10 Emotional WWE Moments That Made Fans Cry

A towering example of perfect wrestling storytelling, Ric Flair’s WrestleMania XXIV retirement match is a flawed masterpiece.

The actual work was a little sloppy, but that didn’t matter. Both he and Shawn Michaels were in the twilight of their careers, and the contest wasn’t about slick technical exchanges and stunning high spots, but giving ‘The Nature Boy’ the emotional conclusion his storied career deserved.

Michaels had been very outspoken about wanting to retire Flair throughout the build-up, but it was all bravado. When the time came to lay his fading hero to rest, HBK just couldn’t pull the trigger. He choked on several occasions, and while Ric reached into every corner of his old bag of heel tricks to mount several comebacks, sooner or later, Shawn would have to pull the trigger.

HBK’s internal struggle eventually reached its conclusion. A guilt-wracked Michaels watched the frail Flair labour to his feet across the ring, and glanced over to him, visibly welling-up. Mouthing the words “I’m sorry, I love you,” Michaels finally drew the curtain on one of wrestling’s most iconic careers, scored the 1, 2, 3, and left the ring with his head hung low.

Flair burst into tears as soon as he came to his senses, and it’d take a heartless individual to not feel something in the aftermath. This perfect retirement moment was sullied when ‘The Nature Boy’ competed for TNA later in his career, but the closing stretch has become an iconic ‘Mania moment.