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:
#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.