5 wrestlers who might come out of retirement and five who are done for good

The world of professional wrestling seems to have a certain allure, drawing back aging superstars time and time again. From Bob Backlund capturing the WWE title in his forties, to Sting reigning as TNA champion in his fifties the door seems to be open for a return at almost any time.

But sometimes, age and injury are insurmountable foes, and a wrestler may never get between the ropes again. Here are five wrestlers who might come back to action, and five who are done for good.

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Might Return: Bully Ray

Bully Ray on Impact

The former citizen of Dudleyville extended his career for several years past what most people predicted, enjoying success in both TNA/Impact and Ring of Honor.

While Bully Ray is definitely slowing down, he was able to keep up with the much younger, agiler stars of ROH, and his retirement took a lot of interested parties by surprise. With the Dudleys set to join the WWE Hall of Fame soon, Bully Ray might be able to get one more run with a major company under his belt, or make special appearances if nothing else.

Is done for good: Ricky Steamboat

Ricky Steamboat

Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair had one of the most epic rivalries in sports entertainment, effectively carrying the fledgling World Championship Wrestling on their shoulders after Ted Turner bought and re-named Jim Crockett Productions.

And who can forget his Wrestlemania III classic against Macho Man Randy Savage? The two men stole the show by putting on a much better match than the main event between a half-crippled Andre and over-bulked Hulk Hogan.

But time makes fools of us all, and the last time Ricky Steamboat was in a WWE ring it didn't end well for him—in kayfabe or real life. Ricky suffered a possible heart attack after taking a beat down, and with a serious back injury that ended his career, there's no chance of a return.

Might return: Scott Hall

Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall

Wrestling's resident bad boy and tabloid headline favorite certainly looks his age these days, but he's still in good shape for a man of his years. While his main role with WWE has been as a trainer and ambassador -- when he's not serving a suspension or 'future endeavored' --Hall is still an interesting enough player to garner enough attention for a special event match or two.

The main thing holding Hall back in this regard is -- as always -- Scott Hall himself. If he can keep his demons in check, he might be able to get between the ropes one last time.

Is done for good: Sting

Sting would be better served by staying out of the ring

Sting's long and storied career seemed to come to an end with the sale of the company he helped create -- World Championship Wrestling -- to Vince McMahon. At the time, the WWE was known for raunchy content and misogynistic behavior, which clashed with Sting's religious values.

Fast forward a few years, and Sting made what was expected to be a one-off appearance for TNA. Fans and promoters alike were wowed by Sting's work ethic and physical fitness despite being in his fifties, and the fans even chanted “You've still got it!”

Sting was moved, the audience was moved, and Sting became more involved with TNA, even enjoying main event runs and holding the world title. Then Sting failed to come to terms with TNA and left the company, and many thought this time the end was here for good.

Of course, Sting ended up on WrestleMania facing Triple H, with DX and the NWO thrown in for good measure. Whispers began of a possible short stint return for Sting, but then Seth Rollins injured the veteran performer.

Now Sting is done for good. His body simply cannot handle the stress of wrestling any longer, but the fans should be grateful he had as many comebacks as he did.

Might Return: Jack Swagger

Jack Swagger

The All American American asked for—and received—his release from WWE in 2017. His goal was not to pursue a career in another wrestling federation, but to make the jump to MMA and increase his wrestling stock, a-la Brock Lesnar or Bobby Lashley.

Swagger has a good chance of backing up his, er, swagger, as he is a champion amateur wrestler and has incredible reach and balance. If he does well in Bellator, he may be able to return to the WWE at or near the top of the card.

Is done for good: Ric Flair

Ride space mountain!

While the Nature Boy has been seen deadlifting over six hundred pounds, there's simply no way Ric is getting back into the ring!

Even if you don't consider his recent health scare, or the time he legit had a heart attack in the ring, there's the fact that, kayfabe-wise, Ric Flair is retired. He was retired by Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania and as far as Vince McMahon is concerned that is that.

While Flair did make a few in-ring appearances for TNA, he is not likely to even wrestle in a WWE ring again due to age, health, and politics.

Might return: The Undertaker

World Wrestling Federation's Wrestler Undertaker

The Undertaker was officially 'retired' by Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania, but his case is different than Ric Flair's.

For one, Flair was a full-time active member of the roster at the time of his retirement, whereas Taker has been a part-timer for at least the last decade. So Taker's 'retirement' doesn't mean all that much compared to the end of his unbeaten streak, and WWE has downplayed its mention on television for two reasons.

One is Roman Reigns. The ploy of having him retire Undertaker didn't work, as he still failed to get over with the fans the way WWE hoped. The other reason is that the WWE knows a Taker appearance will make money, period.

Is Taker done? Only if he can't get his well-known hip problems squared away.

Is done for good: Rikishi Fatu

Rikishi

The dancing big man with the bigger booty is the father of Smackdown tag team stars, The Usos, but there's not much familial love between them.

In fact, The Usos actually hinder his chances of making any more appearances for the WWE more than his well publicized weight and health problems. The WWE has more to gain by keeping the young, healthy Usos happy than by potentially alienating them to make a few quick bucks on a man who was never much more than a novelty act.

Might return: Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan

There's no question that Daniel Bryan WANTS to return to the ring. He hasn't been shy about expressing this on social media, though the WWE doesn't acknowledge this.

Daniel Bryan passed his wellness check for the ring, but WWE hasn't cleared him, citing concerns over concussive syndrome. Bryan believes that he is ready and thinks the WWE might be keeping him out of the ring on purpose so he doesn't outdraw their other stars, like Roman Reigns.

Whatever the case may be, there is a very good possibility you will see Daniel Bryan in the ring again. Whether or not that will be a WWE ring is anyone's guess, but it's hard to think they would deny a marquee star like Bryan another chance to wrestle if he's willing and able.

Is done for good: Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels

While HBK may have been one of the greatest performers of all time, his health simply isn't up to a return.

Mostly blind in one eye due to a detached retina, HBK lacks depth perception and would be a danger to himself and his opponent in the ring. Also, years of drug and alcohol abuse before he cleaned up have taken a toll on his system, and he doesn't recover from injury nearly as quickly as he once did.

While Michaels stays in good shape for his appearances with WWE, he likely won't be coming back to the ring for action.