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Professional Wrestling careers, like life, aren't immortal. A Superstar has to hang up his boots at some point. What really matters is how a Superstar makes the most of the opportunity given to them. Some Superstars, through their immense hard-work, manage to make a place for themselves in the hearts of WWE Universe members. They remain relevant, long after their careers are over e.g, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Edge, Shawn Michaels etc.
A Superstar may leave either WWE, any other company or Professional Wrestling entirely due to several reasons. They may stop when the time is right. They may feel that they aren't being utilized properly or they have to stop due to suffering a career-ending injury. No matter what the reason is behind a Superstar's departure, it's important to acknowledge their contributions to the business.
When Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels retired after losing their matches at Wrestlemania 24 and Wrestlemania 26 respectively, they were given heart-wrenching farewells, the next night on Raw. After Sting had to retire due to suffering a career-ending injury during his match with Seth Rollins in 2015, he headlined the Hall of Fame class of 2016 where he discussed his career and retirement. That was basically a farewell speech, which he didn't get the chance to deliver earlier.
So the point is, no matter how a career ends, it's important that it gets the acknowledgment it deserves. A proper send-off is a must in wrapping up a decorated career. So, without wasting any more time, here are 3 WWE Superstars who deserved proper send-offs.
#3 Cody Rhodes:
Cody Rhodes made his main-roster debut in 2007. He debuted as a face and was immediately inserted into the Rhodes/Orton feud. After that, Cody began an alliance with Hardcore Holly and the duo ended up winning the World Tag Team Championships on Raw's 15th Anniversary special. Rhodes' career only progressed as time went by.
He turned on Hardcore Holly in 2008 to align with Ted Dibiase Jr. Rhodes and Dibiase then aligned themselves with Randy Orton by the end of the year to form "The Legacy", one of the most intriguing heel trios.
After The Legacy fell apart, Rhodes had an impressive run as a singles Superstar where he tried out different gimmicks and won the Intercontinental Championship on different occasions. After that, he was involved in a Rhodes/Authority feud during which he went on to win the Tag Titles once again, this time with his real-life half-brother Goldust. However, once they lost the titles to The New Age Outlaws, Rhodes' downfall began. He debuted the "Stardust" gimmick which lasted nearly 2 years.
Eventually, Rhodes got upset about the lack of direction his character had for over a year. He requested to be released from his WWE contract in May 2016 and was immediately granted his release, his last match being against Zack Ryder on an episode of WWE Superstars. Now, if the rumors of a new Wrestling promotion are true and also considering the success he has achieved in the Independent Circuit, don't expect Cody to return to WWE in the near future, or ever. As much as Cody did for the company for nearly 10 years, he deserved to go out with a bang!
#2 CM Punk:
CM Punk needs no introduction. Punk achieved success in the independent circuit before joining WWE in 2005. Punk became the first-ever superstar to win two Money in the Bank Ladder matches. He is also one of the few Superstars who has held the WWE Championship, World Heavyweight Championship, and the ECW Championship. CM Punk was undeniably the "Best in the World" during his time in WWE. Many of his feuds and matches are remembered and talked about even today. CM Punk vs. John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011 was the last match to receive a 5-star rating from Dave Meltzer (of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter).
However, Punk was also concerned about his character's creative direction. He never hesitated to voice his opinion when he felt something wasn't going right. This led to his infamous "Pipebomb" promo. Due to health problems and Part-timers snatching the spotlight from full-timers, along with many other reasons, Punk walked out of WWE in January 2014. He was then fired in June 2014 on his wedding day. Punk revealed many details about his frustrations with the company and how he was fired when he was a guest on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling Podcast.
With how things turned out, it's nearly impossible to see CM Punk in a WWE ring ever again. Things could have been different, however, as Punk revealed that he and Triple H shared a text message conversation a few days prior to the former's wedding. Punk said that he was willing to discuss things after his wedding and honeymoon but was instead fired on his wedding day. Punk never got the send-off that he deserved after entertaining the WWE Universe for nearly 10 years and probably never will. However, the WWE Universe has refused to forget him and loud "CM Punk" chants are heard during Raw, Smackdown Live and Pay-Per-Views even today.
#1 Christian:
Christian has to be one of the most criminally underrated Superstars to have performed in WWE. Christian got his first breakthrough as a part of "The Brood", with Gangrel and Edge. Edge and Christian then split from Gangrel and continued to rise as a tag team. Their "five second pose" as well as their remarkable matches with the Dudley Boyz and the Hardy Boyz are talked about even today. After Edge and Christian split, Edge was given a significant push, starting in 2004.
On the other hand, Christian thrived as a mid-carder until his departure in 2005. Christian established himself as a main-event player in Total Nonstop Action/Impact Wrestling before returning to WWE in 2009. Christian was given a significant push on ECW where he emerged as a two-time and the longest reigning ECW Champion. After ECW ended in 2010, Christian was once again turned into a glorified jobber. He had two disappointing reigns as the World Champion. Apart from that, frequent injuries also prevented him from breaking the glass ceiling. Christian won a #01 Contender's Fatal-4-way match to face Big E for the Intercontinental Championship in early 2014. However, due to a career-ending injury/concussion suffered during the match, he had to retire from in-ring competition and thus, he silently disappeared.
It doesn't matter if Christian was main-event material or not, he served the Pro Wrestling Industry for over 15 years and that is something that should be acknowledged. Christian's last match was forgettable but he could have been given a proper send-off like Daniel Bryan (in 2016) or Edge. Christian will eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame but chances of him headlining the class are slim to none.
