10 Wrestling Careers We Wish Had Lasted Longer

It wasn't injury but the lure of Hollywood which saw The Rock end his run as a full-time professional wrestler just a few days shy of his 31st birthday. Whilst it's hard to argue that Dwayne Johnson would have become any bigger had he stuck around - indeed, appearances in blockbuster movies have only added to his stardom, inside and out of the business - there is a nagging feeling that we have missed out on some moments of magic.

The encounter he shared with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8 - one of his last before heading for Tinseltown - whetted fans' appetites for more dream matches pitting the stars of the present against their yesteryear counterparts. Yet we never got to see The Rock versus Shawn Michaels (and, unless something really unexpected happens, we probably never will).