Usually, when aWWEwrestler’s career winds down, it tends to be with a whimper rather than a bang. A star would work less and less before quietly deciding to hang up his boots, or would be unceremoniously released from the company before he had a chance to truly end his story.
However, for the biggest legends in wrestling history, they are given the opportunity to go out in a blaze of glory. Sometimes they win, and sometimes they lose,but there will always be a spectacle to that final match of someone’s career.
10 Shortest WWE Champion Reigns Ever
Not all WWE Championship runs are long or memorable, and this list runs down the ten shortest reign, calculated by days the title was held.
For the purpose of this list, we will be looking at matches that were either billed as retirement matches, even if the retirements didn’t end up sticking, or ended up being the final match before a temporary or permanent retirement, even if not planned that way.
8Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio
WrestleMania 27
Retirement Match of
Atlanta, Georgia
Edge at 11:06
Edge’s surprise return to the world of wrestling at the 2020 Royal Rumble was a day of celebration for many, who never thought they’d see the Rated R Superstar in action again. But nine years before that, the final sight WWE fans ever got of Edge in a ring was at WrestleMania 27.
Edge was being challenged by Alberto Del Rio, an aristocratic Mexican newcomer hot off the heels of his Royal Rumble win earlier that year. Fans and experts widely expected Del Rio to pull off the victory, but to the surprise of many, the Rated R Superstar defended his World Heavyweight Championship, with the help of his best friend Christian by his side, despite attempts by Del Rio’s enforcer Brodus Clay to even the score.
Unfortunately, due to lingering neck issues, Edge was forced to retire the next week, relinquishing his title. This made him one of the few wrestlers to ever retire while holding a major championship, and while his comeback does undercut it a bit, it’s still a very emotional experience to watch, and, in the short term,got a huge emotional payoff when his best friend Christian won his first World Heavyweight Championship a month later.
Although Edge was at his best as a heel, it was quite satisfying to end his original run with a triumphant babyface victory. This match is far from my favorite Edge match, but it was a solid opener on a WrestleMania card that was considered underwhelming by many fans, and I’d definitely recommend checking this match out if you have the chance.
7Cactus Jack vs. Triple H
No Way Out 2000
Cactus Jack
Hartford, Connecticut
Triple H at 24:01
One of the hardest things about selecting the best retirement matches is that very few of them actually marked the end of their careers. Mick Foley’s retirement match against Triple H at No Way Out 2000 is a perfect example of that, as the Hardcore Legend would be back in action at next month’s WrestleMania.
Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were basically in charge of the WWF at the beginning of the new year, and he had already vanquished Mankind at the Royal Rumble.
Foley was able to get one last shot at the title at No Way Out inside a Hell in a Cell, but he would have to retire if he lost,ensuring fans would be emotionally invested in the scrappy underdog putting his career on the line against the aristocratic villain.
Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy would don the violent Cactus Jack persona for this brutal brawl, and while he showed resilience and heart, it wasn’t enough against The Game’s ruthlessness, and one Pedigree later, his career was over, much to the dismay of his fans.
While it wasn’t a full-on retirement for Foley, it did serve to end his run as a full-time wrestler, and mostly retired the “Faces of Foley” gimmicks, as he has only brought them back twice since.
I found this match to be an absolute thrill ride, and I’d definitely put it as a top 10 entry for both wrestlers' careers and for Hell in a Cell in general, and acknowledge its legacy both by capping off Foley’s active run and cementing Triple H as the dominant heel of the next several years. That being said, I wouldn’t call it my absolute favorite in any of those categories.
6Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock
WrestleMania 19
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Seattle, Washington
The Rock at 17:55
Stone Cold Steve Austin’s time as a full-time wrestler came to an end at WrestleMania 19, when he faced off against The Rock in the last of three WrestleMania matches between the two. While their first two showdowns main-evented the nights they were held on and had the WWF Championship on the line, the stakes were significantly lower for round three.
By this point, The Rock was a heel and doing the Hollywood Rock gimmick, so Austin felt like the natural choice for the fans to rally behind in this match-up.
Little did anyone know that not only would The Rock finally get a win over Stone Cold after losing their previous two encounters, but that it would be the last time the Texas Rattlesnake stepped into the squared circle for nearly twenty years.
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These pairings turned superstars into legends.
In contrast to their first two matches, which told a clear story, this one was a pure exhibition match between two wrestlers transitioning from full-timer to WWE Legend status. There were tons of near falls, plenty of insane finisher spots, and even a sequence with both men hitting each other with the other’s signature moves.
This isn’t my favorite match ofthe Rock vs. Austin WrestleMania trilogy, with their WrestleMania 17 encounter taking that prize, but I would put this ahead of their first match at WrestleMania 15.
And while it was great to see Stone Cold make a one-night return at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, I still feel this match was a more satisfying send-off to his career,given it also served as a final send-off to the Attitude Era, which had officially ended two years earlier.
5Triple H vs. Batista
WrestleMania 35
East Rutherford, NJ
Triple H at 24:45
Triple H and Batista’s story dates back to the days of Evolution, when The Game brought in The Animal as his protégé and attempted to mold him into a future World Champion. But when Triple H got too paranoid that Batista was going to come after his title,it set the stage for a feud that would define the first half of 2005.
The Animal’s final run with the company would book-end the rivalry that shot him to superstardom. Batista would attack Shawn Michaels backstage during an Evolution reunion night, and challenged Triple H to a No Holds Barred match, on the condition that if The Game lost, he would retire from the company.
What made this match-up different from their 2005 bouts was that this time, Batista was the heel, trying to kill the legend that was Triple H, and after 25 minutes of brutality, the King of Kings would reign supreme over the slaughtered Animal.
While Triple H was allowed to continue wrestling, he would only wrestle once more afterward, and it would actually end up being Batista’s last match.
This is definitely a somewhat underwhelming match when compared to their 2005 encounters, given that both men were pushing 50 and showing their age,but it was a solid conclusion to a legendary feud and both men’s in-ring runs.It helped that Kurt Angle’s extremely underwhelming retirement match was also that night, so Triple H vs. Batista looked fantastic by comparison.
Triple H did wrestle two more matches on house shows afterward, but his last televised match was against Randy Orton at Super ShowDown 2019.
4The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles
WrestleMania 36 - Night 1
The Undertaker
Orlando, Florida
The Undertaker at 18:18
The three-decade-long career of The Undertaker came to an end at WrestleMania 36 when he faced off against AJ Styles in a Boneyard match. This cinematic brawl was a unique spectacle that came at the perfect time, as the COVID-19 pandemic restricted live audiences from attending WWE events, meaning the company could take more creative liberties with their shows.
The Boneyard Match felt like aperfect send-off to the Deadman, as not only did the pre-filmed nature of the match allow the Undertaker to avoid the wrestling maneuvers that took a toll on his body over the years, but it allowed him to play into his supernatural characteristics in a way he couldn’t in front of a live audience.
Perhaps the most memorable moment came when Styles tossed ‘Taker into the grave, only for the Phenom to suddenly reappear behind him, much to his shock.
The rest of the match felt like a thrilling horror movie that perfectly represented both wrestlers’ legacies. For Styles, he would get back-up from his closest allies, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, whom he has aligned with ever since his days leading the Bullet Club in Japan. And for the Deadman, he would bring in his American Bad Ass gimmick one more time, a wrestling persona that perfectly mirrored the Bullet Club’s outlaw aesthetic.
This match was far from my favorite in The Undertaker’s career, or even of his legendary WrestleMania run, but it didn’t have to be.What stood out the most about The Undertaker was the sheer spectacle and mystique of his presence,so focusing on those aspects rather than his diminished in-ring ability was the perfect way to send him off into the sunset.
3Randy Savage vs. The Ultimate Warrior
WrestleMania 7
Randy Savage
Los Angeles, California
The Ultimate Warrior at 20:48
Aside from Hulk Hogan, there are arguably no two names more synonymous with WWF’s golden age than “Macho Man” Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior, respectively one of wrestling’s best all-around performers anda captivating personality despite less-than-stellar in-ring skills.
The previous two WrestleManias saw them square off with the Hulkster, and they got their shot at each other at WrestleMania 7.
Rather than being for the WWF Title, since Savage had cost Warrior the belt at that year’s Royal Rumble, the two wrestlers would put their careers on the line.
Both wrestlers would give it their all, stealing the show on a night headlined by a mediocre title match between Hulk Hogan and Sgt. Slaughter, but in the end, the Warrior would stand tall.
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Walking down the grandest stage of them all in high-profile style.
While the match itself was a classic, with many calling it the bestof Warrior’s career,it waswhat happened afterward that would cement its place in history.
Sensational Sherri would abandon the Macho King and berate him, only for Miss Elizabeth to come to the rescue, thus reuniting the couple for the first time since 1989 and leading to their on-screen wedding later that year.
The one thing that does knock off a few points, in my opinion, is that Savage’s retirement didn’t stick, since he would come out of retirement to face Jake Roberts after The Snake sent him an unpleasant surprise at SummerSlam later that year. That feud is itself an all-time great, but that is a story for another list.
2Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels
WrestleMania 24
Shawn Michaels at 20:23
In 2008, Ric Flair was nearing the age of 60, and while he was committed to staying in the ring forever, Vince McMahon believed it was time to pull the plug on the Nature Boy. The Chairman made a deal that Flair could continue wrestling as long as he was able to beat whoever challenged him, but the next time he lost, he would have to retire for good.
Flair wanted his final opponent to be someone who had mutual respect for him, and the Heartbreak Kid was the perfect man for the job. Shawn did not want to be the one to end the legend’s career, knowing it would leave a feeling of guilt that could follow him around forever, and that dilemma would be the defining story of the match more than Flair’s own story.
That night in Orlando, it was pretty obvious Flair was going to lose, given he had just been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the day prior, but he still put up a massive fight that actually made fans think he might actually defy the odds.
Unfortunately, it was not to be, because after Michaels famously uttered the words “I’m sorry, I love you”, he superkicked Flair into retirement.
Unfortunately, much of this match’s legacy has been tainted by Flair’s return to the ring in the following years, but in WWE, he has stayed true to his word and never worked another match, andthis classic match is still an emotional experience for fans of the Nature Boy.
I think the greatest legacy left by this match’s aftermath was the epic feud Shawn Michaels had with Chris Jericho later that year.
1Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
WrestleMania 26
Shawn Michaels
Glendale, Arizona
The Undertaker at 24:00
While Shawn Michaels played an important role in one of the greatest retirement matches in WWE history, it’s hard for any wrestler to top his own sendoff in 2010.
The pervious year, HBK came off of an all-time classic WrestleMania bout against the Undertaker, where he unfortunately fell short of breaking the Deadman’s WrestleMania streak.
At that year’s Slammys, Michaels laid out a second challenge to the Undertaker, but after he refused, he turned to desperate measures to get his rematch. Eventually,after costing the Phenom his World Heavyweight Championship at the 2010 Elimination Chamber, Shawn got his wish, but he had to put his career on the line for it.
At WrestleMania 26, the two had an absolute epic rematch that many fans believe even topped the previous year’s encounters. After a night of near falls, stolen finishers, and electrifying crowd pops, the Undertaker hit the Tombstone to go 18-0 and send the Heartbreak Kid out the door.
Like with Ric Flair before him, Michaels did wrestle again, but it was only for a one-off return atCrown Jewel2018, and despite being an all-time stinker, I don’t hold that one quite as much against him as I do Flair’s comebacks.
As for this match, while I do prefer their first encounter from a purely in-ring standpoint, there are few matches I have ever been emotionally invested in as the rematch, which pitted the greatest winning streak in WWE history against an all-time career in the most high-stakes match WWE has ever had.
Every WrestleMania 41 Match, Ranked
A whole lot of stinkers but also a whole lot of bangers.
