10 Wrestlers That Love Their Lives Too Much To Retire

7. Ric Flair

Rob Van Dam
WWE.com

Ric Flair's loss to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24 helped craft arguably the most beautiful and ernest sendoff in wrestling history as 'The Nature Boy' said goodbye to the robes, tights and all the friends and kayfabe enemies he'd worked with and inspired along the way. A post-WrestleMania Raw farewell closed the broadcast in predictable emotional fashion - the whole Flair family were in tears as usual, but the moment couldn't have been sweeter.

His decision to return to the ring for TNA just two years later made clear the reality of 'The Dirtiest Player In The Game' - there isn't really any kind of retirement that encapsulates the magic of pro wrestling more than simply being in wrestling.

Health setbacks for much of his late-60s have resulted in him finally being forced away from physical conflict (Flair's last match proper was in 2011), but a new reason to remain tied to WWE emerged when daughter Charlotte began rapidly advancing through the Performance Center/NXT ranks.

After a brief spell as her manager in 2016, Flair has since appeared as an infrequent guest on the show despite some significant health scares, clearly and understandably enamoured with 'The Queen's sensational work.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett