What Do Wrestlers Do When They Retire?

The world of professional wrestling is a competitive and tough environment. It can take its toll on the body and the mind for most wrestlers who feel the effects physically and emotionally. For many wrestlers, their professional career will have taken them on the road away from loved ones and required an incredible amount of dedication as they continually put in the hard work and practice to put on a show for the adoring fans.

So when all this is done, and wrestlers throw the towel in at the end of their careers, what’s next? For many other sports, the natural progression from playing is to go straight into coaching or punditry, but for wrestling, there have been many cases where wrestlers have gone on to have completely different yet still prosperous post-wrestling careers. So, what do wrestlers do when they retire? 

From The Ring To The Table

For some wrestling stars, less obvious career paths are taken. Whilst on the surface it may not seem related, WWE stars have been known to kick off their retirement with flurries into the world of poker playing. 

The two could not appear more different on paper, but when you look at the finer details, poker and wrestling do have some commonalities. The psychological factors, risk, discipline, and the ability to assess your opponent are all shared traits needed to be good at both. As many wrestlers develop these skills over their careers, they can then easily transfer them to the table in retirement. 

Kevin Nash notably became involved in high-stakes poker following his retirement from WWE. He has been vocal in his passion for the game of poker and has regularly competed in major high-profile poker tournaments. 

Nash’s interest has mainly lain with aggressive poker games such as no-limit hold ’em, which requires dedication, patience, and tactics. Guides, such as no limit casinos explained, provide a list of the best online casino platforms for this type of betting. No deposit or withdrawal limits are imposed on players, and there is freedom to play longer sessions without interruption. The skills that Nash honed during his wrestling career can be clearly applied to this type of poker, where his natural talent for the game combines with his strategic psychology and composure. 

Acting 

For other WWE stars, the power of performing is deeply rooted within them, making them ideal candidates to go on to a career in acting. This is one of the most visible and high-profile retirement paths for wrestling stars, but thanks to their storytelling ability and timing in the ring, they have natural qualities that are transferable to the big screen. 

Famously, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has become a Hollywood star following his WWE limelight in the late 90s. He has helped open the doors for others and paved the way for other wrestlers to become big celebrity names.

The Rock was the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood in 2024 with a net earning of $88 million and similarly topped the earnings charts in 2020 and 2021 from featuring in several different Hollywood blockbusters. 

Dave Bautista has also famously taken a similar path. He has reinvented his intense wrestling career to become a serious actor starring in films such as Dune and Blade Runner, paving the way for the likes of Titus O’Neil to follow in his footsteps. 

Politics

Once wrestlers have finished challenging for the NJPW World TV title, some have decided to become a lot more serious and try their hand in the world of politics. Pro wrestlers have to be media-trained nowadays and have strong skill sets in public speaking and engaging the public. They ooze with confidence, especially in their prime, which are skills that directly translate to politics. 

Jess ‘The Body’ Ventura notably became involved in politics after his wrestling career. He famously moved from tussling in the ring to becoming the governor of Minnesota. This success was an important milestone for retired wrestlers, showing that they can be taken seriously away from the rings and challenge stereotypes. He is not the only one. Other wrestlers have managed to take up positions of authority as mayors, council members, or political candidates.

Musical Endeavours

Far removed from the athletic needs of wrestling, some stars have decided to express their creativity in musical outlets. Chris Jericho is known for being the lead vocalist of metal band Fozzy, away from the ring, whilst John Cena released a rap album which accompanied his walkout theme. Fozzy’s album Judas peaked at number 5 on the mainstream rock charts and got GOLD status. 

For many wrestlers who are musically inclined, the music industry can be a great way to express themselves after wrestling. The platform and fame of their wrestling careers combine their ability as creatives, allowing for success in the music industry after they retire from sport. 

Life Beyond The Ring Summed Up

The majority of wrestlers will retire and stay out of the limelight. But for others, wrestling has provided them a great public fanbase, which they can use to garner publicity for their endeavours beyond their retirement. Many wrestlers have used their skills honed in the ring, which go beyond that of just the physical, to good effect in creative outlets post-retirement.

Whether it’s poker, acting, politics, or music, there are ample different paths wrestlers have taken to reinvent themselves. Their ability to manage pressure, tell stories, and connect with audiences is invaluable in other fields, which allows them to easily transfer into the world of Hollywood or the recording studio. 

Retirement may mark the end of their physically and mentally brutal wrestling career, but it can open the door for sometimes more successful journeys in other fields.