Wrestlers Who Have Worked Their Last WrestleMania

With the 34th edition of WrestleMania coming up, the buzz surrounding the event remains as strong as ever. From hardcore to casual fans, anyone who is remotely interested in professional wrestling tunes in to check out the biggest show of the year. In the previous decades, we have seen some of the greatest Superstars make their impact by leaving behind some unforgettable memories.

And while all Superstars aspire to be on the WrestleMania card, that is not quite realistic for several reasons. It has become tough to make it on the main card due to how stacked and lengthy the event has become. So there will always be Superstars left out even if fans would love to see them. And that isn't necessarily just active wrestlers, but those who may be semi-retired or recently released from the company. It is always tough to predict their future especially when very little is known about their departure from the WWE.

Vince McMahon always claims to "Never say never", but that cannot be said about some names on this list. Many of our favorites may never get the opportunity to wrestle at the event again since the industry is always welcoming new talents abroad. And as we all know, nothing remains forever so there will always be new names in the mix, while others continue to watch from their home. Today's list brings up another controversial subject matter as we look at 15 wrestlers who have worked their last WrestleMania:

15 Rob Van Dam

History was made when Brock Lesnar broke The Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania WrestleMania XXX. A new recorder holder was also crowned in Rob Van Dam, who has had the longest winning streak of 4-0 at WrestleMania since then. And while RVD is good enough to still be working for the WWE, rumors indicate that he may not be cleared due to a recent concussion. RVD doesn't seem interested in a return for the time being since he prefers working around his personal schedule rather than the demanding WWE one.

It is unlikely that RVD will ever compete in a WrestleMania match again, leaving him with an impressive record at the biggest event of the year. He is certainly going to be a Hall of Famer in the future, so we are probably going to see him featured in some capacity - just not the way most fans would want.

14 Shawn Michaels

Given that his WrestleMania bout against The Undertaker was supposed to be his retirement match, some may be surprised to see him on this list. But since then, Michaels has been contacted by the WWE for potential programs - all of which he has rejected. Last year, he was intrigued by the prospect of facing AJ Styles at WrestleMania and gave it some thought before concluding that he wouldn't return.

Fans were disappointment to hear that Michaels wouldn't steal the show one more time, and he probably never will again. Michaels is more than happy with the way he left, believing that his legacy may be tarnished if he were to get back into the squared circle. And if he didn't come out of retirement to face AJ Styles - despite a strong push from the company and some of his best friends - then you can bet that we have seen the last of Michaels at WrestleMania.

13 Big Show

In the past few years, Big Show's appearances have gotten fewer with his role diminishing on the roster. But he has still been apart of WrestleMania, participating in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Last year, he was rumored to be facing Shaquille O'Neal at the event although the match was scrapped for several reasons. Big Show may be in the best shape of his life - getting leaner than ever - but his injury problems have piled up, making him unreliable in the eyes of the WWE.

It is still unknown whether Big Show will be returning to the WWE, as his contract expired at the end of February. He was recovering from an injury for a couple months, and while we may see him get one last appearance at this upcoming WrestleMania, you can bet that Big Show won't compete in any other event after this year.

12 Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy has been on the shelf for the past six months or so with a shoulder injury and it doesn't look like he'll be back in time for WrestleMania. With his recent DWI arrest, it's highly unlikely WWE is going to keep him on a long leash going forward. WWE has already given Hardy several chances to clean up in the past, but his recent arrest will bring up some bad memories for the company. Don't be surprised to see Jeff released at some point this year, even if it may have repercussions with Matt, who is now using the gimmick that helped resurrect his career. If Jeff is let go again, it doesn't seem like he'd get another chance to come back as an active wrestler.

11 Lita

You may be surprised to learn that Lita is 42 years old considering how fine she has look in recent years. But that is not too old to be wrestling, especially for a brief period of time. Current WWE Superstar Tamina is 40 years old after all, and she doesn't exactly have the talent that Lita does. Lita made an in-ring return at the first ever WWE Women's Royal Rumble match in January, and received a huge ovation from the fans.

Most fans would love to see Lita having a final run in the company and competing against younger talents, but that doesn't seem to be in her plans. She has previously declined whenever WWE reached out to her, and considers herself to be retired from wrestling. She was even inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, so it's very likely that we never see Lita compete at WrestleMania again.

10 Goldberg

In a few weeks, Goldberg is set to be inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame. He made a surprise return to the company following a 12-year absence, and even managed to capture the WWE Universal title. Goldberg would go on to lose the belt against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, which was only his second ever appearance at the event. According to Goldberg, he always wanted to get back in the ring so his son could see him in action since he wasn't even born when Goldberg last wrestled.

But he also admitted that it took plenty of hard work and recovery to be able to pull off that run at his age, something which he may not be willing to do again. When wrestlers get inducted into the Hall of Fame, it is usually an unofficial way of announcing retirement, so Goldberg probably won't step into another WrestleMania ring.

9 Neville

If you were to tell someone around this time last year that Neville would never compete in a WrestleMania, they may have laughed at you. But that appears to be reality for Neville who has been away from the WWE since October. He has reportedly been stubborn with his demand of a release, while the WWE have refused to grant him his wish. There were hopes of repairing the relationship at times, but it seems like those efforts have gone wasted.

A return for Neville may not in the books, which would be sad to see considering the potential he had shown in his run. Neville was upset with WWE's booking, believing that he had been misused while his ceiling was limited from the start. Although some fans have sided with Neville, it won't be enough to change the company's opinion on the matter, as their relationship is now beyond repair.

8 Beth Phoenix

At 37 years old, Beth Phoenix could wrestle for a couple more years if she were interested in getting back into the squared circle. But it's been many years since she left and hasn't looked back yet - despite some sporadic appearances at various events. She was also inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017 - which caught fans by surprise as they believed it was too early since she was still young and hadn't been retired for too long.

That didn't stop the company from inserting her into the mix, which practically became her unofficial retirement announcement party. These days, Beth dedicates most of her time to her family as she is married to former WWE Superstar Edge, and the couple have two kids together. There is certainly still a place for her on the roster, but she has put her wrestling days behind her and WrestleMania may not be in her future plans.

7 Ryback

Not only has Ryback already worked his last WrestleMania, but it's likely that he also worked his final WWE match. He had a decent run with the company although his best days came early on, and he never got back his momentum afterwards. RyBack's bitter departure may have broken all bridges between him and the company, as he has been very critical of the WWE as well as many important figures from management to Superstars.

The company originally had big plans in mind for Ryback that never materialized. He also thought quite highly of himself, suggesting to Vince McMahon that he takes on Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Ryback's pitch was rejected, which frustrated him even more since he believed that his character wasn't going anywhere. And while he may not have accomplished what he wanted to, at least he did get to compete at WrestleMania.

6 Trish Stratus

Trish Stratus made a return to the WWE this year, entering as the 30th entrant in the first ever women's Royal Rumble match and she looked as good as ever, which leads us to wonder whether the WWE will ever bring her in for a WrestleMania match against one of their top female stars. Trish had a cool moment with Sasha Banks at the Rumble, and a heel Sasha vs Trish would definitely be a money matchup. Or there could be a possible Trish vs Asuka match which was reportedly set to take place in NXT in 2016 before Trish announced she was pregnant with her second child. Trish has said she'd be open to a one-off program at WrestleMania, but as the women's roster gets deeper and deeper, the possibilities of Trish getting a WrestleMania match get lower.

5 Mark Henry

Mark Henry had an impressive WWE career considering that most thought his career would be doomed during the Mae Young pregnancy storyline. He has recovered as well as a Superstar could, becoming the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, as well as one of the most dominant Superstars in the past 15 years. In the past two years, we have seen less of Henry on television with his last match coming at WrestleMania 33 during the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which he failed to win.

Henry has moved on to a backstage role since then after having been involved in a brief feud with Braun Strowman. Henry is about to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, which means he likely won't be getting another WrestleMania match. He had a very respectable career with some impressive highs but even his biggest fans don't care to see him involved in another WrestleMania.

4 Alberto Del Rio

Rumors have it that Vince McMahon is interested in bringing back Alberto Del Rio. He was recently spotted at the WWE centre, which he filmed a clip for a Rey Mysterio documentary. It seems like Del Rio met with McMahon at some point although we are unsure about the details. His last two runs with the WWE have been underwhelming with both ending in a bitter manner.

Del Rio may have also burned some bridges along the way with his consistent attacks towards Triple H. Although he has previously been presented with some major pushes, Del Rio hasn't justified being among the top WWE Superstars. And if he does return to the WWE, his window of opportunity is guaranteed to be shorter this time around. And as far as a WrestleMania spot goes, we are inclined to believe that WWE would much rather put other wrestlers in place of Del Rio.

3 Christian

Christian seems to have vanished out of nowhere with some fans still confused about what happened to him. After spending several years in TNA, Christian returned to the WWE in 2009 although he was competing on the ECW brand. He practically had to make his way up to be back on the main brands, and even captured a World Heavyweight title along the way. But since then, he was lost in the shuffle since injury woes have increased while the WWE Universe moved on to newer talents.

Even if Christian was cleared to return, the level of interest may not be so high anymore. He didn't exactly set the world on fire in his last run, and his best days remind his WWE run from 2004 to 2005 and the years in TNA that followed. As far as being on a WrestleMania card, we wouldn't bet on it.

2 Paige

Everyone thought that Paige would lead the women's division for years to come until injuries put her out of action. And to make matters wose, a major scandal broke out which may have negatively affected her career. But Paige got back into the ring although her return was cut short following another injury that was deemed career threatening. Reports claim that she may not be cleared to compete for the WWE again, so it is likely that you don't see her mix it up at WrestleMania in the future.

Paige is currently serving as a manager, and also has a WWE film coming out soon - so there is a reason for her stay despite being an inactive wrestler. But that may not be her destiny once she is no longer of value to the WWE, which would put her WrestleMania chances at a highly unlikely rate.

1 Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan is one of the first names that any wrestling fan would associate with WrestleMania, where he has several iconic moments. But as of the past few years, he has missed out on the biggest event of the industry as he remains blacklisted from the company. Rumors claimed that there may be an agreement coming up between the two parties, but nothing ever came out of that.

As of now, chances are we will never see Hogan in the WWE again. And while some may find that to be doubtful, we can all agree that he has had his last WrestleMania match. It is now too late for Hogan to get back in the ring even if WWE were to allow him back into the mix. There were talks of a dream match against John Cena in the past, but that will likely remain a dream match.

NEXT: WWE Releases After WrestleMania 34 That Will & Won't Surprise Us