WWE: 12 Wrestlers With Retirement On Their Mind
Whatever criticism fans may have of the current WWE product, there's no denying that the business is a success right now. The stock price is up this week from around $23 a share to $26 a share, making the company valuation the highest since early in the first year WWE went public. In addition to this news we witnessed Forbes announce Vince McMahon as a legitimate billionaire again this past week, another signal of just how strong WWE are at present and the promising future analysts see for the business. However, one area of vulnerability that investors might be overlooking is the continuation of top level talent to draw viewers in. WWE's bread and butter is their main event draws, the top names people spend time and money to follow. Worryingly the company is struggling to create new stars at a time when the established set are starting to think about retirement. A talent drought is happening and while WWE try to remedy this with the opening of the Developmental Centre and NXT division, it might be all a bit late - a range of top stars are all on their way out in the next few years with no obvious candidates to fill their spots. It's a more pressing matter than fans may realise. This feature will detail the big names who are ready to walk, offering analysis on the time frame this will be in. There's major players who are thinking about the exit as soon as this Summer, with other top stars pencilling in next year and the following as the time to go. Even the very biggest franchise star has talked about wanting to be out of the game within the next five years. Let's talk about the big names and their likely retirement date ...