10 Best Retirement Matches In WWE History
Saying "goodbye" is never easy, but a great match definitely softens the blow.
Professional wrestling can be a cruel business. While the likes of The Undertaker and NJPW's Jushin Thunder Liger show it's possible to maintain a career beyond the age of 50 with the right schedule, they're very much in the minority. The sport's gruelling schedule, politics, and heavy physical toll forces many wrestlers out before they're ready to retire. Saying "goodbye" can be incredibly difficult.
As a result, many wrestlers find it tough to stay retired. The likes of Mick Foley, Steve Austin, and Ric Flair have all made full-time in-ring returns after initially stepping away from the sport, proving that while these wrestlers may be over the hill, getting over the thrill is a different matter entirely.
Regardless of the circumstances, most wrestlers want to retire on their own terms, and this typically takes the form of a big-time retirement match. WWE often give loyal employees the opportunity to end their career with one final show-stopping performance, and while the stipulation doesn't always mean "the end," it can be a valuable storytelling tool regardless.
Nothing stirs the emotions like watching one of your favourite wrestlers compete for the very last time, regardless of whether the outcome sticks or not - and with the news that Roman Reigns intends to retire the Undertaker at WrestleMania 33, the Big Dogs have some lofty heights to reach.
10. Ric Flair Vs. Mr. Perfect (Raw - 25th January, 1993)
Ric Flair made a huge splash upon signing with the WWF in 1991.
At the age of 42, WCW’s biggest star had finally crossed over to the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, and his long-awaited dream match with Hulk Hogan looked like it was on the cards. Sadly, the WWF were never able to put the match together, but Flair was successful nonetheless, He became WWE Champion at the 1992 Royal Rumble, and though he lost the belt to Randy Savage at WrestleMania, Flair continued in a prominent position.
Trouble was brewing by early 1993, however. Flair had been feuding with Mr. Perfect following a tag match at Survivor Series ‘92, and when his rival eliminated him from the 1993 Royal Rumble, a retirement match was set up for the following night on Raw.
The duo put forth an excellent effort rife with the kind of precise technicality you’d expect from two celebrated ring generals. In the end, Perfect scored the victory with his Perfectplex, sending the Nature Boy back to WCW, where he became a main event fixture once again.
Flair’s first WWE stint was incredibly short-lived, and while this was the first “retirement” match that he went back on, it certainly wasn’t the last. The Nature Boy has came back from retirement on a number of occasions throughout his career, and as strong as the Mr. Perfect match was, retiring in 1993 would have been extremely premature end for Flair.