5 Superstars who retired from WWE on their own terms and 5 who did not

#4. Did not retire from WWE on her own terms: Paige

Paige

Paige was signed by WWE before turning 20, making her one of the youngest signings in the company's history. In the eyes of many, she, alongside Emma, spearheaded the small women's revolution happening in NXT. This was something that would pour onto the main roster in the coming years before WWE finally took wind of it.

This is perhaps the most tragic situation in this list because had it not been for her injuries, Paige would likely have had a long and successful WWE career. She would have slotted right in with all the emerging talent, and we can only be left to wonder what could have been.

In her last couple of years, she had to deal with major neck injuries, and a freak accident at a house show prevented WWE from ever clearing her for in-ring competition.

Just a few months before she turned 26, Paige announced her retirement from in-ring competition in WWE. It shortened what could have turned into an extremely promising career.

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#3. Retired from WWE on his own terms: Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 26.

Few Superstars in WWE history had a more storied career than Shawn Michaels. While he may not have as many accolades on paper as several fellow-WWE legends, there's one thing that everyone could agree upon - not a single wrestler could outperform him.

Shawn Michaels doesn't have a great WrestleMania record either. However, he's known as Mr. WrestleMania for putting on the most breathtaking in-ring performances at the Grandest Stage of Them All.

The fact that he had a redemption and returned after four years away from WWE only adds to his legacy. And his final eight years were spent helping elevate other Superstars while maintaining his mystique. He only won one World Championship in his second WWE run, but he was big enough and good enough where he didn't need to carry a title to stay relevant.

He had a fitting end to his WWE career at WrestleMania 26 - putting over The Undertaker in another classic at The Show of Shows. This time, it was the main event, and The Heartbreak Kid got to stand on the WrestleMania stage one last time, saying farewell to tens of thousands of people in the arena.

While he returned for a match in 2018 at Crown Jewel, we aren't taking that into account, especially since Shawn Michaels expressed a sense of regret for getting back in the ring.