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A few current and former WWE Superstars have recently announced their retirement from in-ring action.
Over the past few years, several superstars have retired from in-ring competition. Dave Batista, for example, decided to hang his boots after losing to Triple H at WrestleMania 35. A year later, The Undertaker also retired after defeating AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36.
Since then, a few other superstars have hung up their boots. While some of these wrestlers retired unwillingly due to health issues, others decided to explore other options away from the squared circle.
Here are five WWE Superstars who recently retired.
#5. Kenny Dykstra
Kenny Dykstra officially signed with Vince McMahon's company in 2004. Two years later, he made his main roster debut as a member of The Spirit Squad. The 36-year-old spent nearly two years in WWE before the company released him from his contract in November 2008.
The former World Tag Team Champion then competed in a few other promotions - including EVOLVE, JCW, and CHIKARA - before returning to Vince McMahon's company for a brief run in 2016.
After leaving WWE for the second time, Dykstra returned to the independent circuit. However, in April 2021, the former Spirit Squad member announced his retirement from in-ring action in a Tweet:
""I’ve decided to retire from in ring wrestling. When I started at 13 I thought I’d retire at 40. But smart investments overtime have allowed me to be done now. I’m in my prime, and that will go towards my family and being a father. Thanks to the fans who stuck by me," he wrote.
Dykstra currently works as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center.
#4. Kharma
After competing in a few different promotions including IMPACT Wrestling, Kharma (AKA Awesome Kong) signed with Vince McMahon's company in 2010. The 44-year-old spent nearly two years in the company, during which time she made sporadic appearances and competed in only one official match.
In July 2012, Kharma left WWE. After her departure, the former WWE Superstar competed in several other promotions including IMPACT Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling, and SHINE Wrestling. On January 7, 2020, Kharma competed in her final match when she defeated Skyler Moore on AEW Dark.
After nearly 20 months of absence from in-ring competition, the two-time TNA Knockouts Champion returned to the squared circle to save Gail Kim from an ambush at the NWA Empowerrr event. However, she announced her retirement a few minutes later:
"Now, some of you may not know, but I'm not much for words. It's been a hard hard year in the Kong residence, and only one thing could get me off my couch and away from the delicious ice cream bars and that's this woman right here [Gail Kim] and I said to myself if I’m going to go out, I’m going to go out with the toughest h** I know. I love you. I'm done, and I love you, Gail," she said. (H/T: First Sportz)
Last October, Gail Kim inducted Kharma into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame.
#3. WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan is one of the most famous superstars in WWE history. The 68-year-old has had several runs in Vince McMahon's company, during which he won the WWE Championship six times. He is also a two-time Hall of Famer.
Hogan's last wrestling match came in January 2012 when he teamed up with James Storm and Sting to defeat Bobby Roode, Bully Ray, and Kurt Angle at an IMPACT Wrestling (FKA TNA) event.
Despite not wrestling for nearly a decade, Hogan insisted in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2019 that he still wanted one more match in WWE before officially announcing his retirement:
"I talked to Vince, and I said I really don't know if I could live with myself knowing my last match was with TNA," he said.
The Hall of Famer also stated in a Twitter post in 2020 that he was "not done yet."
Nevertheless, Hogan's wish to have one more match never came true. In an interview with the Two Man Power Trip podcast a few days ago, The Hulkster revealed that he would never wrestle again due to health issues.
"[Wrestle again?] No, no, no, no, no. In the last 10 years, I've had 23 surgeries, 10 back surgeries, both hips, both knees -- forget it," he said.
Hogan has made several sporadic appearances in the past few years. Last year, he co-hosted WrestleMania 37 alongside Titus O'Neil.
#2. Fandango
Fandango joined Vince McMahon's company in 2006 after competing for nearly seven years on the independent circuit. The 38-year-old spent about a decade and a half in WWE, during which time he won the NXT Tag Team Championship. However, the company released him last June due to budget cuts.
After leaving WWE, the former NXT Tag Team Champion returned to the independent circuit. He competed in several promotions including NWA, RCW, and Limitless Wrestling.
On March 26, Fandango seemingly announced his retirement in a now-deleted Twitter post:
"I'll be stepping away from the ring in a couple of months. Goodbye forever," he wrote.
Fandango recently teamed up with his Dirty Sexy Boys partner JTG to defeat Aron Stevens and The Blue Meanie at an NWA event.
#1. WWE Hall of Famer Triple H
Triple H has been one of the biggest superstars in WWE since he joined the company in the mid-1990s. The King of Kings spent many years as a regular in-ring competitor, during which he won several championships, including 14 world titles.
However, the 52-year-old has been a part-timer over the past few years, focusing more on his role as WWE's Executive Vice President.
Last September, Triple H suffered a cardiac arrest and underwent a successful procedure at Yale New Haven Hospital. Since then, several reports have suggested he might retire from in-ring action. In a recent interview with ESPN, The Game confirmed these reports, announcing that he would never wrestle again:
"As far as in ring, which I get [asked about] a lot, I'm done. I would never wrestle again. First of all, I have a defibrillator in my chest so it's probably not a good idea for me to have to get zapped on live TV," he said. (H/T: Yahoo Sports)
The King of Kings' final match came in January 2021 when he went head-to-head against Randy Orton in a street fight on Monday Night RAW. The bout ended in no contest.
