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Monday night, while waiting for the bizarre-yet-awesome trainwreck that was Ultimate Deletion, WWE fans watched John Cena further his likely Wrestlemania feud by continuing to call out The Undertaker to confront him for a match in New Orleans.
Internet speculation says that at least one of these men will step between the ropes at WrestleMania 34 for the very last time; some rumors even hold that both The Undertaker and Cena may be hanging up their respective trench coat and jorts after this year's show.
While some of them may have had matches on free TV, in other promotions, or at house shows after their WrestleMania finale, here are eight superstars who never wrestled on WWE pay-per-view again after their last dance on the Grandest Stage.
Some knew at the time that this was the end, while others received tragic news in the wake of their Wrestlemania Moments, and some just faded away. While many men have faded away after returning through the WrestleMania curtain, these are the most notable.
#8 "The Macho Man" Randy Savage
Previous Wrestlemania resume:
Wrestlemania 2 - defeated George "The Animal" Steele in an Intercontinental Championship Match
Wrestlemania 3 - lost to Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat in an Intercontinental Championship Match
Wrestlemania 4 - defeated Butch Reed, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, and One Man Gang in WWF Championship Tournament matches, defeated Ted DiBiase for the WWF Championship in the tournament finals
Wrestlemania 5 - lost to Hulk Hogan in a WWF Championship Match
Wrestlemania 6 - teamed with Sensational Queen Sherri to lose to Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire in a mixed tag team match
Wrestlemania 7 - lost to The Ultimate Warrior in a Retirement Match
Wrestlemania 8 - defeated "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair in a WWF Championship Match
His Finale
The tenth annual Wrestlemania, at New York's Madison Square Garden, saw Savage take on a former ally, turned anti-American Japanese sympathizer, Crush in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. When either man scored a pinfall anywhere in the arena, the man pinned had sixty seconds to re-enter the ring or he would lose. Savage got the win after pinning Crush in the backstage area, then hoisting him up on an improvised pulley on a piece of scaffolding.
It Was the End Because
Vince McMahon was vocal about Savage not being young and current enough to promote in the era of up-and-comers like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, and tried to keep Savage on the announce desk throughout the rest of 1994. He can be heard trying to salvage the commentary at that year's King of the Ring from being sunk by Baltimore Colts legend Art Donovan but to no avail.
Savage made his final WWF appearances on Monday Night RAW in October, then was announced as having left the company in November; he debuted with World Championship Wrestling in December, and never appeared again on WWE pay-per-view before his death in 2011.
#7 "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Previous Wrestlemania Resume:
Wrestlemania - with "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff lost to Hulk Hogan and Mr. T
Wrestlemania 2 - lost to Mr. T via disqualification in a boxing match
Wrestlemania 3 - defeated "Adorable" Adrian Adonis in a hair vs. hair match
Wrestlemania 6 - fought Bad News Brown to a double countout
Wrestlemania 8 - lost to Bret Hart in an Intercontinental Championship Match
Wrestlemania 10 - performed guest referee duties in the Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna WWF Championship Match
Wrestlemania 11 - performed guest referee duties in the Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund "I Quit" Match
Wrestlemania 12 - fought Goldust to a "no contest" in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl
His Finale
Much of early 2009 in professional wrestling focused on Mickey Rourke's Oscar-nominated role as Randy "The Ram" Robinson in The Wrestler. Rourke announced his intention to compete at WWE's Wrestlemania 25, but could not get cleared to compete.
Chris Jericho, meanwhile, used Rourke's publicity to harp on the film's themes of an aging megastar hanging on to "the dream" without recognizing his own mortality to attack WWE Legends who continued to appear on television. Ric Flair would take offense but, because of his own Wrestlemania finale, could not compete; he offered, instead, to corner for Piper, Ricky Steamboat, and Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, three men whom Jericho had also attacked throughout January and February.
In an elimination-style handicap match, Jericho would make short work of Snuka and Piper, before Steamboat came to life and gave Y2J fits as he nearly took the win. Steamboat fell, getting his solo rematch at Backlash the following month, but Snuka and Piper remained off pay-per-view for the remainder of their lives.
It Was the End Because
Piper had appeared sporadically in WWE and TNA in the early aughts before his 2005 Hall of Fame induction; he made various independent appearances (and a classic cameo on FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as a Randy "The Ram"-type star), and held the WWE Tag Team Championships with Ric Flair for roughly one week in 2006. That reign, this match, a 2008 Royal Rumble appearance, and a handful of RAW and Axxess appearances were exceptions to Piper having committed to retirement brought on by age and injury.
He co-founded an independent promotion in Portland, OR, in 2012, but passed away in his sleep July 31, 2015.
#6 John "Bradshaw" Layfield
Previous Wrestlemania Resume:
Wrestlemania 13 - (as Blackjack Bradshaw) with Blackjack Windham, lost alongside The Godwinns and Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon to The Headbangers in a Fatal 4-Way Elimination Tag Match for the WWF Tag Team Championships
Wrestlemania 14 - lost as part of the Tag Team Battle Royal, won by LOD 2000
Wrestlemania 15 - lost as part of the Sunday Night Heat Tag Team Battle Royal, won by D'Lo Brown and Test
Wrestlemania 2000 - lost as part of the Hardcore Battle Royal, won by Hardcore Holly
Wrestlemania X-7 - with Faarooq and Tazz defeated Bull Buchanan, The Goodfather, and Val Venis, known as Right to Censor
Wrestlemania X8 - with Faarooq (as the APA) lost alongside The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz to Billy and Chuck in a Four Corners Elimination Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship
Wrestlemania 20 - with Faarooq (as the APA) lost alongside The Bashams and Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin to Rikishi and Scotty II Hotty in a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Wrestlemania 21 - lost to John Cena in a WWE Championship Match
Wrestlemania 22 - defeated Chris Benoit in a WWE United States Championship Match
Wrestlemania 24 - defeated Finlay in a Belfast Brawl
His Finale
Bradshaw entered Wrestlemania 25 the defending WWE Intercontinental Champion, having defeated CM Punk on a March episode of Monday Night RAW. The match was a callback to a feud the pair had in the fall of 2008 over Punk's straight-edge lifestyle but, in retrospect, was designed to give Layfield the honor of being a "Grand Slam" Champion prior to his retirement.
At Wrestlemania, JBL defended against Rey Mysterio, who entered in a mask and ring costume modeled after Heath Ledger's iconic Joker look from The Dark Knight; Bradshaw attacked before the bell even began, attacking Mysterio as he disrobed before being caught off-guard by the opening bell.
Mysterio quickly sent JBL to the middle rope before hitting him with the 619 and a flying splash, taking the title in 21 seconds. A frustrated JBL grabbed a hot mic, struggling to catch his breath and begin talking, before announcing, "I quit!"
He confirmed his in-ring retirement in a blog post later that week.
It Was the End Because
JBL had already been transitioning away from the canvas and toward the commentary desk before this match, and much of 2008 and 2009 were seen as his "victory lap" around the company. Layfield had, at this point, been a professional wrestler for 17 years, and had been with WWE and its developmental leagues for nearly 14 of those years.
He'd already gone part time in 2007, committing to his announcer role (like Savage), but returned to the ring in 2008; with the exception of a 2014 Royal Rumble entry, Wrestlemania 25 was Layfield's last entry as a competitor, while his commentary, WWE Network series, cable news financial reporting, and numerous business and stock market investments financially ensured that he no longer needed to risk his health to pay the bills.
#5 "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Previous Wrestlemania Resume:
Wrestlemania 12 - defeated Savio Vega
Wrestlemania 13 - lost to Bret Hart via referee stoppage in a Submission Match with Ken Shamrock as the Special Guest Referee
Wrestlemania 14 - defeated Shawn Michaels in a WWF Championship Match
Wrestlemania 15 - defeated The Rock in a No Disqualification WWF Championship Match with Mick Foley as the Special Guest Referee
Wrestlemania X-7 - defeated The Rock in a No Disqualification WWF Championship Match
Wrestlemania X8 - defeated Scott Hall
His Finale
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin disappeared from WWE in the spring of 2002, having allegedly walked out over disagreements with creative decisions regarding him losing to Brock Lesnar on free television. A messy and contentious divorce, not to mention a few run-ins with the law, kept Austin away, but he returned in early 2003 after a closed-door meeting with Vince McMahon.
Austin would first feud with the man who'd fired him from WCW via Federal Express, Eric Bischoff, before reigniting an old Wrestlemania rivlary with The Rock, fresh off a Hollywood-inspired heel turn. Rock would emphasize that, in Hollywood, the first and second acts do not matter, as the third act is the climax and the place where heroes are made, and challenged Austin to one last dance at the Grandaddy of 'Em All.
At Wrestlemania 19, Austin and Rock locked horns one last time; immediately after The Rock got the three count with three Rock Bottoms to his old rival and close friend, fans could tell something different was in the air. Rock lingered in the ring to speak candidly to Austin, then, breaking with the tradition that saw the victor hold the ring in celebration, left to allow Austin an opportunity to soak up Safeco Field's applause.
It Was the End Because
Austin had been battling neck injuries for most of the six years preceding this match; in August of 1997, a botched Tombstone Piledriver from Owen Hart at SummerSlam broke Stone Cold's neck and led to recurring periods of inactivity throughout the end of the 90s and beginning of the aughts.
Austin would radically change his in-ring style, moving from a very technical approach honed through his WCW years and clashes with Bret Hart, to a lower-impact walk-and-brawl style, which became the new WWF main event blueprint.
Austin had been urged by doctors to retire in late 2001, and stubbornly continued competing into 2002; the "OMR" adorning his ring vest at Wrestlemania 19 was his acknowledgement that this match was "One More Round," as a single wayward bump could mean paralysis, or even death, for the Texas Rattlesnake.
Austin's status for the match was in doubt, having spent most of the weekend preceding it in a Seattle hospital. In what would be a common theme that night, Austin reportedly went straight from Safeco Field back to the hospital, confirming the end of his in-ring career.
#4 Edge
Previous WrestleMania Resume
Wrestlemania 2000 - with Christian, defeated The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz in a Triangle Ladder Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship
Wrestlemania X-7 - with Christian, defeated The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship
Wrestlemania X8 - defeated Booker T to win a Japanese shampoo commercial
Wrestlemania 21 - defeated Chris Jericho, Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Benoit, and Kane in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Wrestlemania 22 - defeated Mick Foley in a Hardcore Match
Wrestlemania 23 - lost alongside CM Punk, King Booker, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Finlay, and Randy Orton in a Money in the Bank Ladder Match to Mr. Kennedy
Wrestlemania 24 - lost to The Undertaker in a World Heavyweight Championship Match
Wrestlemania 25 - lost alongside The Big Show in a Triple Threat World Heavyweight Championship Match to John Cena
Wrestlemania 26 - lost to Chris Jericho in a World Heavyweight Championship Match
His Finale
Edge entered Wrestlemania 27 the defending World Heavyweight Champion. His opponent was the winner of the 2011 Royal Rumble Match (at that point, the largest Royal Rumble in history, a record to be broken this year in Saudi Arabia), Alberto Del Rio.
Del Rio and his bodyguard Brodus Clay would lead several sneak attacks on The Rated-R Superstar, most notably after Edge had successfully defended his title in an Elimination Chamber match. Edge was saved by his best friend, and former storyline brother, Christian, and the pair protected each other from Clay and del Rio until the April spectacular.
Edge successfully put down AdR's title challenge at Wrestlemania, demolishing the aristocrat's car in a victory celebration afterward.
It Was the End Because
In the coming weeks, Edge would have to confront mounting concerns over lingering damage from his numerous neck injuries; over the course of his 15-year WWE career, Edge had needed numerous neck surgeries, including a spinal fusion surgery in the early 2000s.
In preparation for Wrestlemania 27, Edge passed his medical physicals, but was experiencing weakness in his limbs, and sought an MRI at the urging of WWE front office staff. In early April of 2011, doctors ruled that Edge's next bump could very well be his last: a diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis meant that a hard enough fall could, like with Austin, cause permanent paralysis or even death.
Over a pair of heartbreaking promos, Edge surrendered the World Heavyweight Championship, bade goodbye to the WWE Universe, and announced his retirement from professional wrestling; while still involved with various wrestling-related projects, Edge has followed doctors' orders in the seven years since his retirement and has not taken another bump.
#3 "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair
Previous Wrestlemania Resume
Wrestlemania 8 - lost to "Macho Man" Randy Savage in a WWF Championship Match
Wrestlemania X8 - lost to The Undertaker in a No Holds Barred Match
Wrestlemania 20 - with Randy Orton and Batista (as Evolution) defeated The Rock and Mick Foley (The Rock 'N Sock Connection)
Wrestlemania 22 - alongside Shelton Benjamin, Finlay, Matt Hardy, and Bobby Lashley, lost to Rob Van Dam in a Money in the Bank Ladder Match
His Finale
In early 2008, Ric Flair was announced to be the headliner of that year's WWE Hall of Fame class. At the same time, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon expressed repeated frustration at Flair's continued vamping on WWE television, so Mr. McMahon announced that Ric Flair's next loss would he his last.
What followed was an improbable, and inspiring, win streak, which carried Flair into Wrestlemania 24, where he challenged "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels; in making the challenge, Flair noted that he'd either beat one of the best of all time, or head into retirement having lost to one of the greatest in-ring competitors any company had ever seen.
Michaels accepted, and, on March 30 in Orlando, FL, took on "The Nature Boy" in a Career Threatening Match. In a contest which saw Flair employ some of the greatest hits of his storied career (including the top-rope cross-body which won him the NWA World Championship from Harley Race, and which had almost always backfired on him since then), Flair ran out of gas toward the end and begged Michaels for the superkick to end it all. Noting, "I'm sorry. I love you," Michaels acquiesed and defeated Flair with a Sweet Chin Music.
It Was the End Because
Well, it was the end, and it wasn't the end; WWE has featured Flair on television since, and occasionally in a physical capacity, but never as a wrestler in a sanctioned match. As noted in ESPN's 30 for 30 feature on "The Nature Boy," however, Flair then left the company to tour the independent circuit and travel to TNA, where he would travel a path not unlike The Wrestler's protagonist by bleeding his way through any number of violent stories in a desperate attempt to stay relevant.
Flair has sporadically appeared in a managerial capacity in WWE since 2012, and accompanied his daughter, Charlotte, to the ring throughout much of her early main roster run. After a health scare nearly killed The Dirtiest Player in the Game, Flair made his most recent television appearance surprising Charlotte after she captured the Smackdown Women's Championship.
#2 Shawn Michaels
Previous Wrestlemania Resume
Wrestlemania 5 - with Mary Jannetty (as The Rockers) lost to Akeem and The Big Bossman (the Twin Towers)
Wrestlemania 6 - with Marty Jannetty (as The Rockers) lost to The Orient Express by countout
Wrestlemania 7 - with Marty Jannetty (as The Rockers) defeated Haku and The Barbarian
Wrestlemania 8 - defeated El Matador Tito Santana
Wrestlemania 9 - lost to Tatanka via countout in an Intercontinental Championship Match
Wrestlemania 10 - lost to Razor Ramon in a Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship
Wrestlemania 11 - lost to Diesel in a WWF Championship Match
Wrestlemania 12 - defeated Bret Hart 1-0 in overtime in an Iron Man Match for the WWF Championship
Wrestlemania 14 - lost to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in a WWF Championship Match
Wrestlemania 19 - defeated Chris Jericho
Wrestlemania 20 - lost alongside Triple H in a Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship to Chris Benoit
Wrestlemania 21 - lost to Kurt Angle
Wrestlemania 22 - defeated Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred Match
Wrestlemania 23 - lost to John Cena in a WWE Championship Match
Wrestlemania 24 - defeated "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair in a Career Threatening Match
Wrestlemania 25 - lost to The Undertaker
His Finale
The Heartbreak Kid was riding a career renaissance in the 2000s, having come back from a career-ending back injury suffered in 1998 to win the World Heavyweight Championship in November of 2002, then become a full-time competitor again as 2003 dawned.
Michaels created a new legacy for himself starting with 2003's event, stealing the show alongside Chris Jericho and sowing the seeds for a reputation to steal every Wrestlemania until his retirement.
Michaels clashed with The Undertaker, against whom Michaels had originally broken his back during his first run, in a legendary Wrestlemania 25 match which Michaels just barely lost. Unable to suffer that indignity, Michaels taunted the Undertaker incessantly for a Wrestlemania rematch, which the Deadman accepted under one condition: should Undertaker prevail yet again, Michaels would be forced to retire.
At Wrestlemania 26, the pair squared off again in a No Disqualification Streak vs. Career Match; echoing the emotional end to his Wrestlemania 24 clash, the finish would see a running-on-fumes HBK beg Undertaker to put him out of his misery with another Tombstone Piledriver. The Undertaker would oblige, and put an end to one of the greatest careers in the history of professional wrestling.
It Was the End Because
Unlike Flair, retirement to Shawn Michaels meant retirement; the career-threatening stipulation was reportedly added to this match when a backstage employee asked Michaels about his son. When Michaels said his son was nine years old, the employee noted HBK's son was "halfway gone," meaning that he was halfway to 18 years old and leaving home.
Having a strained relationship with his own father, and seeing the way the demands of full-time professional wrestling destroyed many of his colleagues' parent-child relationships, Michaels says he decided then and there to end his career, and wanted to do so against his greatest opponent on the biggest stage.
Save for some guest referee appearances, a cameo at Wrestlemania 32 (where Shawn looked in better physical shape than he ever had in his wrestling career), and a new role in Orlando as a Performance Center trainer, Michaels has kept to his word: retirement meant retirement. His focus has shifted in the intervening years to acting, ministry, and hunting.
#1 Bill Goldberg (maybe?)
Previous Wrestlemania Resume
Wrestlemania 20 - defeated Brock Lesnar with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as Special Guest Referee
His (Probable) Finale (We Think)
Bill Goldberg traveled the WWE 2K return road taken by Kurt Angle, Sting, and The Ultimate Warrior before him; during promotional interviews for WWE 2K17, Goldberg mentioned the possibility of having another WWE match or two left in the tank, as well as a dissatisfaction with the way his only Wrestlemania contest had been received.
Fans in Madison Square Garden in 2004 had booed Goldberg and Lesnar from the moment their promotional package started; news had leaked online that both men were leaving WWE after Wrestlemania, and the first instance of "smark" crowds hijacking a match saw the WWE Universe chant for Austin and Hogan, in addition to hurling various insults at the match's competitors.
Goldberg made his return at the 2016 Survivor Series, demolishing Lesnar in a double-digit number of seconds, then had his hopes at a Royal Rumble win dashed by The Undertaker (after Goldberg disposed of The Beast Incarnate).
Goldberg took the WWE Universal Title from Kevin Owens in February of 2017, and confirmed that Brock Lesnar would have one final shot at the former Georgia Bulldog; at Wrestlemania 33, Lesnar and Goldberg destroyed each other, and the ringside area, in a clash where nearly every move was a suplex or a finisher. In the end, Lesnar captured the Universal Title, handing Bill Goldberg the first clean loss in his entire wrestling career.
It Was the End Because
Is it? Goldberg refused to rule out a return in his final RAW Talk appearance and, though he is slated for a Hall of Fame induction during Wrestlemania Weekend this year, Goldberg still looks to be in 1998 shape.
