10 Surprising Wrestlers Retiring Sooner Than You Think

5. Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes - the handsome new face of WWE, the man who has united the fanbase in spite of their love of a sentimental underdog, the charming PR dream - could be the next John Cena.

He's a square-jawed babyface full of fire, and he's nowhere near as transparent at kissing ass. Also, his work doesn't look flimsy. He could be a better version of John Cena. You can't get a hold of his merchandise in arenas, it sells out that quickly, and when his name appears on house show adverts, the gate goes up.

Time will tell if he can maintain his popularity and continue to orbit Cena's elusive stratosphere, but he might not have much time left.

He once remarked that he was dead set on hanging it up at the age of 40, but by his own admission - fielding a question posed by Denise Salcedo at the post-WrestleMania 38 press scrum - speaking in absolutes has bitten him on the ass in the past. He doesn't want to bind himself to an arbitrary number, but he doesn't want to be an old man wrestler, either.

He came up in a brutal WWE schedule, and wants to be able to pick up his daughter and not have to "saddle walk".