5 WWE Superstars and when they plan to finish wrestling
The career of a WWE Superstar can last two years or it can last 20 years – it really depends on how successful somebody is with the audience or, in some cases, if they want to get out of the wrestling business early to pursue other interests.
The Rock, for example, only had a seven-year run as a full-time performer with WWE before he swapped the squared circle for the silver screen, while the likes of Chris Jericho and John Cena had lengthy full-time runs and now combine their wrestling schedules with other work.
On the flip side, AJ Lee spent four years on WWE’s main roster and retired in 2015 when she felt like she had achieved all of her goals in the industry, while popular Superstars including Edge and Paige have had their careers cut short due to injury.
It’s never easy for somebody in the wrestling business to officially call time on their career, which is why so many people end up having multiple retirement matches.
In this article, let's take a look at five guys who already have a pretty good idea about when their time in WWE will come to an end.
#5 Batista
The future of Batista in WWE is often discussed by fans and interviewers. It’s clear from what “The Animal” has said in recent years that he would like to return but, for several reasons, he still hasn’t appeared on WWE programming since mid-2014.
The closest he came to making an in-ring return was at WrestleMania 34, where he was sounded out about teaming with Ronda Rousey against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, with a view to having a one-on-one retirement match against HHH at WrestleMania 35.
However, as the six-time world champion recalled on 106.7 The Fan earlier this year, he was “really excited about the opportunities” but never heard back from the company after three weeks of discussions.
He remains keen to work for WWE again but, at the age of 49, says he will “officially hang it up” next year, so his last realistic opportunity to compete again inside a WWE ring will be at WrestleMania 35.