Why Retirement for Wrestlers is Difficult

| Monday, January 21, 2013
By Rob Sutter


If there's anything that professional wrestling has told me as a fan, it's that retirement is quite possibly the worst thing that a wrestler has to go through. The level of fame that comes from this line of work is attractive and once these men and women hold onto it, it grows into an addiction. Once they have to leave for one reason or another, it's difficult to let that go. That's not the only reason why it's hard for most but it's clear that many people in the business have not accepted this fact with grace.

Be certain about one thing: wrestlers, by nature, have a tendency to develop egos. Perhaps the greatest ego had developed in the man considered to be the big dog of professional wrestling during the late 80's and early 90's, Hulk Hogan. Even though he was revered on camera, his life away from it was totally different as his career caused others to be shortened, Hogan being aware of it. Even GQ has taken notice of Hogan's personal blunders by naming him 24th out of the 25 least influential people of the year.

I believe that wrestling can transition to other forms of media and a few wrestlers in particular have taken to this. For example, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson might not have retired from wrestling per se, but he was able to mold a successful acting career for himself in lieu of stepping into the ring on a nightly basis. More so, Adam "Edge" Copeland actually did have to hang up the boots once injuries rendered him unable to compete without further permanent harm. Copeland took his talents to TV acting, though, showing how impactful he has been outside of the ring.

It's not like these men and women are without help, either. Companies such as Savings2Income have been proficient when it comes to assisting people with their planning later on in life. If such places do exist, why is it so difficult to actually plan for retirement? These people must take a break from their escapades in the ring and instead look to their futures because the fame, as good as it might be in the moment, will not last forever.

If I were to learn that these wrestlers had agents working for them all of this time, I'd be shocked that they were not fired at this point. Simply put, they haven't been doing great jobs if so many people have fallen on difficult times once the spotlight decided to elude them. I'm not going to deny that the business is general is tough because it's the truth. However, is it set in stone that wrestlers have to endure a lifetime of torment as a result?




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