10 Wrestling Retirement Matches Where The Loser Came Back

When it comes to retirement, few wrestlers have as much experience as Terry Funk. He's called it a career so many times that nobody takes it seriously anymore, and while he hasn't competed since 2015, it wouldn't surprise anyone if he wrestles another match or two.

Funk's first - and most widely-seen - retirement came in 1983, when he bid farewell to a Japanese audience on national TV. The retirement that's best-remembered today, though, came 14 years later.

In 1997, Funk promoted his own show, "WrestleFest". Featuring stars from ECW and WWE, the card was a full evening of action in Funk's hometown of Amarillo, headlined by the former NWA World Heavyweight Champion against reigning WWE Champion Bret Hart.

The match was a solid 25-minute clash that saw Funk do his best, but ultimately fall to "The Hitman". When Funk took Hart over with a belly-to-back suplex, Hart got his shoulder up, but Funk's stayed down. His career was over, and the real-life buildup to the bout was famously documented in the 1999 documentary Beyond the Mat.

As also mentioned in the film, Funk was wrestling again just three months later.