10 Awesome Wrestlers Who Quit Before They Were 40
1. The Rock
In wrestling there are stars, there are superstars, and then there's The Rock. Rock broke out at the height of the Attitude Era, and in terms of mainstream appeal, eclipsed every single wrestler who came before him.
He was as recognisable as any Hollywood superstar, and before long, that's what he became.
Rock's first major movie role came in 2001's The Mummy Returns, where he played villainous Scorpion King.
That led to an eponymous spinoff film for the character, which made The Rock the highest-paid first-time leading man in Hollywood history. Before long, he had signed up to star in The Rundown and a remake of Walking Tall.
Meanwhile, in the wrestling world, Rock lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar, marking the end of his full-time career at age 30. He came back in 2003 for a brief run, then had a single match in 2004, but from then on, The Rock was a full-time movie star.
In the 2010s, The Rock's star rose even higher - an acclaimed role in the Fast & Furious franchise made him the most in-demand movie star in the world, and his roles in G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island gave him the nickname of "Franchise Viagra".
The superstar conquered Hollywood as he did WWE - but he wasn't done with wrestling.
Despite his mainstream fame, Rock returned to WWE at WrestleMania 27, kicking off a multi-year storyline with John Cena. While the feud only led to five more bouts for The Rock, thereby keeping him "retired" for the purposes of this article, it was amazing to see the greatest star of the Attitude Era return for some much-needed dream matches.