You Can Leave Wrestling — But Wrestling Never Leaves You

 

2025 has quietly become a year of goodbyes in professional wrestling.

On the national stage, legendary names, such as John Cena, announced their retirements. On the independent circuit—especially here in Kentucky—we saw respected veterans like John Noble and Shane Andrews step away from the ring. Add in the reports of a dozen or more major stars calling it a career this year alone, and it’s hard not to notice a pattern.

It feels like wrestling is closing a chapter.

But anyone who has spent real time in this business knows better.

Because wrestling has a way of reopening doors we swore were shut for good.

Retirement in Wrestling Is Rarely Final

If retirement truly meant the end, the industry’s history would look very different.

Ric Flair retired… then returned.
Hulk Hogan retired… then came back in various forms.
On the Kentucky independent scene, names like “Showtime” Shawn Christopher and “Beautiful” Billy Maverick resurfaced after years away—men many assumed were done for good.

And I’m no exception.

I walked away from promoting in 2007.
Returned briefly in 2010 for a Hardcore Championship Wrestling show.
Then stepped away again—this time for years.

Yet in 2025, I found myself back in the business once more.

Not because I planned it.
Not because I needed it.
But because wrestling has a pull that’s hard to explain to anyone who’s never lived it.

Wrestling Isn’t Just a Job — It’s an Identity

Most careers allow you to clock out at the end of the day. Wrestling doesn’t.

When you’ve bled in a ring, driven hours for little or no pay, worked through injuries, and shared locker rooms with people who become family, wrestling stops being something you do and starts being something you are.

You don’t just miss the matches.
You miss the locker room.
You miss the road.
You miss the feeling of being part of something that only a small group of people truly understands.

Even the frustrations—the politics, the injuries, the heartbreak—become oddly familiar comforts over time.

The Applause Is Only Part of It

People often assume wrestlers come back because they miss the spotlight.

That’s only half true.

What many really miss is purpose.

Wrestling gives structure to chaos. It gives meaning to pain. It turns struggle into story. When that’s gone, there’s a void that other careers rarely fill. Normal life can feel quiet—too quiet—after years of adrenaline, crowds, and constant motion.

And once you’ve experienced that rhythm, it’s hard to accept silence.

Time Changes the Role — Not the Love

Most wrestlers who return aren’t chasing the same things they once did.

They come back older.
Wiser.
More selective.

Some return as mentors.
Some as promoters.
Some for one last match.
Some just to be around the business again.

But the common thread remains the same: wrestling still matters to them.

The ring may change.
The role may change.
The body certainly changes.

But the connection doesn’t.

Once It’s in Your Blood…

There’s an old saying in wrestling that once it’s in your blood, you can never truly walk away.

It’s not romantic.
It’s not poetic.
It’s simply true.

Wrestling is more than entertainment. It’s a culture, a brotherhood, and a proving ground that shapes people in ways few other professions can. You can retire from wrestling—but wrestling rarely retires from you.

So when someone announces they’re stepping away, the respectful thing to do is honor that moment.

But never be surprised if, someday down the road, you see them walk back through the curtain.

Because in professional wrestling, goodbye is often just another pause between chapters.