Retirement angles or matches thread

[Lil' Bitch 0]

This is probably going to be a long list, but list all the times where So and So retired afterwards either for good, a long time before an eventual comeback, or a quick / false retirement and return

 

Roddy Piper - Vs. Arian Adonis @ Wrestlemania III (Piper would return from Hollywood 2 years later)

 

Hulk Hogan - Vs. Sid Justice @ Wrestlemania VIII (Hogan returned the next year at Wrestlemania IX), I also remember Hogan "retiring" in late 1998 for a bid as U.S. presidency, but I don't remember what his last month prior to it was.

 

Randy Savage - Vs. The Ultimate Warrior @ Wrestlemania VII (Savage would return near the end of the year)

 

Mick Foley - Vs. HHH @ No Way Out 2000 (Foley returned the following month), Vs. HHH Vs. Rock Vs. Show @ Wrestlemania 16 (Foley stayed out as an in-ring competitor until his return at The Royal Rumble 2004)

 

Curt Hennig - Vs. Buff Bagwell at some WCW PPV (Hennig came back the next night)

 

I also recall Ric Flair losing a Career Threatening Match against Hulk Hogan @ Halloween Havoc 1994 (Flair would be reinstated the following year)

 

I'm sure there's a lot more, but that's all I can think of right now. This should be fun.

[St. Gabe 0]

I also recall Ric Flair losing a Career Threatening Match against Hulk Hogan @ Halloween Havoc 1994 (Flair would be reinstated the following year)

 

I think this was at Fall Brawl in the Cage.

[Diamonddust 0]

I also recall Ric Flair losing a Career Threatening Match against Hulk Hogan @ Halloween Havoc 1994 (Flair would be reinstated the following year)

 

I think this was at Fall Brawl in the Cage.

 

No, it was Halloween Havoc.

[Papacita 0]

Randy Savage - Vs. The Ultimate Warrior @ Wrestlemania VII (Savage would return near the end of the year)

Anyone know if Savage really intended to retire here, or was it always in the cards for him to come back?

 

I *think* Terry Funk had one of his 85 retirement matches against Bret Hart in 97 (I think it's even covered in Beyond the Mat but I can't remember).

 

Also, Owen Hart "retired" in late 98 after breaking Dan Severn's neck, which led to the Blue Blazer storyline.

 

Arn Anderson in 97, giving Hennig his spot.

[JHawk 0]

Bruno Sammartino: vs. George Steele to open the Meadowlands Arena in 1981 (he'd be back by the end of 1984).

[King Kamala 0]

The most amusing Terry Funk "retirement" match was in '99ish when he had a match on some indy show against Sabu at a strip club in Canada.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

The retirement match against Bret was indeed in Beyond the Mat, at a commemorative show entitled 'Fifty Years of Funk'. You'll surely recall Dennis Stamp repeatedly stating "I'm not booked." That was for Funk's retirement.

[Epic Reine 0]

Flair also had another retirement match on the Nitro the night after Great American Bash 2000 where he lost to Vince Russo and his son David which also saw the two shave his head. Flair was back in WCW by the end of the year.

[Darth Vader 0]

I *think* Terry Funk had one of his 85 retirement matches against Bret Hart in 97 (I think it's even covered in Beyond the Mat but I can't remember).

 

Which is funny since Funk wound up retiring Bret.

[Richard 0]

Randy Savage - Vs. The Ultimate Warrior @ Wrestlemania VII (Savage would return near the end of the year)

Anyone know if Savage really intended to retire here, or was it always in the cards for him to come back?

 

I know the feud with Jake was booked at the last minute after Warrior bolted. But he probably would have come back eventually.

 

Jaques Rougeau had a retirement show in 1994.

 

Nash lost a retirement match to Hogan at the last Road Wild.

[King Cucaracha 0]

Chavo Guerrero 'retired' after losing an IC Title match on Raw in 2005(6?)

 

Marc Mero in '98... was that a retirement angle or just a leaving the WWF angle? All I remember is, he retired/left on an edition of Raw but still wrestled on the Capital Carnage PPV about a week or so later.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Goldberg lost that one retirement match in WCW and never returned, as the company went out of business not long after.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

Terry Funk had his first of many retirement matches in August 1983!

 

Inoki announced his retirement in 1998.

 

The Funk-Hart match from September 97 was definitely billed as Terry's "US Retirement," before he went on a farewell tour in Japan.

 

The February 99 angle in ECW where Shane Douglas was about to announce his retirement was something else.

 

Jumbo Tsuruta announced his retirement in February 99 and a ceremony was held two weeks later. Sadly, he passed away the next year.

 

Survivor Series 2003 when Steve Austin was forced to relinquish his GM status and "retire" from the brand.

 

 

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Gorilla Monsoon promised to retire if he lost to Ken Patera in the Spectrum in 1980. Monsoon lost, fulfilled a few contractual obligations and except for filling in for Andre the Giant in 1981 (after Killer Khan injured Andre), Monsoon never wrestled again.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

How about Ric Flair's first WWF "Retirement" match, well it was a Loser Leaves Town match against Mr. Perfect.

 

Amazing that they didn't pick up on that, even when Mr. Perfect was brought back shortly after Flair was in 01/02.

[BruiserKC 0]

I think it was 1981 or so. Jerry "The King" Lawler in Memphis had told the fans if he couldn't win the NWA World title from Ric Flair by the end of the year that he'd retire. Lawler didn't get his first World title until 1988 but never retired after being unable to beat Flair.

[cabbageboy 0]

Eh, I think Lawler got some DQ wins over Flair though, so maybe he figured "Hey, at least I'm not jobbing to the guy" and stayed active in wrestling. I don't know much about that feud though, I'm more familiar with Bockwinkel travelling to Memphis.

 

Speaking of which, didn't Lawler put his career up against Hennig in 1988 for that AWA title shot?

[Timmy8271 0]

Randy Savage - Vs. The Ultimate Warrior @ Wrestlemania VII (Savage would return near the end of the year)

Anyone know if Savage really intended to retire here, or was it always in the cards for him to come back?

 

I know the feud with Jake was booked at the last minute after Warrior bolted. But he probably would have come back eventually.

 

Vince was the one that made Savage "retire". They wanted someone to replace Ventura and Heenan was still managing full time.

 

Stan Hansen retired in 2000 and hasn't come back.