10 Wrestlers That Love Their Lives Too Much To Retire
For when a mere taste of the good life just isn't enough.
The industry icons in this list all share one thing in common - they don't need to still be in the industry.
Financial freedom assured thanks to years of hard graft being one of the best in the world at this peculiar artform, everybody featured could pack up completely and never so much as inhale the stench of canvas again.
It makes sense why you'd not really want to walk away. As a wrestler operating at the peak of your powers, you're systemically and socially instructed to cling to your spot as if it were a family member set to fall from a clifftop. Making it to the apex of the business must be the giddiest of thrills but a guaranteed lack of permanence in the position informs an uncertain future.
There are those that have to abandon it completely just to pull themselves away, and those that choose to remain as tied to it as possible, even if regular bumping is out of the question.
Kevin Nash is still the coolest guy in every wrestling room, and he once famously decreed that the only two things that mattered in pro wrestling were miles and money. For not needing the latter, this gang are only too willing to travel the former for one more hit...
10. Daniel Bryan
Regardless of what his audience might think of WWE's output, Daniel Bryan referred (indirectly) to it as the stuff of "dreams". Dreams he fought incredibly hard for during an enforced retirement that came as a result of head trauma - the sort of stuff you simply don't risk unless you know you can.
Despite becoming a new husband and father with protective wealth and a relatively simple way of life, Bryan chased and chased and chased the chance of return until he actually f*cking managed it. On this evidence, what will ever stop him rushing after than canvas-shaped dragon?
The anxiety is still there amongst his fans - a radio silence following WrestleMania 35 had his core audience fearing the worst, but it's hard to imagine him not wrestling now, even if WWE won't clear him. The market is too fertile for a Daniel Bryan not to find new opportunities within, especially if the chosen promoters are willing to overlook the potential worst case scenario.