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Retirement matches in professional wrestling can often be an emotional time, for both the fans and the Superstars involved. Ric Flair having his career ended by Shawn Michaels then, in turn, HBK being retired by The Undertaker are just two examples that spring to mind.
Emotional as those moments were, they were planned. The unpredictable nature of what professional wrestling can do to a person's body doesn't often afford performers that luxury and most wrestlers are forced to retire without that last big match.
If anything, sudden retirements such as those can be even more upsetting, especially if the Superstar in question decides to pour their heart out on Raw.
Here are five occasions where the fans were not aware that one of their heroes was performing in their last match ever.
#5 Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan's retirement from in-ring competition was one of the most emotional nights in recent history for WWE fans. The retirement took place long after the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion's last ever match however.
Ten months before that speech on Raw, Daniel competed on what turned out to be his last ever match. Bryan tagged with John Cena to take on Tyson Kidd and Cesaro who were the Tag Team Champions at the time. He and Cena won a bout that no one at the time realised would be Bryan's last.
Shortly after that, it was announced that Daniel wouldn't be medically cleared to defend his Intercontinental Championship at Extreme Rules, and after that, he was forced to surrender his title. Following that came months of back and forth about whether he would ever wrestle again, a decision that Bryan is still fighting to this day.
#4 CM Punk
CM Punk has been away from WWE for an awfully long time now. In January 2014, "The Straight Edge Superstar" finally decided he'd had enough of the booking and the clout at WWE and turned his back on professional wrestling.
Punk's last ever professional wrestling match came the night before he famously walked out on Vince McMahon and co, and it was actually a Royal Rumble. The 2014 Royal Rumble that Batista won and began the road to Daniel Bryan's crowning WrestleMania moment.
The fact that Batista had won that match was one of the things that contributed to Punk's departure. The fans were crying out for a Bryan win and who knows, without The Second City Saint walking out we may never have gotten Daniel in the main event of WrestleMania XXX two months later.
#3 Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero is one of the most beloved figures in the history of professional wrestling. Unlike the previous two entries in this list, Eddie's final match came unexpectedly because "Latino Heat" suddenly passed away at the age of just 38.
Five days before Eddie passed he wrestled Mr Kennedy on an episode of SmackDown, a match that Guerrero would win via disqualification. Little did we all know that it would be the last time we would get to see the Hall of Famer perform.
Apparently, on the day of Eddie's death, Guerrero was supposed to win the World Heavyweight Championship from Batista in a triple threat match. It was allegedly so that Batista could take time off due to an injury, although Batista himself has denied that was ever the plan.
#2 Edge
When Daniel Bryan gave his emotional and heartfelt speech announcing that he would be retiring from professional wrestling, it brought memories of Edge's retirement speech flooding back. "The Rated R Superstar" also had to cut his career short thanks to a build-up of injuries.
Edge's announcement came a lot more suddenly than Bryan's however. In the main event of WrestleMania XXVII the WWE Hall of Famer successfully defended the World Championship against Alberto Del Rio. Most wrestlers would love their final match to be the main event of Mania, and unbeknownst to us for Edge it was.
The next night on Raw, Edge came to the ring on Raw and revealed to the WWE Universe that injuries were forcing him to retire. It came as a real shock to everybody and later that week on SmackDown he would officially relinquish the World Title.
#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin has one thing in particular over everyone else who has appeared on this list thus far. Not only did Steve know that his final match was indeed going to be his last, but it was a choice he made and he got out while the getting was good.
At WrestleMania XIX, Steve stepped into the ring with The Rock for their third Mania match in just five years. It was a feud that defined an entire generation of pro wrestling and one that really brought a close to the era that they had championed when they had that final match.
Austin has often discussed the fact that he knew that match in Seattle was going to be his last. When The Rock beat him, Austin has said as he lay there on the mat it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he hasn't wrestled another match since.
