Professional wrestling, just like any other physical sport or activity, is punishing on the body. An obvious statement, sure, but wrestling goes above and beyond the punishment athletes in other sports suffer - ironically, for something many outside of the industry deem "fake", wrestling is anything but, and has an unbelievable toll on the human body. Of course, fans of the business know this, and are in fact often thankful for the sacrifices those men and women who work in a squared circle make, all in the name of entertainment. As shown by other athletes, such as footballer Paul Gascoigne, a reaction from an audience and thrill of competition can be an almighty drug, one which is nigh-on impossible for some people to give up. The same can be said of pro wrestling. Many well-known names in the industry have likened working a match, and hearing the response of the fans, to being more powerful than any drug they've ever dabbled with - men such as Roddy Piper, Steve Austin and even Bret Hart have stated they've experienced rushes like no other when wrestling. If we're to believe that, it must be incredibly difficult to retire from wrestling, and effectively give up something so addicting. For that exact reason, and many others, there have been grapplers who find it truly hard to retire. This list explores some of the most notable examples, people who - for varying reasons - just can't wave goodbye to the wrestling world.
