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It was a record-breaking and record-setting year for WWE in 2017 but with all the debuts that were made in the world of wrestling, it's easy to forget that there were also a number of wrestling stars who made the decision to hang up their wrestling boots for the last time over the past 12 months as well.
Many careers came to an emotional end in 2017 as well as some being brushed under the rug, with many fans unaware that these superstars had decided to walk away from the business at all.
The wrestling conveyor belt continued throughout the year and it seems that with all of the new stars that came through the ranks, these six superstars decided to finally call it a day on their careers.
#6 Rosa Mendes
Rosa Mendes will probably be seen as one of the most forgettable female wrestlers in WWE history when fans look back on her career in a few years time, but the facts speak for themselves and Rosa somehow managed to remain with WWE for more than a decade, which is longer than many of the company's biggest legends.
Rosa wasn't able to lift any Championship gold or even record consecutive wins on WWE TV throughout her career, but she was able to land a role in Total Divas a few years ago and then went on to become the first woman to remain employed with the company throughout her first pregnancy.
Rosa gave birth to her daughter Jordan back in February 2016 and despite not being featured on WWE TV or programming for an entire year, the former Diva Search contestant went on to announce her retirement from WWE back in February 2017 on her daughter's first Birthday.
#5 Eva Marie
Eva Marie won the 2013 Diva Search and with it the right to be part of the first season of Total Divas where she became a well-known member of the cast as well as being used on WWE TV for the first time.
Marie wasn't someone who was ever taken seriously by the WWE Universe as a wrestler even though she did attempt to learn the craft. The WWE Universe still made her one of the most hated female wrestlers in the company.
She was suspended from WWE back in August 2016 for violating the Wellness Policy for the first time, just a month after she had been drafted to SmackDown Live as part of the WWE Draft in the Summer of 2016. Marie then concentrated on her acting career over the next year and officially announced that she was walking away from the company and the wrestling business as a whole in the summer of 2017 when she parted ways with WWE.
#4 Bubba Ray Dudley
Bubba Ray Dudley is one of the biggest tag team legends that WWE has ever created as a former nine-time Champion but ever since he and D-Von left the company back in August 2016 the duo has been performing on the Independent Circuit.
After a few matches for ICW and House of Glory D-Von officially announced his retirement from in-ring competition in October 2016 whilst Bubba Ray continued to perform at various other promotions on his own.
Bubba Ray then recently announced that after more than two decades on the wrestling circuit, the injuries had finally begun to catch up with him and it was the perfect time for him to walk way too.
#3 Candice Michelle
Candice Michelle had a lengthy stint in WWE where she was a former Playboy cover girl and former Women's Champion. This stint came to an end when she was released by the company back in 2009 and she has since focused on her family.
Candice and her husband have welcomed three daughters since 2009 and she has allowed family life to become her new career path for the past eight years. It seems that throughout this time Candice was never officially able to have a retirement match. Hence, she finally decided it was time to do that back in December.
Candice then took on her longtime friend and rival Victoria (Lisa Marie Varon) at House of Hardcore back on December 2nd in her home state of Wisconsin. Candice was able to pick up the victory and then went on to embrace her friend in the ring as she finally said farewell to the wrestling business.
#2 Gail Kim
Gail Kim is widely considered to be one of the best female wrestlers of the last generation and even though she left WWE after a number of issues with backstage executives. She is one of the very few women who were able to find success outside of the company.
Kim made history in Impact Wrestling and became a standout star for the Orlando based company before she became the first woman ever to be given a place in the TNA Hall of Fame.
She was the inaugural TNA Knockouts Champion title that she held a record-setting seven-times, much like Trish Stratus in her seventh reign as Women's Champion in WWE back in 2006, Kim relinquished her Championship back in November the night after she had won the title at Bound For Glory when she also announced her retirement from the company.
#1 Mark Henry
Mark Henry is a former World Champion in WWE and has enjoyed a lengthy career as a wrestler, that began back in 1996. Henry was always known as 'The World's Strongest Man', a record that he first achieved back in 2002.
Throughout his career, Henry was part of a number of memorable feuds against the likes of The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Batista and even John Cena, where he first faked a retirement in order to gain a shot at the WWE Championship, the one title that had always alluded him.
Henry wasn't used as effectively in his later career which could be why he was able to slip away from the company following WrestleMania 33 back in April 2017 as his retirement still remains relatively unknown to many members of the WWE Universe.
Henry has since begun working behind the scenes as a producer for WWE, something that could allow him to return to the ring in the future when WWE will hopefully consider giving him the send off he deserves.
