10 Best Ways Wrestlers Said Goodbye

3. Ric Flair's WrestleMania Retirement (WrestleMania XXIV)

Ric Flair
WWE.com

Over time, those promise-wrecking matches in TNA and elsewhere will fade from fan minds. With them will go any shred of ill will towards Ric Flair for wrestling again after WWE had given him the ultimate send off. Not sparing any expense, Vince McMahon put on quite the show for the 'Nature Boy' at WrestleMania XXIV and on Raw the next night.

That tear-filled speech on TV was one thing, but the masterful performances of Flair and Shawn Michaels at 'Mania were good enough to end any career. Eight years on from appearing in street clothes on WCW programming due to his own insecurities, Flair once again proved why he was the man at 'Mania, and he did so against someone who had grown up idolising him.

Those tears weren't crocodile ones from either Ric or Shawn. As Michaels said, "I'm sorry, I love you" before hitting Flair with Sweet Chin Music for the win, both legends fell to the mat crying. After so many years of working to prove himself as the best, Flair's journey was over on the grand stage.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.