5 Superstars who Vince McMahon would not let wrestle for WWE again

#2 Vince McMahon would not let Ric Flair wrestle for WWE again

Ric Flair still appears sporadically on WWE RAW

One of the most emotional matches in WWE history took place at WrestleMania 24 when Shawn Michaels retired Ric Flair. The Nature Boy was also inducted into the Hall of Fame that weekend, while Vince McMahon & Co. held a celebration for him on RAW.

Speaking in a WWE 24 documentary in 2020, Flair discussed the difficult decision to retire at the age of 59. He revealed that it was Vince McMahon who ultimately chose to bring an end to his legendary career.

“One phone call. ‘Ric… finito. I know you wanna do this until you’re 89, but bow out gracefully.’”

Triple H added that his close friend would have wrestled forever if Vince McMahon did not tell him to retire.

“I think Vince broached the subject with him. Vince was like, ‘Look, there’s a reason why they put a jockey on a racehorse. Someone’s gotta pull the reins or they will run until they die.’ It’s his [Vince McMahon’s] job to pull the reins.”

Despite retiring in March 2008, Flair returned to the ring in November 2009 to face Hulk Hogan in a series of matches in Australia. He also competed in 11 matches for IMPACT Wrestling between March 2010 and September 2011.