9 WWE Superstars who retired before they turned 40

Sports entertainment is a ruthless business, where careers usually don't last as long as other jobs. Professional wrestlers have a limited shelf life and the injuries they suffer throughout their careers make sure that they don't wrestle for very long.

Although there have been several wrestlers who managed to keep their body fit enough to wrestle way into their 60s or even 70s, WWE history is full of Superstars who retired way too young or were forced to quit because of injuries. There are also some who themselves chose to leave the business at an early age. In the following list, we'll take a look at 9 such Superstars.

#9 CM Punk

At the age of 36, CM Punk left WWE in 2014, immediately after the Royal Rumble match. Creative differences between Punk and Triple H were instrumental in him quitting abruptly. Punk had an unsuccessful stint in MMA and stated at the time that he won't return to WWE after his UFC run.

Punk had recently named 3 Superstars he would come out of retirement to take on: John Cena, Daniel Bryan, and Rey Mysterio. Six years after leaving WWE, Punk is now working as an analyst on WWE Backstage, and only time will tell if we get to see him wrestle ever again.

#8 Eve Torres

The 2007 WWE Diva Search winner, Eve Torres went on to have a six-year run with the promotion. Torres won the WWE Divas title on three occasions and was involved in a romantic storyline with John Cena and Zack Ryder.

Torres turned heel on Zack Ryder at WrestleMania 28, leading to SmackDown losing an inter-brand multi-man match to WWE RAW. Torres left WWE in early 2013, to plan her upcoming wedding. She was just 28 years old when she left WWE.