Nic Nemeth (center). Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Another big name in wrestling speaks on their retirement

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Oct 20, 2025 11:06 AM ET

For the past 10 months, the wrestling world has been dominated by John Cena's retirement tour. His final match will be on Dec. 13. Interestingly, Cena's decision to have one more calendar year as an (almost) full-time member of WWE's roster has acted as a catalyst for other veteran wrestlers to begin considering their own future in the industry.

AJ Styles recently declared that 2026 will be the final year of his in-ring career. Unlike Cena, Styles hasn't set a firm date for his final match, although he did admit that his body cannot withstand the physical toll of travel and in-ring work much longer.

Nic Nemeth could be right behind AJ Styles

In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Nic Nemeth, aka Dolph Ziggler, discussed his future in professional wrestling. Nemeth, 45, has been around for over two decades. Yet, he doesn't project to be among the small contingent of wrestlers who continue on into their 50s or 60s.

"Every once in a while, I do (consider retirement)," Nemeth said, h/t Fightful for transcription. "I don’t understand how, the way I bump and move my body around, and as a workaholic and fly so much, how I am not in more pain and I’m not injured more."

Nemeth is still performing at a high level for TNA. He is one of the company's leading stars. Nevertheless, there is a new wave of younger talent emerging within the industry. WWE, AEW and TNA all have some exciting young names on their roster. And as those young talents emerge into more prominent roles, veterans such as Nemeth will inevitably begin to consider their place within the industry's ecosystem.

An era of professional wrestling is coming to an end

When speaking with "The Takedown on SI," Matt and Nick Jackson, aka The Young Bucks, admitted that an era of professional wrestling is coming to an end. The highly talented tag team also admitted that their own retirement is likely on the horizion.

"It feels like everyone is retiring," The Young Bucks said. "It’s very weird. It’s like a whole generation is wrapping up and we’re not far behind it, which kind of scares me."

Cena will undoubtedly be the first, and biggest, domino to fall. Once his retirement is official, all eyes will turn toward Styles. And as each aging star heads off into the sunset, another member of that era will likely consider their own mortality within the wrestling industry.

If there was ever a time for the top three companies to ramp up their talent scouting and double down on their efforts to create stars, it would be now. Over the next five or so years, there's going to be a sizable power vacuum in the industry. The next wave of wrestlers must begin to step into that void to become the future faces of their respective companies.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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