5 Former WWE Superstars who have retired in 2019 so far
Regular Sportskeeda readers will know that we compile end-of-year lists on an annual basis to recap all of the most notable moments from the last 12 months in the wrestling business.
This year, however, so many things have happened, especially concerning former stars of the WWE locker room, that it feels right to take an early look at some of the most significant retirements of 2019 so far.
In 2018, the biggest retirement came when Paige revealed after WrestleMania 34 that she had been told she could not wrestle again, while Shawn Michaels essentially retired for the second time in his career when he confirmed that his return at Crown Jewel was a one-off.
In 2019, even higher-profile names have already announced their retirements in the first seven months of the year, with one Hall of Famer and two guaranteed future Hall of Famers among those to call time on their careers.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at five former WWE Superstars who have confirmed that they are stepping away from the squared circle this year.
#5 Batista
In their WrestleMania 35 storyline, Triple H went into his match against Batista with the risk of his career being ended if he lost. In reality, “The Animal” had already decided that win or lose, he would retire after the match.
Their 25-minute No Holds Barred encounter turned out to be one of the most memorable matches of the seven-hour extravaganza, notably due to a unique spot where “The Game” pulled out his opponent’s nose ring with a pair of pliers.
Batista produced a performance that was more impressive than many people expected, largely thanks to his willingness to take risky bumps, before Triple H picked up the victory after receiving help from Ric Flair (and a sledgehammer).
Shortly after the show, the WWE Superstar-turned-movie star took to Twitter to confirm that fans had just witnessed the final in-ring battle of his career.