In all combat sports there are a number of dream matches that are banded about by fans. Boxing especially where people discuss who would have won if the top competitors from different generations clashed inside the ring. That happens in wrestling too of course but more so than boxing some of those matches can actually happen. Pro wrestlers can dictate what they do and don't do in the ring so if they keep injury free can go on for years and years. Do we want to see wrestlers carry on into their fifties and sixties though?

Probably not as it is still detrimental to their health no matter how conservative they may be. On the flip side there are so many stars in the busy who have not managed to stay injury free and been forced to hang up their wrestling boots far earlier than we would have liked. When a wrestler starts in the business there is really no way of knowing how long they'll last. The Undertaker definitely didn't think he would still be wrestling in 2018 and Paige would not have been prepared to retire at the age of 25. Those two naturally appear in this article along with 22 others.

24 Wish Would Retire: Jerry Lawler

When it comes to wrestlers who really paved the way for the Superstars of today there are a few names that instantly spring to mind. People like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Eddie Guerrero, Stone Cold Steve Austin. One man who probably doesn't get the credit that he deserves for his contributions in this field is Jerry Lawler. The King wrestled in Memphis for years and years and not only did he put the town and the territory on the map, but he was one of the first wrestlers to really break into the main stream. His rivalry with comedian Andy Kaufman is the stuff of legend and many at the time thought it was real.

As great a performer as Lawler was in the ring though he probably shouldn't still be wrestling at the age of 68.

Despite not drinking or smoking at any point in his life Lawler suffered a massive heart attack a few years ago and also a stroke earlier this year. Despite those two extremely significant health scares The King continues to step between the ropes and it must scare the hell out of his fiance, family and friends that he insists on competing inside the ring and not just as a personality for WWE.

23 Wish Could See Again: Paige

A little earlier on in this list we discussed Tyson Kidd and how sad it is that even though he is only 37 he can no longer compete in the ring. Well in terms of age he doesn't have anything on Paige. The two time Divas' Champion is just 25 years old and has already been forced to call it a day when it comes to her in-ring career. In 2016 a tumultuous time in Paige's life began. The British star was suspended for 30 days under WWE's wellness policy, was sidelined for a long period of time because of neck issues, and also had a number of private photos and videos appear online.

After all that she was suspended again before even making her return and then had to have surgery on her neck. It seemed as if there was no way back for Paige but she shocked the world and wrestled again for WWE. Sadly shortly after her return she was injured again and told that she could no longer wrestle. The Norwich native isn't letting that keep her down though. Just 24 hours after officially announcing her retirement on Raw, Shane McMahon unveiled her as the new General Manager of SmackDown Live.

22 Wish Would Reitre: James Ellsworth

When the WWE roster was split into two once again during the summer of 2016 a few Superstars naturally got pushes that they weren't afforded before. One of those Superstars was Braun Strowman and he has ridden that wave ever since. It began with The Monster Among Men wrestling a series of squash matches against various enhancement talents and one of those talents was James Ellsworth. Ellsworth's stay in WWE was only supposed to be one match long but for some reason a large chunk of fans latched onto him. That led to him being brought back a little while later and signed to a permanent contract.

Between his series of matches against AJ Styles to his stint as Carmella's lap dog for many fans it felt like Ellsworth had outstayed his welcome.

Eventually WWE agreed and released him but still we seem to hear endless things about him and his exploits on the independent circuit. From introducing his own inter gender championship to beating children for tag team titles in smaller promotions, it feels Ellsworth is still ever present in our lives. There were even rumors that he would be in the Greatest Royal Rumble. There are some things that need to go away for a while to give people a chance to miss them and Ellsworth is one of those things.

21 Wish Could See Again: Tyson Kidd

As many pro wrestlers as there are who have perhaps carried on in the ring for way too long there are just as many who have had their careers cut far too short. A recent example of that happening is Tyson Kidd. Even though Kidd is only 37 years old at the time of typing this he has already been retired for three years. The Canadian competed in a dark match against Samoa Joe in 2015 and unbeknownst to him when the bout began it would be the last time he ever competed in the ring.

Joe delivered his patented muscle buster to Kidd, a move that he has done hundreds of times to countless different wrestlers, and severely injured his neck and spine. According to Kidd's doctors the former Tag Team Champion is lucky to have even survived the injury. Apparently only 5% of people who suffer the injury live to tell the tale and most of them end up paralyzed from the neck down. Today Kidd is still part of the WWE family and works as a producer backstage. In fact he seems to be pretty damn good at it too. Seth Rollins and Finn Balor recently had a terrific match on Raw which Kidd helped put together.

20 Wish Would Retire: Marty Jannetty

Tag teams are of course a huge part of professional wrestling. Unfortunately though so is breaking them up. In WWE breaking up an established tag team is a sure fire way to start an interesting angle as two Superstars who were once friends battle one another in what is almost guaranteed to be a fresh match, or at least one that hasn't been seen for a long time. Perhaps the most famous tag team break up in WWE history was that of The Rockers. Shawn Michaels super kicked his partner Marty Jannetty and then sent him head first through the window of Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake's barber shop set.

From there HBK was shot straight to the moon and became one of the best wrestlers of all time. Jannetty didn't enjoy that same success. He did continue to wrestle though but he was never going to be as good as the man he once tagged with. What he does have over Michaels is his longevity. HBK has been retired for a while now but Jannetty still wrestles on the indies. He should probably call it a day though as allegedly he tends to make a fool of himself on quite a regular basis.

19 Wish Could See Again: Lita

Women's wrestling is currently in a position in WWE that it has never been in before. For years and years the females of the business were referred to as Divas and simply not treated seriously at all. For the most part they 'wrestled' in their underwear and threw each other into pools of pudding. Many women were hired based on how they looked rather than how they could perform in the ring. Nowadays though women's wrestling in WWE couldn't be further removed from that time. What also needs to be noted is that not every woman from previous years was a Diva who was signed for being a model rather than a wrestler.

One of the most legitimate and talented female wrestlers to ever step foot in a WWE ring is Lita and recently we got a sneak peek of what we would get if she were to come out of retirement. The Hall Of Famer returned for the first ever women's Royal Rumble match and went up against the likes of Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks. A taster wasn't enough though and we would love to see Lita return for a longer run. She's not the only one either as you'll see further on in this list.

18 Wish Would Retire: R-Truth

The world of professional wrestling, or more specifically WWE, can be very fickle. There are some terrific in ring performers who have only spent a cup of coffee in the company due to things beyond their control or simply because Vince McMahon couldn't see the 'it' factor that everyone else could see. On the flip side of that there are some Superstars who have a job for life in WWE. Wrestlers like The Undertaker, Kane, Big Show and a fair few others. One man you might not realize has been with WWE for a very long time is R-Truth.

The SmackDown Live star first signed for WWE all the way back in 1999 but was known as K-Kwik for a while rather than R-Truth. He left shortly after but returned to the fold in 2008 and has been with the company ever since. Why though? Nothing has really been done with him for a while now aside from his alliance with Goldust which ran into something of a brick wall during their break up angle. During the recent Superstar Shakeup Truth moved from Monday nights to Tuesdays and it was treated as if that would rejuvenate his career at this late stage. Unfortunately that's pretty unlikely.

17 Wish Could See Again: William Regal

No matter what era you grew up watching if you watched wrestling as a child there will have been a few larger than life characters that you likely gravitated towards. During the 80s/early 90s it would have been Superstars such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior. A few years later the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock probably caught your imaginations. If you continue to watch wrestling as an adult however and you look back on those times you appreciate many of the other wrestlers of the time who were simply terrific in ring performers. The likes of Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko.

One man who is criminally underrated by many is William Regal.

Throughout the 1990s Regal brought his style of British wrestling to the mainstream and it proved to be invaluable for many he was sharing the ring with at the time. Nowadays he is imparting his wisdom in NXT and on screen he is the black and yellow brand's General Manager. He hasn't stepped inside the ring since November 2013 though which is a real shame. Even though his classic bout with Cesaro would be a good way to bow out we would still like to see him wrestle again.

16 Wish Would Retire: The Great Khali

Ever since Vince McMahon took over WWE from his father whenever the chairman has seen a big guy walk into his midst he has been blinded by dollar signs. If a Superstar is over six foot five inches tall and keeps themselves in at least relatively good shape then McMahon is going to try his absolute utmost to make a star out of them in WWE, regardless of their in-ring ability or aptitude with a mic in their hand. One of the best, or worst depending on how you look at it, examples of that is The Great Khali. Not only was Khali more than seven foot tall but he was also from India, a part of the world that McMahon and WWE didn't yet have a stranglehold on.

Those two aspects alone were enough to shoot Khali straight to the top in WWE as soon as he arrived. Bad move. The Indian star's in-ring ability left an awful lot to be desired and what's more when he spoke nobody could understand what he was saying. Even though it quickly became clear that Khali didn't have what it takes to be a WWE guy he is still booked every now and again to this day. Last year he returned to help Jinder Mahal retain the WWE Championship and also competed in the recent Greatest Royal Rumble match.

15 Wish Could See Again: Ric Flair

Who the very best wrestlers of all time are is a discussion and an argument that has been had among groups of fans and experts alike time and time again. While everyone has their own opinions of course there are a handful of names that come up every single time and cannot be denied. The man who is most likely at the top of almost all of those lists is Ric Flair. The Nature Boy is synonymous with pro wrestling unlike anyone who came before him and anyone who has stepped into the ring since.

Flair loves the business as much as those of us who watched him throughout his career love him and it shows. Naitch couldn't give it up and even after his 'retirement' match against Shawn Michaels at the age of 59 Flair still returned to the ring, competing at Impact Wrestling for a little while afterwards. In all likelihood the sixteen time World Champion would still be wrestling today if he could but a health scare suffered in 2017 means that he will never wrestle again. Plus he is 69 now too so there's that. Almost all wrestling fans would love to go back and see Ric Flair in his prime wrestle one more time.

14 Wish Would Retire: Shane McMahon

There are more Superstars in WWE today than there ever has been before. Thanks to Triple H and NXT the promotion are recruiting wrestlers from all over the world and it has made all of their roster, main or otherwise, absolutely stacked. No matter how many wrestlers there are to squeeze into their shows though overall WWE will always be about one thing, the McMahon family. Ever since Vince McMahon became an on-screen character and took on Stone Cold in what was perhaps the greatest rivalry of all time the McMahons have been ever present on WWE television.

Nowadays it's Mr. McMahon's son and daughter Shane and Stephanie. While Stephanie very rarely wrestles, Shane O Mac competes far too often. Even on his return after a long absence he was instantly and inexplicably inserted into a WrestleMania spot opposite The Undertaker. In fact for the last six months or more McMahon has helped drag down the quality of SmackDown Live somewhat. His rivalry with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn was good to begin with but was dragged out for far too long by the time it came to a close at WrestleMania. Maybe stick to being commissioner from now on Shane.

13 Wish Could See Again: Mick Foley

Whether you're a fan of the business or not when you think of a stereotypical professional wrestler there are a few images that likely pop into your head. Big, burly men who are well over six feet tall and look like they were carved out of granite. People like Hulk Hogan and The Rock and John Cena. The layman would not likely think of somebody like Mick Foley. By his own admission a pretty average looking guy who by no means fit the WWE mold, especially when he arrived on the scene.

Despite all of that though Foley and his three faces stole our hearts and minds as he ascended up the card in WWE 20 years ago. The former WWE Champion put his body and his life on the line in order to entertain us and it did not go unappreciated. The damage Foley did to himself by being thrown from cells and beaten to a pulp in hardcore matches is unfathomable now. For a while it looked as if he could barely walk. If we could go back in time most fans would probably tell Mrs Foley's Baby Boy to tone it down so that his career could have lasted a little longer.

12 Wish Would Retire: Terry Funk

Most sports dictate that its athletes can't compete once they get to a certain age. It isn't an ageist thing it's simply a fact of life. Most of the time when a football or soccer player reaches their late 30s they are beginning to wind down. Professional wrestling isn't like that. You only have to look as far as two time WWE Champion AJ Styles for proof of that. The Phenomenal One turned 40 last year but is arguably still as good as he has ever been. That's because pro wrestlers can control how much or how little they do in the ring. The Undertaker basically only wrestles once a year which is why he can continue to defy logic and wrestle forever. There is a man on the indies who is taking that a little far, Terry Funk.

Funk is 73 years old and he still hasn't retired.

Well that technically isn't true, he has retired numerous times but it has never stuck. Eventually it will have to stick though otherwise the veteran will end up dying in the ring. Funk has wrestled absolutely everywhere there is to wrestle and made his in ring debut all the way back in 1965.

11 Wish Could See Again: Trish Stratus

Back to the women of WWE and a return to what is going on in the female division right now. As mentioned in a previous entry earlier this year quite a few women from the promotion's past returned for one night only so that they could compete in the first ever women's Royal Rumble match. Lita was unquestionably one of the highlights of the match but perhaps the biggest moment of the night came when Trish Stratus entered at number 30. Despite not wrestling for almost seven years and having two children in that time not only did Stratus look better than ever but she also looked as if she hadn't missed a step.

Not only did we see previews of dream matches with current Superstars such as Sasha Banks and Bayley, but that was also probably a dream come true for those women. Ever since Stratus has been teasing various matches on social media if she were ever to come back full time. We would love nothing more than to see that. She can quite clearly still go and right now there are a number of women who are closing in on her record seven title reigns. Maybe come back and add a couple more please Trish.

10 Wish Would Retire: Big Show

Being a loyal servant to WWE is something that is easier said than done for a lot of people. What Vince McMahon has proved on a number of occasions though is that if you show loyalty to him then he will likely reciprocate that. There is perhaps no greater example of that on the roster right now than the Big Show. Show has been a WWE Superstar for almost 20 years now and has done an awful lot across those two decades, a lot of it pretty humiliating. His WrestleMania record is pretty poor, something that WWE has previously shone a spotlight on, he has worn a nappy to the ring and taken on a sumo wrestler, and even taken a legitimate punch to the face from professional boxer Floyd Mayweather.

You would think that after all of that Show would want to step away from the business but apparently not. Even after years of fans chanting that he should retire The World's Largest Athlete continues on. His recent rivalry with Braun Strowman was actually pretty good and would be a good swansong for the big man. That's not looking likely though and we are going to see more of Show in WWE before he finally hangs up his boots for good.

9 Wish Could See Again: CM Punk

The saying goes that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. Well that happens in professional wrestling pretty often. Just take a look at what Cody Rhodes is doing right now. The greatest example ever though, at least when it comes to WWE, is CM Punk. When Vince McMahon had Punk under his WWE banner he treated him like a top guy, but clearly didn't do enough to keep him happy and make sure that he never left. On the WWE Universe side of things most of us love Punk and we always have, but we likely didn't envision a WWE without him until the day that he walked out.

Even then it felt like he would be back after a short hiatus. More than four years later and The Second City Saint still hasn't returned. Instead he has started a career in UFC and at the time of typing this his second fight is fast approaching. That alone means if a pro wrestling return will ever be on the cards then it will be no time soon. It sounds like the door to pretty much every wrestling promotion in the world is open to a Punk return, including WWE, and it's just up to the former WWE Champion whether he wants to walk back in.

8 Wish Would Retire: Dolph Ziggler

Every now and again fans latch on to a Superstar despite Vince McMahon not necessarily pushing them or shining a spotlight on them in anyway. Sometimes the men and women of WWE are so good that they don't need the machine that is WWE to purposefully help them stand out. Rusev is a wrestler currently doing that but a handful of years ago that role was one held by Dolph Ziggler. It might be hard to imagine for some fans considering how blah The Showoff has become in recent years but there was a time when most of us were itching to see him on top. Eventually McMahon threw Ziggler a token title reign and most of us fell for it.

Shortly after that most of Ziggler's fans lost interest and went on to the next big thing to put throw their voice behind. The former World Champion has hinted that he wants to leave WWE a couple of times recently yet he still remains. His character needs tweaking or perhaps overhauling altogether but there is no sign of that ever happening. Even in his current role alongside Drew McIntyre, Ziggler feels pretty much the same as always and if he isn't going to be freshened up then fans aren't going to be interested.

7 Wish Could See Again: Hulk Hogan

When it comes to professional wrestling there are a few names that spring to mind even when you talk to extremely casual fans about the business or even people who don't watch it at all. Those names tend to be The Rock, John Cena more and more in the present day, and still to this day above everyone else, Hulk Hogan. The Rock may be the biggest movie star in the world right now and hot on the heels of The Hulkster but The Immortal One has still managed to transcend the business like no other. Pretty much any wrestling fan over the age of 25 will cite Hogan as being one of the main reasons they loved the business as a child due to his larger than life character.

Unfortunately in recent years between audio tapes and extremely insensitive comments made by Hogan he has effectively been black balled from WWE.

There are rumors that the former WWE Champion could soon return though, and for the most part it looks as if fans have either forgiven him or forgotten the severity of what he did and said. WWE are apparently in contact with Hogan again so watch this space when it comes to a comeback for The Immortal One.

6 Wish Would Retire: The Undertaker

There are some wrestlers who just seem like they are going to carry on wrestling forever and ever. Enter The Undertaker. At Survivor Series 1990 The Deadman made his WWE debut. More than 27 years later and he is somehow still going. Stone Cold Steve Austin often jokes on his podcast that he and Taker would discuss which one of them would be wrestling longer. Well fifteen years after Austin's retirement and The Phenom is still going, having competed at WrestleMania 34 and the Greatest Royal Rumble so far this year. At this point it feels as if Vince McMahon calls The Undertaker in the build to WrestleMania every year and basically begs him to come back one more time.

On some level Taker must want to come back or else he wouldn't but it does feel a little like McMahon forces his hand. There have been some matches in the last few years, namely his two WrestleMania losses, that have really shown up Taker's weaknesses. It feels like we're at a point where we need to let the veteran retire in peace although it doesn't feel as if that's going to happen any time soon. Shoving Rusev and Aiden English into a casket won't be the last thing Taker does in a WWE ring.

5 Wish Could See Again: Edge

When you wrestle for almost 30 years then you naturally have quite a few rivalries that go down in history. The Undertaker's most memorable opponents are Superstars such as Kane, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Another of his rivalries that is all too often overlooked is the one he had with Edge. On his and Christian's weekly podcast The Rated R Superstar cites his feuds with Taker and John Cena as two of the biggest and best of his career. Hard to argue with really.

When it comes to Edge's in-ring career though his more than anyone else's on this list feels like it was ripped from us before it was time. Shortly after successfully defending the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXVII Edge came to the ring on Raw and revealed that he was being forced to retire due to neck and back injuries. It came out of nowhere and for many fans there was so much left on the table. So many rivalries and matches that we will now never see as no matter how much we want it, there is no way back for Edge when it comes to competing inside the ring once more. He has wrestled his last match.