10 Obscure Wrestling Retirement Matches You Didn't Know About

8. Harley Race

Kevin Nash James Ellsworth
WWE

Harley Race was a sensational worker.

Incredibly legitimate without ever being boring about it, he was an iron man NWA World Champion; the mythical old school wrestler who could beat anybody up in real life and make a believer of out everybody transmogrified into flesh and mutton chops.

He didn't fare as well in the WWF, after finally making the jump. To his credit, he did initially decline in the best way imaginable, by almost putting Vince McMahon to sleep when the WWF owner tried to get him to walk out of Starrcade '83.

As the King, Race did some televised jobs for Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior, happy enough to take one last payday - but that wasn't his last run. He did some house show shots in WCW in 1990 before his injuries piled up and he could go no longer. It was a sudden exit, hence why there was no pomp and circumstance surrounding it, but he was evidently close to the end. Why, then, did WCW pair him with Michael 'IRS' Wallstreet?

Why pair a guy who worked a stubbornly unexciting mat-based style that belonged to a prehistoric era...with Harley Race?

And you thought Kurt Angle Vs. Baron Corbin was bad.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!