5 WWE Superstars who lost their retirement matches ft. Goldberg

Overview

• John Cena is set to retire from WWE as an active wrestler on December 13, 2025, on SNME
• There is a possibility of him retiring by putting over some young talents, as four dates are left in his retirement tour
• If he does so, Cena will join Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Batista, and Goldberg to have lost their retirement match

John Cena is set to retire from WWE as an active wrestler on December 13, 2025, on SNME. There is a possibility of him retiring by putting over some young talents, as four dates are left in his retirement tour. Many believe that Cena is someone who would give back to the business in his last days before calling it.

There are numerous names which are being thrown at being the possible stars to retire Cena. The ones who get the opportunity to do will forever be remembered and are certain to receive the push of their careers irrespective of the result of the match. It is to be seen if Cena chooses to win or lose his final match.

5 WWE Superstars who lost their retirement matches

Ric Flair

Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels had a match against each other at WrestleMania 24 where both of their careers were on the line. The Nature Boy being an inspiration of the HeartBreak Kid formed a good story for the match.

It remains one of the most iconic matches of all time, to date. During the ending momonts of the match, Michaels said "I'm sorry, I love you" and then delivered a Sweet Chin Music to retire Flair.

Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker squared off at WrestleMania 26 in a career vs streak encounter. It was yet another match where Michaels delivered a great performance.

The Undertaker claimed a win after delivering Tombstone. While it marked the end of HBK's career as a wrestler, he returned for an one-off match at Crown Jewel 8 years later in a tag team match.

Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle faced Baron Corbin in his retirement match at WrestleMania 35. Given the stardom of Kurt as a wrestler, one would have expected Corbin to get a massive push following the match.

However, it did little to nothing for Baron the wrestler. While he beat Angle and retired him, the match took him nowhere. To date, many debate whether Corbin was the right person to retire Angle.

Batista

Batista had announced his retirement from WWE in 2010, only to return in 2014. He later returned for one last run in 2019 and had a match against Triple H at WrestleMania 35 in a No Holds Barred Match.

It was indeed the end of an era, as two Evolution stars produced a great match very late in their careers. Triple H claimed a win by pinning Batista. It marked the end of the career of the 6-time world champion.

Goldberg

Goldberg squared off against Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship on SNME in July 2025. The veteran was unsure about what he would do if he were to win the match, as he confirmed it was indeed his retirement match.

The Ring General won the match and retired the former WCW star. What followed was unfortunate, as Goldberg's retirement speech was cut off. It also raised concerns about Cena potentially suffering something similar during his retirement.