10 Precise Moments Wrestlers Should Have Retired

9. Ric Flair - WWE WrestleMania XXIV

Finn Balor Kane
WWE

It's incredibly obvious, yes, but Ric Flair probably should have retired immediately after his retirement match.

It was just so perfect. Flair entered the match years and years removed from his physical prime, but the genius of the match and its unparalleled pathos lay in its embrace of that fact. He didn't try to ignore father time but claw desperately at the minute hand in a desperate bid to bring it back - and because he was such a genius, he did. Shawn Michaels was phenomenal in his role, too, bumping like he was 20 years younger because he could still do an impression of his youth.

Flair cheated in a wonderful subversion of traditional pro wrestling storytelling. The fans wanted Flair to play dirty, where for years and years they vocally resented him for it. In the end, of course, they broke your heart. To get that story over, they had to force you through chef's kiss melodrama to remind you that you did care deeply about the man who, realistically, you could have done without seeing rot in the midcard, moving around a bit too weirdly.

He buggered it up in TNA by no-selling both the stipulation and the pathos that got it over - there was no nuance to his work, just the cold mechanisms of stocking dad rock CDs in December - but nobody much cares.

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!