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As WrestleMania season starts to rear its head, fans are gearing up for one the most celebrated events on the WWE calendar: the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The Hall of Fame is a chance for the WWE Universe to thank stars of the past who sacrificed their bodies to entertain them.
Whilst some legends and Hall of Famers have returned to the ring long post their prime, we are going to take a look at 3 WWE legends who will unfortunately never wrestle again:
#3 - The Heartbreak Kid's band has stopped playing
Whilst there have been many skilled in-ring workers over the years in WWE there has arguably never been nobody better than Shawn Michaels.
The Showstopper wowed fans for almost 30 years, with him having iconic matches against top stars like The Undertaker, Triple H, Bret Hart, John Cena, Razor Ramon, and Chris Jericho.
While he did come out of retirement briefly in 2018 and reunited with Triple H to take on The Brothers of Destruction, HBK has largely stayed away from the ring since 2010 after he lost to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26.
Today, Michaels still works very closely in the business with him currently working as the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative.
During an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda's Wrestle Binge HBK was asked if he would ever consider wrestling one last time. He replied:
"No, I absolutely don’t think about that at all anymore. I’m so enamored and enjoy helping these young men and women come through NXT. I’ve had my time in the sun. I absolutely enjoyed every bit of it, but I so thoroughly enjoy being able to help them and allow them to have the same opportunities that I had."
#2 - WWE's Animal has been caged
One of the greatest superstars of the 2000s and 2010s is undoubtedly The Animal Batista.
The former member of Evolution carved out one of the most iconic careers of all time as he headlined WrestleMania on multiple occasions, besides winning the Royal Rumble on two occasions. He also captured six World Titles during his storied career.
In 2019, The Animal made his return to the company intending to write a fairytale ending to his decorated career. The former World Heavyweight Champion would go after the very man who brought him into the business: Triple H.
The two former allies would then engage in an extremely personal feud and the rivalry eventually culminated at WrestleMania 35.
Batista would go on to lose the match against Hunter, with the Animal then sadly revealing on social media after the contest that this would indeed be his final outing in the ring.
"To all the WWE fans across the world that gave me the opportunity to suspend your disbelief, thank you," Batista wrote. "From the biggest part of my heart thank you for letting me entertain you. Tonight was my story book ending and I wanted to leave you with all I had to give. I'll miss this theater of violence more than I can express in words but I am officially retiring from Sports Entertainment. I'm proud of what I've accomplished, I leave in great health, and without a doubt the show will go on. I had a hell of a run. Thank you for the journey," wrote Batista.
#1 - The Game has come to an end
Two years ago, one of the most iconic in-ring WWE careers came to an end as The Game: Triple H decided to walk into the sunset.
Whilst many WWE stars choose when they want to hang up their boots, Triple H did not have a choice as The King of Kings was advised never to wrestle again after he suffered a massive cardiac arrest.
During an interview with ESPN in 2022, Hunter announced his retirement from the ring as well as detailing the issues with his heart.
"I will never wrestle again. First of all, I have a defibrillator in my chest, which, you know, probably not a good idea for me to get zapped on live TV. I was nose-diving and sort of at the 1-yard line of where you don't want to be really, for your family and your future. There's moments in there when they're putting you out for stuff and you think, 'Is this it? Do you wake up from this?' That's tough to swallow and makes you think differently."
Today, Triple H is still heavily involved in the business as he is serving as WWE's Chief Content Officer and as the head of creative.
Which WWE legend do you miss the most inside the squared circle? Let us know in the comment section!
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