10 Wrestlers Who Didn't Know When To Quit

Wrestling is all about telling incredible stories.

You'll have an opinion on the greatest debuts of all-time, the best WrestleMania matches you've seen, and even the funniest promos you've watched. You might even have a list for all three.

So, why's it that much harder to pick the best retirements?

That's an easy question to answer: you know when a wrestler hangs up their boots, it doesn't really mean anything.

Like Cher, the Rolling Stones, and Status Quo, when your favourite stars claim they're about to retire, you know it's probably not true. They'll find a way to get out of it, or a few years later they'll realise there's money to be made.

Fans have seen wrestlers like Lita and Trish Stratus lace up their boots again, but they ended their careers early and still had something to offer the business. Likewise, "Macho Man' Randy Savage was pushed into retirement at WrestleMania VII, so it was only a matter of time before he started grappling again.

This list isn't about those times. It's about the occasions where legacies have been tarnished, whether it's a wrestler's matches declining in quality, a star looking for the perfect last match, or incredible stories being ruined by the offer of one last big paycheck.

These wrestlers all had stellar careers; they just didn't know when to admit defeat at the end.

Bret "Hitman" Hart's career ended a lot earlier than it should've done, but it could've been even sooner, if he'd declined to take part in one of WrestleMania's worst matches.

The "Hitman" coming back to WWE seemed impossible for almost 15 years, but life finds a way, and to combat Hulk Hogan showing up on the first live TNA Impact, Vince McMahon somehow convinced Hart to make his long awaited return to the ring.

A wayward kick to the head from Goldberg in 1999 left Bret forced to retire, although he wrestled a few matches before his concussion was diagnosed. Whenever he was asked about the end of his career in interviews, as well as bashing Bill, Hart was clearly bitter about how it all finished. He hadn't wanted to go to World Championship Wrestling in the first place.

After he was brought in from the cold, he could've still gone through with his Shawn Michaels face-to-face, then disappeared into the night with the closure he sorely deserved. Unfortunately, WWE's Creative Team teased him with the idea of a match against Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XVI.

He wasn't permitted to take a bump, so instead fans saw the entire Hart family bullying Vince while Bret walked around for a while then kept hitting him with a steel chair. By the end, it felt like McMahon was the face.

You can see why the "Hitman" wanted one last match, but he should've accepted his real career was over in 2000.