Most wrestling retirements never last forever. A few years ago, nobody would've thought that WWE's Shawn Michaels or Steve Austin would ever step foot in the ring ever again. But it's exactly what they did, and they won't be the last ones to come out of retirement for a match or two.
In the past few years, many legends have retired from the business and a few of them have already returned as well. The following wrestlers are already retired, but they might lace up their boots against certain opponents. Some of these bouts will probably never happen, while a couple of them could very well be in store for fans down the line.
7 Kurt Angle (John Cena)
Kurt Angle retired at WrestleMania 35 against Baron Corbin. This wasn't how he desired to end his career, but Vince McMahon wanted him to finish his program with Corbin before retiring. Angle has made several appearances in WWE since then, but never wrestled another match.
He was also offered a 10-match contract from AEW, but he denied the offer as he wasn't in great shape and wanted to focus on his supplement company. However, Angle recently said that he'd still like to come out of retirement against John Cena. He thinks Cena is still in his prime and he can carry him through the match. Angle also named Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins as two alternative opponents.
6 Gillberg (Goldberg)
Gillberg believes that his match against Goldberg will be "pay-per-view worthy." He also took a dig at Goldberg's Saudi Arabia matches and said their match will be better. Gillberg was created by WWE to parody Goldberg at the height of his peak in WCW.
The former WWE Light Heavyweight Champion retired in 2020 after wrestling James Ellsworth. He later made a one-time return last year during another independent show. Out of the entries on this list, this bout is least likely to happen considering the standing of both stars in the business.
5 Mark Henry (Gunther)
Mark Henry retired from wrestling in 2018, after working the Greatest Royal Rumble. He's since taken on a commentary and coaching role in All Elite Wrestling. In the past few years, Henry has talked about a possible in-ring return multiple times.
He's expressed his desire to have one more match against guys like Randy Orton and Gunther. Henry once also promised that he'll return as a wrestler in AEW, but didn't tell when. It seems his stance has changed in the last couple of months, and he's now ruling out an in-ring return.
4 Road Dogg (Randy Orton)
Earlier this year, Road Dogg was released from his WWE contract. He then tried to get a job in AEW but didn't hear back from Tony Khan. After Triple H's takeover, Dogg returned to the company as the Senior Vice President of Live Events and replaced Jeff Jarrett.
The former D-Generation X member wrestled his final match at Royal Rumble 2015 as part of The New Age Outlaws against The Ascension. A few months back in July, Dogg said that he wants to feud with Randy Orton which ends with a hardcore match.
3 Sabu (Brock Lesnar)
Last November, Sabu officially retired from wrestling while speaking with Wrestling Shoot Interviews. When he was asked about his chances of returning for one more match, Sabu said he'd step into the ring again if Brock Lesnar is his opponent.
Sabu described Lesnar as being the best in the business and called him "my kind of opponent."
2 Trish Stratus (Becky Lynch)
Trish Stratus retired from wrestling a long time ago, but she has continued to make occasional appearances and even wrestle in WWE. Her final match was against Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam 2019, where Stratus lost. Since then, she's appeared on WWE television multiple times and recently even teased coming out of retirement against Bayley.
Recently, Stratus also said that she'd love to have another heel run in the company. Earlier this year, she had an altercation with Becky Lynch. They had a showdown during a live event in Toronto, where Trish slapped Big Time Becks. This match has been teased multiple times, so it wouldn't be surprising if Stratus returns and has a program with Lynch. However, a match with Bayley seems a bit more likely, considering recent developments.
1 Wade Barrett (Drew McIntyre)
Wade Barrett left the wrestling business in 2016 after he got his release from WWE. He returned to the company in 2020 as a color commentator for NXT. He later signed a full-time deal with WWE, and recently extended his contract. Whenever he's been asked about returning to the ring, Barrett has said he's open to it under the right circumstances.
A few years ago, Barrett said that Austin Theory was trying to get him to wrestle again and someone like him might actually convince him. He's also talked about facing Drew McIntyre on several occasions. Although McIntyre has said that "I’ll smash you... I’ll embarrass you in front of the world."