WWE fans were recently treated to the retirement match of Goldberg at Saturday Night’s Main Event as he battled Gunther in his final ever outing. Despite extensive promotion from WWE, the match itself fell short in terms of quality, highlighting that not every wrestler is capable of delivering a great match on their way out.
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While there have been some amazing retirement matches over the years, with the likes of Sting and The Undertaker ending their careers in style, there are just as many who have unfortunately fallen short at the final hurdle, leaving fans disappointed with the way they ended their careers.
Goldberg Vs. Gunther
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, 2025
|
Winner |
Match Length |
Age At Time Of Retirement |
|---|---|---|
|
Gunther |
15:20 |
58 |
Goldberg has never been known for his in-ring prowess; therefore, it’s not a huge surprise that his final match wasn’t a classic. Goldberg was always at his best when the matches were kept brief, and this one ran a little longer than anyone needed, even though they were evidently trying to make it special.
Goldberg had hurt himself during the training process leading to this, which didn’t help matters, but the match itself ended up being a little clunky as they never got on the same page. The Hall of Famer himself admitted it wasn’t his best performance, proving that he was aware that the match didn’t quite deliver.
He has since gone on to complain about everything to do with his final storyline, evidently not being a fan of how it all went down. However, given that the match was quite forgettable, it’s unlikely to be one fans will remember in a hurry.
Kurt Angle Vs. Baron Corbin
WWE WrestleMania 35
|
Winner |
Match Length |
Age At Time Of Retirement |
|---|---|---|
|
Baron Corbin |
6:05 |
50 |
Kurt Angle is often considered to be one of the best in-ring talents in wrestling history, so fans naturally expected his retirement match to be one of the greatest of all time. Unfortunately, everything surrounding the end of his career was disappointing, from the storyline and match placement to the quality of the bout itself.
Angle has publicly stated he wanted to retire against John Cena, but was told he’d have to wait another year for that to happen. With his body unable to keep up, Angle settled for a match against Baron Corbin, which didn’t quite provide the level of excitement that fans might’ve anticipated for the final match of a wrestling legend.
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The two men weren’t given a chance to put a good match together as they were thrown into the middle of a long WrestleMania with little time to grasp the attention of fans. It led to a forgettable encounter that fell short of the level of quality Angle deserved.
Ric Flair & Andrade El Idolo Vs. Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett
Ric Flair’s Last Match
|
Winner |
Match Length |
Age At Time Of Retirement |
|---|---|---|
|
Ric Flair & Andrade El Idolo |
27:00 |
73 |
Ric Flair is a unique wrestler in the sense that he has arguably the greatest retirement match, against Shawn Michaels, and also one of the worst. The Nature Boy received an amazing send-off from WWE, but he was unable to stay retired outside of the company, going on to wrestle for TNA for a short while as well.
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Ric Flair’s lavish lifestyle came from his inability to separate his true self from his wrestling character, and in the end it cost him everything.
However, at 73 years old, the WWE Hall of Famer stepped out of retirement for one final match. It was an independent show built around him, as he teamed with his daughter’s then-husband, Andrade, against Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett. While the show drew a lot of interest, Flair was visibly in no shape to be wrestling, and after all his health scares, it felt like fans were watching through nervousness.
Flair has since admitted he passed out twice during the match, showcasing that he should never have been in that position to begin with. The match itself was forgettable and is an example of people prioritizing money and another moment in the limelight over health.
Shawn Michaels & Triple H Vs The Brothers Of Destruction
WWE Crown Jewel, 2018
|
Winner |
Match Length |
Age At Time Of Retirement |
|---|---|---|
|
Shawn Michaels & Triple H |
27:45 |
52 |
Shawn Michaels was in a similar situation to Ric Flair in that he came out of retirement to wrestle one more time, seemingly due to the money that was available to him in Saudi Arabia. His final match before this was a great encounter against The Undertaker, and he remained retired for a long time, seemingly honoring that.
However, he stepped back into the ring to team with Triple H against The Brothers of Destruction in a match where everything that could have gone wrong did. Triple H got seriously injured, while the encounter was filled with botches, including the hilarious moment where Kane’s mask fell off.
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This dragged on for far longer than it had any right to do, and it ultimately reached a point where fans had to laugh at how bad it was, damaging the legacy of everyone involved.
Bret Hart & John Cena Vs. Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez
WWE Raw, 9/12/11
|
Winner |
Match Length |
Age At Time Of Retirement |
|---|---|---|
|
Bret Hart & John Cena |
03:05 |
53 |
Bret Hart is a legendary figure in professional wrestling, yet his career ended in a forgettable fashion in a match that lasted less than five minutes. It was also a comedy tag team match that featured Ricardo Rodriguez, who is best known to fans for being Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer.
It was a ridiculous way for the Hitman to end his iconic career, as WWE could’ve given him a much bigger send-off. Hart wasn’t able to move around the ring like he could in the prime of his career, but he proved in his final run that he was still capable of entertaining fans and doing more than this.
With the right opponent, WWE could have given Hart a memorable match to end his career on that would have been a big deal on a PPV. Instead, he was treated with a lack of respect, and his in-ring career ended in unspectacular fashion.
