3 WWE Hall of Famers who probably regret retiring
The WWE Hall of Fame is the most prestigious honor to many old school and legendary figures. While much of what the Hall of Fame is can be seen as subjective, it forever honors the contributions of the legends who were inducted.
Dozens of wrestling legends have been inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame. For the most part, these stars are inducted years, sometimes even decades, after their in-ring careers have ended. Only a select few were inducted while being active on a major stage.
In a perfect world, every one of these legendary Hall of Famers would get a brilliant send off when they hang up their boots once and for all. Unfortunately, only some do. Others are left out, their careers end early, or they hang up the boots too late.
Interestingly, even some wrestling stars who had special send offs or ended their careers in a big way still may end up regretting their retirement. This article will take a look at a handful of legends who likely do regret hanging the boots up when they did, albeit for varying reasons for each.
Below are three WWE Hall of Famers who probably regret retiring.
#3. The Undertaker couldn't retire in front of a live crowd
The Undertaker is one of the most iconic names in pro wrestling history. He is a multi-time World Champion, but his WWE run is perhaps best remembered thanks to his famous WrestleMania undefeated streak. He was at the top of the company for around 25 years.
The legendary figure retired in 2020. His last-ever match was a special Boneyard Match against AJ Styles, which aired at WrestleMania 36. The cinematic match was widely regarded as the highlight of the weekend. The Deadman then officially had a retirement ceremony at Survivor Series that same year.
In theory, this was a great way to go out. The only problem is it all happened during the pandemic. Thanks to the lockdowns, there wasn't a live crowd on hand for The Undertaker's match with AJ Styles, nor were there fans in attendance for his ceremony in November.
As a result, The Undertaker likely regrets retiring when he did. Not only has he mentioned wanting to get in the ring still, but The Deadman has even suggested people he could compete against.
#2. Kurt Angle is disappointed that WWE didn't do more with Baron Corbin
Kurt Angle is one of the best wrestlers in history. Not just pro wrestlers, mind you, but Kurt is one of the best wrestlers ever period. He is an Olympic gold medalist in amateur wrestling and held numerous World Titles in pro wrestling.
The Olympic gold medalist retired from WWE in 2019. He went one-on-one with Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35. The former World Champion lost in just over six minutes, which was disappointing to many fans.
Angle has said that he didn't want his last match to be with Baron Corbin. Instead, the former King of the Ring winner wanted his final bout to be against John Cena. This would have been fitting, since Cena's first main roster match was against Angle.
Worse yet, Angle is even more frustrated with The Lone Wolf being his final opponent thanks to recent events. Corbin was released by World Wrestling Entertainment and Angle seems insulted that the company never did anything with the man who retired him.
#1. Sting wanted a dream match with The Undertaker
Sting is another icon in the world of professional wrestling. While he did compete briefly in World Wrestling Entertainment, he had longer and more memorable runs in Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling, AEW, and TNA Wrestling.
He first retired in WWE after suffering an injury against Seth Rollins. The Icon actually just retired again earlier this year in All Elite Wrestling. Fans were satisfied with the send off, and Sting seemingly was too. Still, there is likely an itch he still has thanks to one dream match he never got.
The Stinger has made it clear for years that he wanted a match with The Undertaker before he hung his boots up. Thanks to retiring in WWE and then later unretiring in AEW, Sting and The Deadman never really got the chance to have an epic encounter. It is likely a disappointment for both men and one reason why Sting probably wishes he could have one more match.