In professional wrestling, the decision to have a performer win their final match has been a contentious topic throughout history. Where some argue that most retiring talent should lose to elevate the next generation of stars, others feel that it's more important to watch a legend ride off into the sunset on a high note, with a victory being the last memory that's given to the fans.
Earlier this month, John Cena lost the final match of his career against GUNTHER at Saturday Night's Main Event, which has remained a controversial decision over the past week, with the WWE Universe being devastated that their hero tapped out before hanging up his boots. Therefore, while wrestling fans and pundits continue to discuss whether Cena losing was the right call, we will reflect on four icons who emerged victorious in their last match, and whether it was the appropriate conclusion to their careers.
When The Undertaker lost to Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 33, it was believed that he had wrestled his last match after he left his boots and hat in the ring. However, "The Deadman" was so unhappy with his performance that he chose to wrestle occasionally throughout the next three years; unfortunately most of thefollowing matches either disappointed or ended in disaster. Therefore, when The Undertaker had the opportunity to compete against one of the most reliable professional wrestlers in the world, he not only exceeded expectations, but did so in a stipulation that had never been done before.
With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing WWE to deliver their programming without fans, the company wisely started to experiment with cinematic matches, which perfectly suited The Undertaker's character. Heading into WrestleMania 36, AJ Styles was looking to be only the third Superstar in history to defeat "The Phenom" at WWE's biggest show of the year, but after a surprisingly entertaining battle in a Boneyard Match, The Undertaker emerged victorious.
After his clash with Styles was deemed a success, the WWE Hall Of Famer decided to officially retire, having felt comfortable with his performance in theBoneyard Match. Many fans today still believe that The Undertaker should've returned to wrestle his final match in front of a live audience, but the 60-year-old has admitted that his body won't allow him to deliver a performance that's acceptable.
Although Dusty Rhodes' last televised contest transpired in 2007 when he wrestled Randy Orton at The Great American Bash in a Texas Bullrope Match, the last time he ever stepped inside the ropes was three years later at a FCW live event when he teamed with his two sons, Cody and Dustin Rhodes.
Footage of "The American Dream's" last match remained scarce until a low-quality video of the full contest was uploaded to "WWE Vault" on YouTube last year. The Rhodes brothers would take on Curt Hawkins and The Dudebusters, consisting of Caylen Croft and Trent Beretta, who were all signed to FCW at the time. For most of the match, Dusty waited for a tag from either Cody or Dustin on the ring apron, but once he finally entered the squared circle, fans erupted as he performed his very last Bionic Elbow before pinning Hawkins to score the victory.
Despite Dusty being used three years prior to elevate Orton, who was solidifying himself as a main event star in 2007, watching the veteran pickup the win alongside his two sons was a heartfelt moment that marked a beautiful ending to a legendary career.
Shawn Michaels arguably had the best retirement match in professional wrestling history when he was forced to exit the business after losing to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26. Unfortunately,that all changed when Michaels went against his own word and stepped out of retirement to wrestle at Crown Jewel 2018, where D-Generation X would face the Brothers Of Destruction in one of the worst matches of the last decade.
Crown Jewel was just the second show in WWE's 10-year partnership with Ministry Of Sport, which is a government organization that oversees sports operations in Saudi Arabia. With the country wanting WWE's most high profile legends to be featured on some of its first events, Michaels was asked to lace up his boots just one last time, and when he was reportedly offered three million dollars for the one-off appearance, he couldn't say no. Unlike his initial retirement match at WrestleMania 26, "HBK" would wind up victorious at Crown Jewel when he and Triple H managed to defeat The Undertaker and Kane after 27 long minutes of slow in-ring action, and sadly the contest has been a blemish on Michaels' legacy.
To this day, fans have tried to forget that Michaels' Crown Jewel match exists, with the memory of his WrestleMania 26 retirement being too perfect to think of any other conclusion to his career. Additionally, DX versusthe Brothers Of Destruction remains one of the lowest rated matches in professional wrestling history, having averaged a 0.68/10 on Cagematch.
Similarly to Michaels,"Stone Cold" Steve Austin had stayed retired for several years after feeling content with his career, with his initial final match at WrestleMania 19 being the end to his feud with The Rock and his time as an in-ring competitor. That said, when Austin was given the opportunity to wrestle one last time in his home state of Texas against an opponent who was using "The Stunner" on a nightly basis, he finally stepped back inside the ropes after WWE asked him to return.
Leading up to WrestleMania 38, it was announced that Kevin Owens would host the "KO Show" with Austin, which quickly kickstarted speculation towards "The Rattlesnake" coming out of retirement. Over the years, Austin had been involved at multiple WrestleMania's for brief appearances or to hit"The Stunner" on a current star, which made it difficult to predict if he would actually lock up with Owens at "The Show Of Shows." However, whenthe "KO Show" was scheduled to close night one ofWrestleMania 38, fans realized that their dreams of watching Austin compete again were quickly becoming a reality.
Owens was arguably the perfect opponent for Austin, having conducted some of the best heel work of his career leading up to WrestleMania in order for the six-time WWE Champion's return and eventual win feel special. Although WWE could've opted to have Austin pass the torch to Owens, they chose to have the 60-year-old pickup the win, which was ultimately the best decision as the audience in attendance exploded after the three count and were beyond pleased with the result.
