5 most disappointing retirement matches in WWE history

In WWE, retirement matches aren't always perfect. There have been legendary moments, such as Shawn Michaels' retirement in 2010. As well as underwhelming moments for those in the twilight of their careers.

This list looks at a few types of retirement matches. Matches where the superstars eventually came back, disgraceful endings, and ones which were simply underwhelming from a storyline and in-ring standpoint:

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#5. The Undertaker vs Roman Reigns - An underwhelming first WWE farewell

The Undertaker returned to wrestle a year later, but this was supposed to lead to the Deadman's retirement. The Roman Reigns vs. Undertaker match was one dreaded by fans for a few reasons:

At the time, Roman Reigns was still an unpopular babyface. Fans had become tired of Reigns being overly-pushed despite doing little to deserve the attention. The Undertaker had already lost once at WrestleMania, three years prior, and fans didn't want to see him lose again, especially to this version of Reigns.

The Undertaker was in a bad physical state and couldn't really put on the best matches from a technical standpoint anymore. This was one of the biggest factors in making this a disappointing retirement match. The Deadman looked like a shell of himself. He returned just a year later despite WrestleMania 33 ending with his farewell moment.

The bad match itself would have been overlooked if WWE had done well from a story standpoint. The failure to turn Roman heel was a tremendous missed opportunity. The entire point of the match, as well as The Undertaker's defeat, seemed to be in vain.

History will remember WrestleMania 36 as The Undertaker's in-ring retirement. He had his farewell bout in a cinematic match against AJ Styles. It saw the return of The Undertaker's "biker persona" and was a brilliantly-executed match that paid homage to his legendary career and was a deserved farewell.

Seven months later at Survivor Series 2020, The Undertaker would officially retire, 30 years after his debut.

#4. Kurt Angle - WWE farewell against the wrong opponent?

Kurt Angle revealed in a Facebook Q&A that he wished he would have wrestled more after his WWE return in 2017. He returned to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame after more than a decade away from the company.

He was then announced as the new General Manager of RAW. Angle said that his body became arthritic because of the lack of activity and he was forced to retire earlier than he would have liked:

"Yes, I wish I would have wrestled more when I came back in early 2017, I was wrestling really well then. Because of my inactivity of being GM, my body started to get arthritic. I got tighter, more sore, and less flexible than when I was active two years ago. In other words, the inactivity of not wrestling consistently led me to retirement a little faster. But, I can't complain. I loved doing what I did in WWE."

Angle admitted that he wanted John Cena to be his final opponent, as he gave the franchise player his WWE start, and wanted to give back the opportunity to end his career. From a story-telling standpoint this would have been perfectly symmetrical.

Things didn't align and Angle faced Baron Corbin in his farewell instead. Angle has defended Corbin and has stated that he has a bright future ahead of him. One of the most disappointing aspects of the farewell was that Kurt Angle was only given six minutes in his retirement match. In comparison, Batista was given 25 minutes for his retirement match against Triple H later that night.

The underwhelming quality of the match combined with the lack of time given has made it one of the most disappointing retirement matches in WWE history.

#3. Mankind vs The Rock - WWE made Mick Foley retire only to bring him back two weeks later

The Rock vs Mankind is one of the most iconic rivalries in WWE history. Their rivalry made the company a tremendous amount of money and drew some of the highest ratings in history.

It's important to note that the match itself wasn't bad at all. Drama in the match included Al Snow trying to help Mick Foley, a moral dilemma for Foley and The Rock being less than thrilled about the stipulation. The story of the bout was incredibly entertaining and made for an outstanding match.

The bout was called the "pink slip on a pole" match. The winner having to grab a pink slip from a pole in the corner of the ring. The winner would get to keep their job and the loser would lose theirs.

The match and storyline were great, Mankind walking into a thunderous Rock Bottom made for a perfectly-built finish. There was one big problem - Mick Foley was reinstated only two weeks later, rendering the stipulation of the match pointless.

#2. Edge vs Alberto Del Rio - An abrupt WWE retirement match for The Rated-R Superstar

Some WWE fans may call this match underappreciated. However, not many knew beforehand that this would turn out to be Edge's retirement match. It was 2011 and Alberto Del Rio had recently won the 40-man Royal Rumble match.

After winning the Rumble, Del Rio had the choice of which championship he'd contend for. His title of choice was the World Heavyweight Championship. The champion at the time was the Rated-R Superstar. The bout was ultimately the opening match of WrestleMania 27.

The match went on for only 11 minutes and led to Edge retaining the title. He later revealed that due to his injuries he didn't feel any sensation in his hands throughout the match. Although it wasn't an official retirement match, it turned out to be one. Edge announced his retirement from wrestling only a few weeks later.

The match as a whole served as an underwhelming conclusion to The Rated-R Superstar's WWE career, although walking out as the World Champion was the silver lining.

Thankfully, it was a retirement match for one phase of his career. He made his in-ring return nine years later at the 2020 Royal Rumble match. Edge would wrestle a couple more times in 2020, but 2021 proved to be the high-point of his return to WWE.

#1. Lita - A disgraceful end to a legendary WWE career?

Lita was one of the pillars of the WWE women's division and was regarded by many as one of the best of her generation. There's no doubt that Lita and Trish Stratus paved the way for the women of WWE. Despite her success, Lita's retirement is something that WWE will likely want fans to forget.

In 2006, Trish Stratus had a very sweet farewell. Her final match was a women's title match against her greatest rival, Lita. The match took place in Canada. Stratus won the championship, against her greatest rival in her home country.

For Lita, it was an entirely different story. She called it quits the same year, and WWE wasn't happy about it. Rather than giving her a farewell fit for a legend, she was humiliated by Cryme Tyme. The team auctioned off her personal belongings in a "H** sale".

Lita lost to Mickie James at Survivor Series 2006. Leaving after a defeat wasn't a bad decision in itself. James was the hottest up-and-comer, and Lita was going out as most legends do. The events with Cryme Tyme is what caused the controversy.

Lita has openly stated that she was never okay with it:

"I've never been quiet about it. I was super uncool with it. I went up the chain. I went to the producers, I went to the writers, I went to Vince, I went back to the producers, back to the writers, back to Vince. It was a hard, 'no'."

Despite the match being a good one, Lita's retirement might go down as the most disappointing in WWE history.