5 WWE retirements that left fans in tears
Pro wrestling is similar to other sports in that the shelf life of a professional wrestler isn't long. Injuries suffered over several years, plus the bumps taken in and out of the ring, collectively make sure that a wrestler would be forced to retire before they end up in a wheelchair.
Some Superstars are smart enough to call it quits when they are on the top of their game. On the other hand, some did because their injuries had worsened. Interestingly, some of these Superstars ended up coming back for the last hurrah (Shawn Michaels, Edge), or another long stint (Daniel Bryan), but their retirements were still a big deal.
In the following list, we'll take a look at 5 WWE retirement that left fans in tears.
#5 Ric Flair
The road to WrestleMania 24 saw Vince McMahon putting WWE legend Ric Flair in a perilous position. Vince declared that the next match Flair would lose, would be the final match of his career. Over the next few weeks, Flair somehow managed to defeat Superstars one after the other and keep his job.
Vince's ultimatum:
As WrestleMania approached, Flair got into a feud with Shawn Michaels and the two-faced off in a huge match at The Show of Shows. Flair, who had been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on the previous night, lost the match, and his career came to an end. The next night on RAW, Flair was given a grand sendoff by WWE, with the entire locker room coming out to thank him. There was a long string of fans in the arena that night who couldn't control their emotions over one of the biggest Superstars in the business finally hanging up the boots. Unfortunately, Flair returned to the ring soon after, in Impact Wrestling, but the sendoff he received on that night would always be remembered as one of the most emotional moments in RAW history.