What Happens To Retired Wrestlers?

[Isabellas2007]

I know this topic has been kicked around for a while, but what happens when a wrestler cannot perform anymore? I know I have seen some of the older wrestlers I grew up watching still in matches. However, they seem to be fodder for the newer guys and hate their jobs, so what happens to the wrestlers when they take a "retirement"?

[greenplankton]

Generally there are no trends or overall statistics as to what retired wrestlers though most would probably continue watching the sport on television. Some stayed on in the WWE, helping out as mentors just as William Regal is currently doing. Others remain in the backstage scenes. Occasionally some make their return back to WWE on a special edition of WWE such as the Blast from the Past episode.

[Isabellas2007]

This is true, but have you ever wondered what happens to them when their body cannot take the tolls of the road anymore? I know some have ended up in insurance sales as I can tell you from experience, but was curious what happens to them.

[Waynefire]

Many of the retired wrestlers never really retire. They just move onto a different aspect of the sport. Some of them end up wrestling for other federations, but some of them end up acting as a promoter or even as a scout. So they stay in the sport in some manner.

[mudrock]

Just like retirees in any other sport, they either stick around and work behind the scenes or they run gyms training the next generation. It's sad to see when some wrestlers have to retire due to injury. We do see that most of them usually do come back or go to another lower level organizations. I would like to really know what happens to the one's who are injured and can no longer compete anywhere.

[Isabellas2007]

I was always curious if they make come backs or if they do just fade away. It is interesting to see that so many of them end up staying around behind the scenes.

[Kaybee517]

That's a good question. I wonder if it's the same as professional football or sports stars? What I mean to say is, I wonder if they go into their career and also plan on the side for the unexpected injury or early retirement. Maybe some become sports/wrestling commentators or actors in movies.