Wrestling is a very emotionally-driven product and that can bring a whole manner of different feelings from a fan. Whether it be laughter, anger, or sometimes sadness, there are plenty of great moments that have pulled certain reactions from the fans.

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Sad moments certainly have taken place plenty of times, and while there are moments when it is done on purpose for a storyline, such as Mark Henry's fake retirement speech, there are other situations where fans are left wiping away their tears for something legitimate. However, because the world is always changing and evolving, certain moments that were once very upsetting no longer hold up in the same manner.

8 Edge's Retirement Speech

Edge Retirement Speech

When Edge originally retired from professional wrestling, fans were left stunned and emotionally drained because the entire situation came out of nowhere. Nobody thought he was injured, let alone have to retire, which is why fans were left very upset when he had to go away.

Thankfully, this moment is no longer as upsetting to watch anymore because the Rated R Superstar has been able to make his return to the ring. It's something that fans couldn't believe once again, and that led to an amazing moment within itself, creating a totally different emotion.

7 The Undertaker Leaves His Hat In The Ring

The Undertaker Wrestlemania 33 posing

When The Undertaker lost against Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 33, it created a very emotional moment amongst fans. The Deadman broke kayfabe, kissing Michelle McCool, and then he left his hat, gloves, and coat in the middle of the ring as he went away into the smoke.

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It seemed to strongly suggest that he was done with wrestling and that was his retirement match, which was a fitting way to end. However, that wasn't the case and because he came back and wrestled several times after this, the entire moment no longer feels emotional at all.

6 Shawn Michaels Retires

Shawn Michaels being interviewed Cropped

The Undertaker was on hand to bring an end to Shawn Michaels' career at WrestleMania 26 in what remains one of the best matches of all time. HBK then got a big segment the next night on Raw and that brought an end to one of the greatest careers of all time.

For the longest time, it seemed like Michaels was going to stay retired, which is something that wrestling fans respected. That was until he came out of retirement for a terrible main event tag team match at Crown Jewel as D-Generation X faced The Brothers Of Destruction, which wasn't a storyline worth his return.

5 Mark Henry Tricks John Cena

MarkHenry Retirement

As previously mentioned, Mark Henry's fake retirement segment was a very emotional moment as the World's Strongest Man put together one of the greatest promos in wrestling history. He hooked everybody and made people believe that he was genuinely retiring, and everything that he said connected with people.

Of course, because he then goes on to destroy John Cena, that particular moment does feel different now. It's something that only really connected when it took place as after the fact, everybody knew it was a swerve.

4 Daniel Bryan's Retirement Speech

Daniel Bryan Retirement

Daniel Bryan's return from retirement was a different situation to Shawn Michaels' as fans were desperate to see him get back to the ring. Seeing him back was something everybody wanted and it has led to some amazing moments since that point.

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However, it has impacted his original retirement speech, which was a very sad moment in WWE history. Bryan's speech was a powerful one as he said goodbye to the fans, and while the words he said still hold true, the moment itself isn't as emotional due to the fact he did return to the ring.

3 Chris Benoit Memorial Show

Chris Benoit memorial show Cropped

When the wrestling world first learned that Chris Benoit had passed away, there were huge shockwaves and an overwhelming amount of sadness amongst the industry. Before WWE knew the full details, the company put together a memorial show with wrestlers talking openly about their love and respect for him.

It was a very upsetting episode and it certainly brought a lot of emotions at the time. However, because more information followed that showcased what really happened in the Benoit household that night, this entire episode is no longer emotional in the same way.

2 ECW One Night Stand

Paul Heyman One Night Stand

When ECW One Night Stand took place, fans were left feeling very emotional as people couldn't believe the extreme world was coming back for a one-off moment. The show itself was impactful and certainly was an emotional night for people.

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However, because WWE then did another show and then the company actually brought back ECW as a third brand and really killed all the momentum that ECW had, this show no longer feels quite as emotional anymore.

1 Ric Flair's Retirement

Ric Flair's retirement

Ric Flair's retirement was given more focus than anybody else in the history of wrestling. From being inducted into the Hall Of Fame to his epic WrestleMania match that featured the iconic "I'm sorry, I love you moment," he was given everything.

After losing, Flair had a huge Raw main event segment featuring countless legends making their return which also added to everything WWE did. But the fact that he decided to go and wrestle for TNA afterward really took away from the entire situation, which was a real shame.