12 Wrestlers Who Retired In 2018

10. Ayako Hamada

Ayako Hamada
Impact Wrestling

Ex-TNA Knockouts Tag-Team Champ and former All Japan Women's stalwart Ayako Hamada is currently serving a suspended prison sentence for possession of methamphetamine. That sorry episode, occurring in May before she was imprisoned in July, has ended her near-20 year wrestling career.

Hamada announced she'd be stepping away from the ring on the same day she was incarcerated on drug charges. Pro Wrestling Wave, the (Japanese) company she'd been working for regularly, decided to terminate her contract and cut all ties. Since then, Hamada has announced her intentions to find work as an interpreter once she's released from prison.

Yikes.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.