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There are a plethora of reasons for a WWE Superstar to call it quits on their career. Be it their contractual status, the relevancy of their gimmick, their fitness status, or simply their desire to continue wrestling, several WWE Superstars have openly flirted with the idea of retirement from in-ring action.
Not everyone though has gone ahead and acted on the same. We've seen speculation on several stars potentially heading towards hanging up their boots only for them to continue with their in-ring career. The Undertaker is the best example of that, although as things stand, The Phenom has finally retired.
On that note, let us look at five WWE Superstars who came close to retiring, but didn't.
#5 Big Show
One of the few true remaining giants in the world of professional wrestling, Big Show has been a part of WWE since early 1999, barring the one gap year in 2007 of course. He is the only Superstar to win the WWE Championship, the WCW Championship, the World Heavyweight Championship, and the ECW World Championship.
The Big Show has given us several remarkable spots throughout the course of his career and been the reason behind multiple ring collapses in the WWE. However, back in 2017, Big Show himself stated in an interview with Sports Illustrated that he would retire once his then-contract runs down in February 2018:
“No last matches, no fanfare, just ride off into the sunset and disappear,” said Big Show. “That’s more my style. I’ll find something else to do that is inspiring—and let these new kids take the business and the reigns and let them build the future."
As we all know now, Big Show is still pretty much an active competitor. In fact, he had addressed the rumors back in 2018 itself suggesting that he wasn't done yet with wrestling through this tweet.
The Big Show has had several surgeries in the meantime and as of today seems to be heading towards a match with Randy Orton at WWE's next PPV Extreme Rules: The Horror Show.
#4 Kacy Catanzaro
It's well documented just how difficult it is to get into the business of professional wrestling, let alone getting a contract with WWE. However, Kacy Catanzaro was in for an even tougher situation when barely two years into her contract with the company, she faced the possibility of moving away from the world of sports entertainment for good.
Back in August 2019, there were rumors suggesting that she had handed in her resignation. Kacy's boyfriend Ricochet had stated that she was still very much with WWE but her future was in doubt:
"I don’t know. She’s very family-oriented and she wants kids, so she doesn’t know if being on the road so much is for her... She loves wrestling and she loves it here, and she’s so good at it, so it’s a very tough decision for her."
However, a few months later, Kacy Catanzaro did make her return in a Women's Battle Royal during the 15 January 2020 episode of NXT and has fought in several matches since.
The video above documents the story of Kacy's WWE comeback where she does mention that she took time away to ponder about her future in the company.
#3 Alexa Bliss
In the modern world of pro wrestling, there's barely a Superstar who hasn't faced the wrath of fans. Alexa Bliss is no different, who received severe criticism when she moved to WWE's main roster in 2016 without having a significant run on NXT.
She proved her haters wrong and won multiple championships, most recently holding the WWE Women's Tag Team titles with Nikki Cross.
However, that's not the only hurdle Miss Five Feet of Fury has had to overcome in her WWE career. Back in October 2018, Alexa Bliss had taken time off due to a concussion she suffered following her match against Ronda Rousey at Hell in a Cell. She was only able to return to in-ring competition in the next summer.
Little Miss Bliss mentioned in a recent interview with BT Sport how she was concerned that she would never be able to return again.
“I was afraid that I wasn’t [going to] be able to get in the ring again because it was nine months that I wasn’t in the ring [for] just over a couple of hits to the head."
The Goddess thankfully overcame her injury troubles and is now a regular competitor on WWE TV.
#2 Sheamus
Injuries are one of the biggest reasons behind a WWE Superstar calling it quits on their in-ring career prematurely. Sheamus is another such talent who's had to deal with a load of physical fitness issues during his storied career in the company. However, the concussion he suffered on the SmackDown after WrestleMania 35 immediately resulted in rumors which suggested that he could possibly retire.
The Celtic Warrior did take a long time off and only made his WWE return in January 2020, by attacking Chad Gable on SmackDown. Earlier this year, Sheamus addressed just how close he was to hanging up his boots in an interview with Sportskeeda's own Gary Cassidy.
"It's something that's always in the back of your mind. It's no secret that I had a couple of issues physically, a few injuries, because it is physical what we do - and then my style as well, it trebles that, you know? There were a couple times when I thought, "Will I make it back in there?" Especially when I got a concussion in that match after WrestleMania."
Sheamus then went on to add that he used the time off well and got into the best possible shape, dropping 40lbs in the process.
He's currently involved in a storyline with Jeff Hardy on WWE TV, one that's drawing inferences from the latter's history with drug-related issues.
#1 John Cena
Speculation regarding John Cena's retirement isn't new at this point. The Leader of the Cenation has taken the role of a part-time Superstar in WWE since WrestleMania 33 and is currently focusing on his Hollywood career.
Speaking of Hollywood, it was announced last summer that John Cena was becoming a part of the Fast & Furious franchise. It was around this time that Cena mentioned that he too is thinking about retirement in an interview with TMZ while addressing the infamous Goldberg vs. The Undertaker match which resulted in fans calling for them to retire.
"I think an individual's career is up to the individual. I've been having the same conversation with myself and I'm only 42."
Fortunately for us fans though, Big Match John did not call time on his WWE career and we saw him face "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36 in a cinematic Firefly Fun House match, which was nothing short of epic.
His tweet above following the loss to Wyatt has the WWE Universe pondering about his eventual retirement from in-ring wrestling again.
