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

#3. Did not retire from WWE on his own terms - Christian

Christian

Christian is a Superstar who many feel should have had more accolades in his WWE career. Despite this, he had some World Championship success with WWE. While Edge would have made this list, he didn't because he returned in 2020 and still has the chance to end his career on his own terms.

That doesn't appear to be the same with Christian. It's been six years since Christian last stepped in the ring. He won his final bout and was scheduled to challenge for the Intercontinental Championship.

However, the concussion was one too many, and it would mark the end of his 20-year career. Ultimately, the two decades of taking bumps and damage added up, and he was forced to call it quits on his in-ring career for WWE.

Christian couldn't end his WWE career on his own terms, though he did have a one-off match against Randy Orton in 2020. It was an unsanctioned match, and Christian didn't take any actual bump.

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#2. Retired from WWE on their own terms: Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle was regarded as a natural professional wrestler. The Olympic gold medalist would pick up in WWE in just a year. His ability and talent were quickly recognized.

He became a main event-caliber Superstar and a World Champion quicker than most. Angle would enjoy nearly seven years as a WWE Superstar before various issues saw him depart from the company.

He didn't leave WWE on the best of terms, but he returned for a 2017 Hall of Fame induction, after which he became the General Manager of RAW. His run would ultimately last two years, and at WrestleMania 35, he had his farewell match, losing to Baron Corbin.

Angle told talkSPORT that in 2019, he decided to retire at WrestleMania on his own terms:

" I decided to retire at ‘Mania,” Angle said. “Vince didn’t tell me ‘Listen you’re done after ‘Mania.’ I went to him and said ‘Listen, I want to retire. I’m not able to do what I used to, and if I can’t be the old Kurt Angle, I want to be done now,’” he explained."

While Kurt Angle would undoubtedly have wanted to get more out of his two-year run in WWE, he made the right decision by calling it quits before his body took too much damage. He was able to retire from WWE on his own terms.