7 Times Superstars legitimately cried in WWE

For many, being a part of WWE is a dream, one that takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to finally achieve. While WWE may be a form of wrestling that is staged, a lot of the emotions that the talented Superstars endure are very real.

The stories that these Superstars tell in the ring can be very personal, and something that fans around the world can look at for inspiration and emulate their heroes.

The wrestlers in WWE have not been afraid to show their true emotions, and at times, broken down in the ring, some from joy, while others from the pain of stepping away from the ring.

Here, we take a look at 7 times Superstars legitimately cried in WWE:

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#7 Shawn Michaels' retirement from WWE

Shawn Michaels was a wrestler who put his heart and soul in the ring, putting on fantastic matches in his long spell in WWE. The Heartbreak Kid retired twice in WWE, the first of which came in 1998 due to a back injury, and then once again over a decade later in 2010.

Following his match against The Undertaker WrestleMania 26, where he lost, Michaels retired from wrestling, which was a part of the stipulation. On the RAW after WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels made a touching and emotional farewell speech, where he thanked Triple H, Vince McMahon, his old rival Bret Hart, everyone connected with WWE, as well as the fans.

The fans chanted "one more match" but Michaels said that he would keep his word and not step foot in the ring once again and said that he is going to "do everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen".

Although that promise was not upheld as Michaels returned to the ring eight years later to team up with Triple H to face The Undertaker and Kane at Crown Jewel.

#6 Roman Reigns' leukemia announcement

Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins

In 2018, just months after winning the Universal title from Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam, Roman Reigns made a shocking announcement to the WWE Universe. Reigns revealed that he was diagnosed with leukemia and that he had to step away from the ring.

The Big Dog said that he cannot be the fighting champion as he revealed that he had leukemia when he was 22, and it had come back. The Big Dog said that it wasn't a retirement speech and that he would be returning to WWE soon.

"But I want to make one thing clear - by no means is this a retirement speech. Because once I'm done whipping leukaemia's ass I'm coming back home. And when I do it's not going to be about titles and being on top, it's about a purpose. I'm coming back because I want to show all of you, the whole world, my family, my friends, my children and my wife, that when life throws a curveball at me, I am the type of man that will stand in that batter's box, I will crowd the plate, I will choke up and I will swing for the fences every single time. Because I will beat this, and I will be back and you will see me very, very soon."

Following the speech, a teary-eyed Reigns hugged his fellow Shield brothers, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, the former welling up in tears after hearing Reigns' speech.

Reigns kept his promise and returned just a few months later in February, announcing to the WWE Universe that his leukemia was in remission.

#5 Paige's retirement speech

Paige retired from WWE in 2018 due to neck injuries

Injury has robbed the careers of numerous WWE Superstars over the years. The careers of some very talented Superstars was cut short in the prime of their careers. One WWE Superstar who was destined for the top, and was a vital ingredient in the women's evolution is Paige.

In 2018, she announced her retirement due to neck injuries that she had sustained during a six-woman Tag Team match. Paige, who was the leader of the Absolution faction, suffered an injury in a house match in December 2017, which ultimately ended her career.

In her emotional retirement speech, she thanked her fellow women Superstars, and praised them for building the women's division. She also thanked WWE, Daniel Bryan and Edge - who also went through scary injuries, only to return to the ring a few years later.

Paige welled up when the fans chanted "this is your house" and "thank you Paige", and she ended the speech by saying "this will always be my house".

#4 Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit at WrestleMania 20

WrestleMania 20 saw a change of direction in WWE, where the company paved the way for smaller Superstars to capture the limelight, and not the bigger Superstars that WWE usually pushed.

At the show, Eddie Guerrero retained his WWE Championship after defeating Kurt Angle, while Chris Benoit won his match against Triple H to become World Heavyweight Champion.

This was a triumphant and emotional moment for both Superstars, who embraced and tears flowed down their faces after Benoit's victory in the main event. Both Superstars were close friends backstage, having developed a friendship over in WCW and then the two moved on to WWE.

Their moment together at WrestleMania 20 brought a lot of tears to millions of fans around the world, as they could relate with the trials and tribulations that one goes through in life to reach a goal.

#3 Eddie Guerrero's death

Over a year after that iconic moment at WrestleMania 20, Eddie Guerrero sadly passed away in 2005. The pro wrestling world was in shock as the former WWE Champion died at the age of 38.

The RAW show after his death was an emotional one, as WWE's Superstars paid tribute to Guerrero, and there were tears in the eyes of several WWE Superstars, who were assembled on stage.

#2 Becky Lynch's pregnancy

The Women's Evolution of WWE has catapulted women from being peripheral figures in the pro wrestling world to headlining WrestleMania. One Superstar who has played a vital part in this evolution, as well as the historic WrestleMania main event, is Becky Lynch.

Lynch has had several memorable and emotional moments in the ring, one of them being the win at WrestleMania 35, while the other being her pregnancy announcement. The Man relinquished her RAW Women's title, to the winner of the women's Money in the Bank ladder match, Asuka, earlier this year

She then revealed that she was pregnant, in a touching moment on WWE RAW, where she welled up in tears following the announcement and embraced Asuka, who apparently didn't know that Becky Lynch was pregnant.

Tom Colohue reported earlier this year that Asuka knew that she was winning the title, but she did not know about Lynch's pregnancy, which makes this moment between Asuka and Lynch very real and a sign of the camaraderie between Superstars - even rivals - in WWE.

#1 Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24

WWE WrestleMania 24 saw two of the most iconic Superstars in pro wrestling history, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels, face each other. Flair lost the match and had to retire from the ring as the stipulation stated.

It was an emotional moment for both legends as Michaels admired, loved, and was inspired by Flair, and he was overcome with emotion as he was the last wrestler to face the legendary Nature Boy. After landing the Sweet Chin Music and getting the win at WWE WrestleMania, HBK embraced Flair and whispered some words into the ears of his opponent, and then walked away.

Flair was overwhelmed by the adulation that fans showered on him following the match, and cried in the ring. While speaking to TalkSport, Flair said that the final segment of the match wasn't "rehearsed" and was "pure emotion".

Shawn Michaels, in an interview with Stone Cold, said that he gets emotional talking about that moment, and that it happened naturally, as a way to thank Flair for giving him the honour to retire him.

There were more tears shed on the following night on WWE RAW, as various legends and Superstars came out to the ring to thank Flair.

Edited by Kaushik Das