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Regular Sportskeeda readers will know that we compile end-of-year lists on an annual basis to recap all of the most notable moments from the last 12 months in the wrestling business.
This year, however, so many things have happened, especially concerning former stars of the WWE locker room, that it feels right to take an early look at some of the most significant retirements of 2019 so far.
In 2018, the biggest retirement came when Paige revealed after WrestleMania 34 that she had been told she could not wrestle again, while Shawn Michaels essentially retired for the second time in his career when he confirmed that his return at Crown Jewel was a one-off.
In 2019, even higher-profile names have already announced their retirements in the first seven months of the year, with one Hall of Famer and two guaranteed future Hall of Famers among those to call time on their careers.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at five former WWE Superstars who have confirmed that they are stepping away from the squared circle this year.
#5 Batista
In their WrestleMania 35 storyline, Triple H went into his match against Batista with the risk of his career being ended if he lost. In reality, “The Animal” had already decided that win or lose, he would retire after the match.
Their 25-minute No Holds Barred encounter turned out to be one of the most memorable matches of the seven-hour extravaganza, notably due to a unique spot where “The Game” pulled out his opponent’s nose ring with a pair of pliers.
Batista produced a performance that was more impressive than many people expected, largely thanks to his willingness to take risky bumps, before Triple H picked up the victory after receiving help from Ric Flair (and a sledgehammer).
Shortly after the show, the WWE Superstar-turned-movie star took to Twitter to confirm that fans had just witnessed the final in-ring battle of his career.
#4 Adam Rose
Before No Way Jose danced around a WWE ring with his conga line, Adam Rose had a similar gimmick which saw him being escorted to and from the ring by men and women who went by the name of ‘Rosebuds’.
The misfit group consisted of extras and developmental talents, including the likes of Becky Lynch and Braun Strowman, but they did not do much to help the career progression of the man who they were cheering on.
Rose lasted 18 months on the main roster as a singles competitor before forming The Social Outcasts with Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel and Heath Slater on January 2016. Then, following a 60-day suspension from WWE, he was granted his release from the company in May 2016.
Three years later, the 39-year-old lost a retirement match on June 2019 against former NXT Superstar Bull James at Atomic Revolutionary Wrestling’s Star Spangled event.
#3 Victoria
Lisa Marie Varon, better known to WWE fans as Victoria, announced in January 2019 that this will be her final year as an in-ring competitor.
The 48-year-old won the Women’s Championship in a Hardcore match from Trish Stratus at Survivor Series 2002 and went on to compete in memorable matches against Molly Holly (Hair vs. Title at WrestleMania XX) and Lita (Steel Cage on Raw).
She also held the Knockouts Championship five times in Impact Wrestling, as well as the Knockouts Tag Team Championship with Miss Tessmacher, in a career spanning 19 years.
Explaining her decision to retire, she told Wrestle Zone recently that she no longer wants her body to go through the physical toll of wrestling.
“My boyfriend picked me up from the airport and I was really quiet and he’s like, ‘what’s wrong?’. I said ‘Man, I can’t do this anymore’ and he says ‘really?’ and then I started crying. I can’t turn my neck, I couldn’t sleep on the plane, I couldn’t get comfortable, my leg was tingling, and I’m 48 and I’m wrestling girls in their 20s.”
#2 Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle announced on March 2019 that he planned to officially retire from in-ring competition at WrestleMania 35. It was then revealed, to the surprise of the WWE Universe, that Baron Corbin would be his final opponent.
What fans did not know at the time is that Vince McMahon expected Angle to continue wrestling for another year, so the WWE chairman chose Corbin as the Hall of Famer’s opponent because he felt that their storyline needed a conclusion.
Sadly for fans of the Olympic Gold medallist, McMahon also made the controversial decision for Corbin to win the match, ensuring that Angle helped elevate a younger talent upon his exit from the ring.
While this outcome was hugely unpopular with fans, Angle explained to Busted Open how Corbin, who has since become a PPV main-eventer, is already benefiting from the match.
“Was Baron the right person? Probably not, but look at him now. Baron Corbin right now is the best heel in the business. People genuinely hate his guts.”
#1 Nikki Bella
There was some confusion earlier this year when Nikki Bella and Brie Bella announced their retirements from in-ring competition in March, coinciding with a new episode of Total Bellas which explained their career-ending decision.
Shortly after the episode aired, the former Divas champions explained that they made the call to retire before WWE introduced Women’s Tag Team titles, so they would be willing to reverse their decision if it meant they could enter the women’s tag division.
Although WWE had plans in place for The Bella Twins vs. The IIconics, the retirement U-turn never came to fruition as Nikki revealed to Jimmy Fallon in June that she has a cyst on her brain and she will not be able to compete in a WWE ring ever again.
“I herniated the disc above where I had [neck] surgery. I have all this inflammation around the metal, and then I have a cyst on my brain. So, they were like, ‘You’re done, no more, you’re out’, so I didn’t get a choice.”
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