10: The Undertaker

One of the top matches on the WrestleMania 36 card was The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles. Before the world shut down due to COVID-19, the match was originally booked to be a standard one vs. one encounter; however, due to COVID, the match was shot off site, and would become a Boneyard matchup.

The Boneyard match main evented night one of the show, and it was everything fans could have wanted out of a cinematic main event. The match had drama, intensity, and great call backs to classic Undertaker characters, with him bringing back The American Badass character one final time.

After the match was over, The Deadman confirmed in numerous interviews that he was officially done. The match was so good, and so celebrated by fans, that The Deadman was satisfied riding off into the sunset. This was a testament to AJ, who had given The Undertaker his best match in years, and it seemed fitting that The Undertaker would go out in a cinematic matchup against one of the greatest talents of the modern-era.

9: Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan is arguably the biggest name in wrestling history, so when Hogan called it a day in the ring, it was expected to be a heavily marketed matchup to capitalise on Hogan finally hanging up his boots.

In reality, Hogan’s final match took place at an IMPACT Wrestling live event in 2012. Hogan would team with James Storm and Sting to take on Kurt Angle, Bully Ray, and Bobby Roode. Hogan’s final ever match being at a live event for IMPACT is crazy to think about, and Hogan has teased coming out of retirement for the past 12-years, yet nothing substantial has ever come from it.

8: AJ Lee

In 2015, AJ Lee was one of the biggest stars in WWE. AJ was a legitimate draw, and without question the most popular female talent in all of WWE. On the RAW following WrestleMania 31, AJ would team with Naomi and Paige to take on Natalya and The Bella Twins, and fans weren’t aware, but this was the final time (to date) that they would see AJ in a WWE ring. After the match, and after RAW went off the air, WWE released an official statement which read:

“AJ Lee (April Mendez) has decided to retire from in-ring competition with WWE. We wish AJ the very best.”

Fans continue to fantasy book AJ returning to WWE for one more run, and whilst her husband, CM Punk seems to think that this isn’t on the cards, stranger things have happened, and a small cameo appearance in a Royal Rumble would ultimately make the fans lose their minds.

7: Goldberg

It came as a huge surprise when Goldberg committed to more matches following the 2016 Survivor Series event. Goldberg’s match with Brock Lesnar was supposed to be a one-time deal, yet WWE managed to convince the WWE Hall of Famer to have numerous other matches in the promotion, and these extended runs included multiple World Title reigns, which weren’t exactly received well by the general audience.

Goldberg’s final match took place at the Elimination Chamber event in 2022. Goldberg was defeated by Roman Reigns, and this was the last contracted match on Goldberg’s WWE deal. Due to WWE’s obsession with Goldberg coming back time and time again, fans were convinced that this wasn’t the last time they had seen Goldberg in the squared circle, yet for the past two-years, Goldberg has been absent from WWE programming.

Goldberg has been extremely negative towards WWE over the past two years, and it’s likely that if the former World Champion ever does commit to another match, then it will take place outside of WWE.

6: Brock Lesnar

Whilst not confirmed, it appears that SummerSlam 2023 could have been Brock Lesnar’s last ever match in WWE. Lesnar would be defeated by Cody Rhodes, and the match was notable, as Lesnar went off script following the match, and endorsed Rhodes, turning babyface in the process.

A few months after the SummerSlam event, Lesnar was linked to a Vince McMahon lawsuit, and this resulted in Lesnar being pulled from any creative plans. Lesnar was initially set to face Gunther at WrestleMania XL, and he was even booked to collide with Dominik Mysterio at the Elimination Chamber event.

It’s unclear what exactly WWE’s plans are for Lesnar, yet it’s certainly a possibility that he never wrestles again. This, of course, depends on the outcome of the pending lawsuit, and it’s likely we will know more information surrounding Lesnar’s wrestling future in the coming months.

5: Wade Barrett

One of the names that was always on the edge of greatness was Wade Barrett. Barrett had all the talent in the world, yet WWE just couldn’t fully go all the way with making him a main event star.

On a random RAW in 2016, Barrett teamed with Sheamus in a losing effort against The New Day, and this would end up being Barrett’s final ever WWE match.

This came out of nowhere, as it wasn’t reported that Barrett was set to leave WWE, and it especially wasn’t reported that this would be Barrett’s final ever match.

In a 2023 interview with Digital Spy, the former Intercontinental Champion discussed why the 2016 RAW match ended up being his final ever match:

“I think it was the whole process of being a WWE Superstar after many, many years in terms of the schedule, my disappointment at some of the creative stuff that was going, being constantly beat up, and the issues in my personal life that I’d neglected for years due to the crazy schedule that I was on. In all honesty, I needed to go away and just do something else and clear my mind and kind of recalibrate where I was going in life…”

Barrett would return to WWE several years later, in a role of a commentator. This has been a role in which Barrett has received widespread praise for, yet fans are still hoping that Barrett has one more match left in him. 

4: Mark Henry

The fake-out segment in which Mark Henry ‘retired’ in 2013 is arguably one of the most iconic segments in RAW history. Due to how good the segment was, the day when Henry actually did retire would be hard to take seriously, as fans would be convinced that Henry was once again fooling the world.

Henry’s last wrestling match took place in 2018, where he competed in the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia. Due to Henry’s inactivity over the past six-years, fans have come to the natural conclusion that Henry was done in the squared circle, and in 2023, Henry confirmed that is indeed the case.

Henry had an incredible career filled with highs and lows, and it’s great to see that Henry is still involved in the wrestling industry thanks to his role as a mentor in AEW.

3: JBL

Former WWE Champion JBL had an unforgettable initial retirement match. JBL would retire following his shocking loss to Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 25, and JBL managed to retire completely in character, which was the perfect way for him to go out. What made this retirement extra special was that nobody had any idea that JBL would quit following the match, it was kept strictly under wraps by everyone.

Ultimately, this wouldn’t end up being JBL’s final match, as he would make a cameo appearance in the 2014 Royal Rumble. However, due to the appearance being so brief, fans, and probably JBL himself still class WrestleMania 25 as his official retirement matchup.  

2: Kane

Kane managed to wrestle and remain relevant throughout multiple eras in WWE, and it’s a massive shame that his final match took place in-front of zero fans.

Kane’s final match came in 2021, when he made an appearance in the men’s Royal Rumble. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Rumble match took place in the infamous Thunderdome, so the fans weren’t able to give Kane the appreciation he deserved.

Kane hasn’t ruled out wrestling again, yet it does unfortunately seem unlikely. Kane is extremely busy with his political career, and it’s evident based on his current schedule that he has put his wrestling career behind him, and he is clearly more than satisfied with his legendary career. 

1: Triple H

In 2022, Triple H announced that he was retiring from in-ring competition due to a serious cardiac event. Whilst this was heartbreaking to hear that such a trademark name was calling it a day, it was in his best interests as The Game’s health and wellbeing was way more important than him having one more run as an active talent.

Due to his retirement, this meant that Triple H’s final ever match was against his arch-rival, Randy Orton, which was a fitting end to a storied career. The match in question was more of a segment on RAW than an actual match, yet Orton was also The Game’s final ever PPV opponent, and their match at Super Showdown 2019 is vastly underrated.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Triple H confirmed he has no regrets about his career, and he stated that he was getting to a place mentally where he was ready to call it a day:

 “It’s funny, people will be like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot you can’t.’ I’m totally good with that. I rode until the wheels fell off. Almost literally. I’m great with that. I was at a place where I should have been retiring anyway. I was at a place in my mind where I wanted to be done with it.”

The Game continued by saying:

“The last year, right before this all happened, I was asked to be at WrestleMania for two days. ‘I need you, you can work with anybody you want.’ I said, ‘I don’t think I want to do it.’ ‘Please think about it. Let’s just do it. Please think about it.’ I thought about it and was going to go back and say, ‘I’m not doing it,’ and then I had to not do it. I was already there. I’m good with it. I have zero regrets.”

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