10 Best Retirement Matches In WWE History

9. Roddy Piper Vs. Adrian Adonis (WrestleMania III)

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WWE.com

After losing his celebrity boxing match with Mr. T at WrestleMania 2, Roddy Piper embarked upon a four-month sabbatical from the business. One of the WWF’s greatest heels, he eventually returned to the company as a babyface in August 1986, aghast that his Piper’s Pit segment had been replaced by Adrian Adonis’ Flower Shop.

This formed the basis of a highly effective face run for Piper, who quickly became one of WWE’s most popular stars. The ensuing weeks and months saw Piper invade Adonis’ show to insult and berate his former friend for stealing his slot, but Adonis soon decided he’d had enough. Along with Bob Orton and Don Muraco, Adonis beat Piper down on an episode of the Flower Shop, leading to Roddy returning to destroy the set with a baseball bat a few weeks later.

A hair vs. hair match was then booked for WrestleMania III, and after deciding that he needed some more time away from the business, it was billed as Piper’s last WWF match. Though far from a technical masterpiece, the "93,000" crowd created a white-hot atmosphere. They had no idea whether or not they’d ever see Hot Rod again, and they created an immense amount of noise for what they assumed as his last match.

Piper was victorious, and became one of only a handful of wrestlers to emerge victorious in their retirement match. He returned to the WWF two years later, but even when watching it back today, 30 years later, Piper vs. Adonis still feels special.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.