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WWE and professional wrestling as a whole can get people to produce a whole range of emotions, from rage to anger, to misery, to confusion, to... you get the picture.
WWE has also produced moments that have made fans unbelievably happy and made them laugh as well. It's all a part of the roller coaster experience that is being a member of the WWE Universe.
Very rarely, however, does the WWE manage to make wrestling fans have genuine moments of emotional feeling. Wrestling fans being a jaded bunch, tend to reject any sort of tender moments in a bid to protect themselves, from getting hurt, or to protect their tough image (despite spending countless hours watching what is the equivalent of a violent soap opera).
However, when an emotional moment does come up in professional wrestling, you can bet that the audience's reaction is not only genuine but being caught on several different cameras for WWE's use in the future. Already, since Roman Reigns announced that he was battling with leukemia and would be taking a leave of absence from the WWE, the video from the segment has been trotted out across Raw, Smackdown, and NXT.
Roman Reigns' like the retirement of Edge and Daniel Bryan was not a scripted moment by the WWE. It was a spur of the moment thing, due to the fact that Reigns' had been given the unfortunate news of his diagnosis of leukemia. It also won't include the tribute episodes to Eddie Guerrero or the first Smackdown after 9/11, because while they were incredibly emotional. Neither of those events was scripted by the WWE's creative team.
These moments in this article, are ones that are purely scripted by the WWE, intended to make fans feel. These are the rarest of moments because it runs the risk of being dismissed by the audience.
#7 Mark Henry Retires
When Mark Henry came down to the ring on the June 17th episode of Raw, wearing the now famous salmon jacket and after teasing his retirement on social media.
Henry thanked the fans, the wrestlers in the back and his family in a touching speech. It was all a ruse, and Henry would finish the speech by hitting a World's Strongest Slam on John Cena to announce that he wasn't done yet and had plenty left to give.
Prior to 2013, wrestling fans would have said that Mark Henry had a decent career in the WWE, but probably not a career that matched his potential. Till that point, Henry had filled a variety of roles in the company.
Holding the Tag Team, ECW, Heavyweight and European titles during his career. Henry was also a part of the Nation of Domination stable alongside The Rock, Farooq, and tag team partner D'Lo Brown.
During his tenure with the company, Henry was also used as a comic relief during his gimmick as "Sexual Chocolate", which included the now infamous segment in which Mae Young was "impregnated" by Henry and gives birth to a hand.
#6 Shawn Michaels' retires after Wrestlemania XXVI
This item would be higher on the list if it wasn't about to be cheapened by Michaels' return to the ring for Crown Jewel in a tag team match against Kane and the Undertaker.
However, with that aside, Michaels put his career on the line against the Wrestlemania streak of the Undertaker. To understand the significance of this match, you need to go back and understand the careers and legacies of both wrestlers.
The Undertaker had never lost at Wrestlemania and was going into the event at 17-0. The previous year, he had beaten Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XXV to extend his run. The match was awarded the Slammy for the match of the year.
Even Dave Meltzer awarded the match 4.75 stars on his scale rating. Michaels challenged the Undertaker to a rematch, which the Undertaker refused.
However, Michaels would start interfering in the Undertaker's match and at Elimination Chamber, he would deliver a Sweet Chin Music to Taker and cost the Deadman his title to Chris Jericho.
Michaels would lose to the Undertaker again at Wrestlemania, in a gruelling no-DQ bout which earned them another 4.75 rating from Dave Meltzer.
The retirement speech that Michaels delivered on Raw the following night was an incredibly emotive thank you note to the fans, to his friends in the back and the greatest rival of Michaels' career, Bret Hart.
#5 Daniel Bryan's return to wrestling:
As said at the top of the article, this article would not include unscripted retirements in this list. The WWE doesn't have any control over life-threatening injuries that cause some of the WWE Universe's favourite wrestlers to retire and step away from the game.
When Bryan retired, he made no secret of how much he wanted to be able to step back into the ring and compete again. It was clear that his decision was made with the consideration of the company and with his young family in mind.
However, the set back that would have kept others permanently away from the ring didn't stop Bryan for searching for other options.
Bryan made no secret of his search to get cleared, For months, Bryan sought out doctor after doctor in the hope of getting back into the ring. Finally, on March 20th, 2018, WWE.com announced that Daniel Bryan had been cleared by the WWE doctors to return to the ring.
The Smackdown after the announcement was an emotional affair. Bryan thanked the fans for being behind him and for his family for supporting his decision.
He then launched into an inspiring speech about fighting for your dreams. Bryan teared up during the speech and there were several fans in the audience that also found their eyes getting a little wet.
#4 Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania XX
It's hard to talk about this moment without taking into account what would transpire over the next 3 and a half years for both men.
A year-and-a-half after Guerrero and Benoit shared the stage as champions, Guerrero passed away of a heart attack.
A further year-and-a-half from that and Benoit took his own life in a senseless and infamous murder-suicide which also claimed the life of his wife Nancy and his 7-year-old son Daniel.
However, even taking away the events that occurred after, Benoit and Guerrero were two lifelong wrestlers who had worked their way to the top of the WWE.
The two had struggled their way to the top, having worked together at New Japan and WCW before finally coming to the WWE together with Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn to debut as the Radicalz.
Four years later and Guerrero and Benoit now found themselves as the main event stars of the WWE with all their dreams being fulfilled.
The two men embraced in the ring, celebrating their respective championships. It was clear that the two men meant a lot to each other, and after Eddie passed away, Benoit's reaction just further confirmed that point.
The two men were clearly very close, and the fact that they were able to share success at the main stage of Wrestlemania is sure to warm even the most jaded of hearts.
#3 The End of the Streak
This article has already spoken about the significance of The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak. Many believed that Undertaker may actually finish his career with the streak still intact.
However, with each passing WrestleMania, that was becoming more and more of a challenge. There is a longstanding tradition that states that on their way out, a legendary wrestler should do their best to put over the next top star in a way to pass over the torch.
However, the Undertaker was an unparalleled legend in the business that there was a chance that he would go out without seeing a loss at WrestleMania.
At Wrestlemania XXX, the Undertaker would go face-to-face with Brock Lesnar. Undertaker's streak stood at 21-0 heading into the event. While Lesnar had just returned from a stint at the UFC, and during his short spell where he had won the Heavyweight title.
According to reports, Vince McMahon had made the decision to break the streak mere hours before the event was set to go ahead.
Lesnar and Undertaker kicked out of each other's respective finishers and broke out of the others signature submissions. Lesnar would finally pick up the win after hitting the Undertaker with a third F5.
The 75,000 plus crowd in attendance at the New Orleans Superdome were visibly rocked, for the first time in 20 years, the Undertaker faced the ceiling for the three count and many adults in attendance were shocked to see their childhood hero struggling to get back to his feet after the fight. Alone in the ring, the Undertaker was finally broken after 21 attempts.
#2 Shawn Michaels Retires Ric Flair:
You knew it was coming, even as you watched the match, you know that it was a matter of time for Ric Flair to end his career.
There was no better way to end the match than the scripted ending between Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair. Flair was a legend during the 80's and 90's, and along with Hulk Hogan was one of the mainstream faces of wrestling during those decades.
During the late 90's, Shawn Michaels rose to the pinnacle of the wrestling business. Michaels, together with Bret Hart, kept the WWF afloat with some phenomenal wrestling after several of its stars had left to join the rapidly growing WCW.
After the demise of the rival promotion, several stars jumped to sign contracts with the sole superpower in wrestling, the WWF, this included WCW stalwart, Ric Flair.
At the end of 2007, Vince McMahon announced that the next singles match that Flair lost would be his last.
Flair would go on a tear, defeating a string of wrestlers from the end of 2007 to the start of 2008, including Triple H, Umaga, Mr Kennedy, William Regal, and even Vince McMahon.
Flair's winning streak ended at Wrestlemania XXIV against Shawn Michaels. The back and forth classic between the two ended with Flair struggling to make it back to his feet, willing Michaels to bring the fight to him.
Michaels whispered "I'm sorry, I love you" before hitting Sweet Chin Music onto the legend. Michaels rolled out of the ring, leaving Flair alone in the ring for the final time.
Flair's retirement speech the next night on Raw was similarly touching, with Triple H bringing out Flair's family and friends from the past, such as the 4 Horseman, Batista, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Chris Jericho, John Cena, and Shawn Michaels. After Raw went off the air, even the Undertaker and Mr McMahon came down to the ring and paid respect to Flair.
#1 Miss Elizabeth and Randy Savage re-unite:
It's well known that the Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth were a wrestling duo like no other. The fact that they were a real-life couple merely added to their in-ring chemistry. Savage broke many wrestling fans hearts when he turned on Miss Elizabeth and his tag team partner Hulk Hogan.
This led to Macho Man using the Sensational Sherri as a manager, as Miss Elizabeth stayed in an alliance with Hulk Hogan. The four feuded for a short period of time with Savage teaming with Zeus against Hogan and Brutus Beefcake.
Two years after splitting with Hogan and Sherri, Randy Savage faced off against the Ultimate Warrior with his career on the line. Savage would lose the bout, and Sherri would turn on him, literally kicking him while he was on the ground. Miss Elizabeth, who had been in the stands during this time, decided that enough was enough and ran into the ring and threw Sherri out of the ring.
Savage got to his feet and realized what Miss Elizabeth had done for him. The two embraced in the centre of the ring as Savage lifted Miss Elizabeth onto his shoulder, sending several audience members into a crying frenzy.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
