5 WWE Superstars who retired at WrestleMania

The 35th edition of the show of shows is almost on the horizon. The wrestling extravaganza could quite possibly be the biggest WrestleMania of all time, with a long string of matches from top to bottom.

One bout that the fans are looking forward to is Kurt Angle's retirement match. Angle announced this past week on Monday Night Raw that he will be retiring from active competition after Mania.

Fans threw around a bunch of potential names on social media, with WWE coming up with its own list of Superstars who could face Angle. John Cena hinted that he could be Angle's opponent, while Matt Riddle jumped on the bandwagon too.

Amidst all the speculation, let's dive into the rich and storied history of WrestleMania and take a look at 5 Superstars who retired at the grandest stage of them all.

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#5 JBL

JBL gave us a moment to remember on his way out

The self-proclaimed "Wrestling God" had one of the longest reigns as WWE Champion in the 21st century. He won the WWE title from the late, great Eddie Guerrero at The Great American Bash 2004, and went on to hold onto it until next year's WrestleMania.

As WrestleMania 25 was looming closer, JBL promised the WWE Universe that he was going to give them a WrestleMania moment that they would never forget. He was set to defend his Intercontinental title against Rey Mysterio at the show of shows.

The match turned out to be one of the shortest bouts in WrestleMania history, as an agile Mysterio disposed of JBL in quick fashion. Shortly after the loss, JBL took the mike and looked visibly distraught.

He struggled to speak for a while, as if he didn't have the courage to utter the words he was about to let out. Finally, JBL screamed "I quit!", to the delight of the sea of 70,000 fans in the arena.

Although JBL made one-off appearances on Raw milestone episodes and other shows, this was his last hurrah inside the squared circle. JBL got a sendoff that was perfectly suited for a dastardly heel like him, and went on to return to the commentary box for years to come.

#4 Goldberg

Goldberg lost his last match to Lesnar at WrestleMania 33

One of the most over Superstars in WCW history, Goldberg had quite a run when he came to WWE back in 2003. He went on to defeat The Rock, win the Worlld Heavyweight title and pin Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 20.

The former WCW World Heavyweight champion left the company after his match against Lesnar. To the amazement of the WWE Universe, Goldberg made his triumphant return to the ring at Survivor Series 2016. He made quick work of Brock Lesnar in the main event of the PPV, to the utter delight of the fans.

Goldberg went on to eliminate Lesnar in the Royal Rumble match. After he won the Universal title from Kevin Owens at Fastlane, Goldberg was set to face off against Brock Lesnar one final time at Mania. The match didn't last long this time too, but Lesnar managed to put down Goldberg after an F5, finally getting a win over the master of the spear. Goldberg was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017 and is likely to stay retired for good this time.

#3 Ric Flair

Ric still

hold

the record for the highest number of reigns

As the road to WrestleMania 24 kicked off, Vince McMahon began hounding The Nature Boy, Ric Flair. He stated that the next match Ric loses, would be the final match of his career.

This led to Flair winning a string of matches on PPVs and Raw episodes. Finally, Ric requested Shawn Michaels to be his WrestleMania opponent. Although Michaels was reluctant at first, as he didn't want to be the guy who retired the legendary Ric Flair, Shawn went on to agree to the match.

After a classic back and forth at Mania, Michaels superkicked Flair and pinned him in the middle of the ring. Ric Flair's career had come to an end. He got the biggest sendoff in the history of the business, when the entire Raw roster gave him a standing ovation, as he stood in the ring surrounded by his family and close friends.

Flair went on to have a bunch of matches in TNA, but as far as WWE was concerned, this was his official retirement, barring some one-off appearances in the future.

#2 Shawn Michaels

HBK received possibly the greatest sendoff in Mania history

After retiring Flair, Michaels set his eyes on The Deadman at next year's WrestleMania. The match ended up being regarded as the greatest match in WrestleMania history.

The following year, Shawn came back for more, demanding another shot at The Undertaker's streak. Taker agreed to a match, with the stipulation being that Shawn would have to retire if he lost again.

After another WrestleMania classic, The Phenom managed to pin The Heart Break Kid, as the sea of fans let out a loud gasp. Shawn Michaels stood in the ring one last time as a performer, as the WWE Universe thanked him for the years of action and entertainment. A tearful Shawn left the ring and went backstage, in possibly the greatest WrestleMania sendoff of all time.

Shawn's retirement was ruined by WWE last year, when he teamed with Triple H in a tag team match against The Undertaker and Kane at Crown Jewel. WWE quickly realized their mistake and HBK is not likely to step foot inside the squared circle again.

#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin

Austin practically saved the WWE from being bought by WCW

Austin is widely regarded as being the guy who saved the WWE during the Monday Night Wars. His antihero persona made for must-watch TV throughout the Attitude Era, with WWE finally buying WCW in 2001.

Austin wrestled The Rock three separate times at WrestleMania. Their last match was at WrestleMania 19 in Safeco Field. It took The Rock three consecutive Roc Bottoms to put Austin down and finally pin him at a WrestleMania.

After The Rock left the ring, Austin stood up and made his way out of the ring, still struggling to walk on his own two feet. Somehow, Austin managed to walk all the way out to the ramp and take one last look at the WWE Universe.

Austin's neck was damaged to the point that he couldn't wrestle anymore. This turned out to be Austin's final match and there wouldn't have been a better sendoff for The Texas Rattlesnake.