10 Obscure Wrestling Retirement Matches You Didn't Know About

2. The Honky Tonk Man

Honky Tonk Man
WWE

His record Intercontinental is under threat at long last.

Provided GUNTHER defeats Drew McIntyre in a presumed SummerSlam match, he won't be too far off breaking the Honky Tonk Man's 454-day stint with the belt. It doesn't matter - it's only a number, and his reign is not only exponentially more impressive than Honky's but is the best ever, nostalgia be damned - but it would be a good promotional idea for GUNTHER to do it. Triple H's TV is rather dry, but he has convinced the base that they are watching history unfold. It all adds up to a feeling of real importance, and this patient approach is paying off.

Honky wasn't about match quality then, and he certainly wasn't about match quality as his career dwindled late into the 2010s, at which point he walked through his "greatest" "hits" on the emerging indie irony circuit.

If you’re going to be an apathetic carny, it's better to be funny about it, and Honky was funny. He wouldn't even bump when performing his swinging neckbreaker finish, instead opting to fall to his knees. Like Brutus Beefcake, he took one last payday in a comedy battle royale, for Wildkat Pro Wrestling in 2019.

Amongst the participants were Carlito, Ernest 'The Cat' Miller, and a wrestler named 'Mysterious Q', who somehow isn't a revered agent down in NXT.

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!