10 Wrestlers Who Retired Way Too Early

1. Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan will go down in history as a truly important professional wrestler. The details of his early retirement trump all in the heartbreaking stakes, with the possible exception of Magnum TA. Bryan made it to the top of the mountain against all the odds, only to find that he had used up his entire energy stores to get there.

When Daniel Bryan took to the ring to announce his retirement last February, the emotion felt by all in attendance was different to retirement speeches of the past. This was news that many fans felt was coming but still refused to believe was true. Bryan was going to retire, but legions of fans around the world kept their heads buried deep in the sand in the hope of ignorance becoming bliss.

Bryan was just 34 when he announced that concussions and other injuries had given WWE doctors no option but to retire him. Daniel Bryan, the best in the world, was chopped down in his prime. It is a fact so inherently sad that it is difficult to imagine the magnitude of it ever truly sinking in.

Professional wrestling shouldn't be a long term career. The risks taken by the men and women inside the ring are very real, and injuries are arguably not as common as they should be. The overly-political nature of the business also leads to desperation and dismay. It is a long haul, and for some that haul comes to an end earlier than fans would hope.