have advised him that one slight mistake and he could end up crippled or dead. A retired Texas Rattlesnake that doesn’t wrestle is infinitely better than a dead one.
Had that botched Piledriver never occurred, there’s a good chance that Austin would’ve kept wrestling for at least another 5-10 years. WWE was already moving away from the more dangerous aspects of pro wrestling by the mid-2000s, so there would’ve definitely been room for Austin to adapt to that new environment with ease.
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