Opinion

Top 5: Wrestlers That Retired Before 30

Published

7 years ago

January 18, 2018

The reported retirement of Paige from in-ring competition strikes a nerve for fans of professional wrestling. No matter how we might feel about a particular wrestler, we always feel a bit of sadness when they retire at a young age.

Most of us had no idea what we wanted to do when we were twenty-five years old. Paige figured out her destiny at a young age, and got to live it for over a decade. She’s already wrestled for more years than most of the women that have competed for WWE. We were excited when she returned to the ring a little over a month ago. Finally, Paige had returned from injury & conquered the demons that had kept her out of the WWE limelight. Things looked like they were headed upwards for Paige…until they weren’t.

If the reports are true (I include the “if” because I have no doubt that Paige will do everything in her power to come back) she would be far from the only one that retired too early for our liking. Today we take a look at the top five wrestlers that retired before the age of thirty. I did not include wrestlers that died before the age of thirty, as one would assume that they would have been wrestling at that age if they were alive.

5. Nick Mondo (retired at the age of 23)

Death match wrestlers get a lot of crap from the Internet. Some of it is for good reason. There are certain guys that stand out amongst the pack. Some guys establish themselves as revolutionaries that are doing something different. “Sick” Nick Mondo was one of those guys. He could work a regular match. He could flip around like few people his size in the business could. But he had a taste for the ultraviolence. For whatever reason, he connected with crowds in a way that few people that have ever competed for Combat Zone Wrestling. He was one of the guys that CZW built around in their early & most profitable days. After some serious injuries suffered at Tournament of Death 2, he called it a career at an age where some wrestlers hadn’t even started competing yet.

Mondo’s documentary about his career “Unscarred – The Life of Nick Mondo” helped spread his fame even after retirement. With the exception of an appearance at Cage of Death XV in 2013, Mondo has remained out of the business. He recently produced another movie titled “The Trade” that talks about how he got out of the business at the right time and felt bad for encouraging people to follow in his footsteps.

4. Blitzkrieg (retired at the age of 24)

This guy was such a tease. He randomly showed up in WCW in 1998 without us knowing who the hell he was. He occasionally appeared on TV & had kickass matches that made us want more. Then he disappeared. As somebody that was looking for something to cheer for in WCW at that point, it was so disappointing.

It turned out that the man behind the mask, Jay Ross, decided to retire in order to be a computer technician. Considering how much money it costs one to be a professional wrestler, he probably made the right decision there. He eventually gave the Blitzkrieg gimmick to Jack Evans, who only used it for a handful of matches before he stopped after getting hurt during a match.

3. AJ Lee (retired at the age of 28)

AJ Lee was one of the most popular women of her time, especially among the Internet audience. Damage to her cervical spine led to her retirement after WrestleMania 29. There were also some extenuating circumstances that made life in WWE difficult for AJ towards the end, namely her husband’s departure from the company a year prior to her exit. It couldn’t have been easy to work for the company that Phil Brooks was involved in litigation with, and once AJ finished her list of things she really wanted to do (and got a WrestleMania payday because those are pretty important) she peaced out.

She wrote a best-selling autobiography in 2017 & is currently working on turning it into a television series. It’s not surprising that AJ would find as much success outside of the ring as she did in it.

2. Trish Stratus (retired at the age of 29)

When Trish first got into the business, she was more wooden than the table Bubba Ray Dudley put her through at Backlash 2000. She couldn’t talk, she couldn’t wrestle, and was there because of her look. She worked hard in the ring & on her personality, and by the time she retired in 2006 she was arguably the most beloved & accomplished woman in WWE history. Unlike other people on this list, Trish wasn’t forced into retirement by injury. She felt she had accomplished all she needed to, and was ready to move on with her life. You rarely see that.

She has made a couple of returns, including a match at WrestleMania 27 where she teamed with John Morrison & Snooki, but Trish has shown no regrets about getting out when she did.

1. Magnum TA (retired at the age of 27)

Terry Allen was earmarked as the future of the National Wrestling Alliance. With his wonderful hair & mustache, combined with his wrestling ability of course, he was a man that Jim Crockett Promotions thought could compete with the WWF & Hulk Hogan. Personally, I think it would have been a tough row to hoe. Anybody was going to have a difficult time competing with Hulk Hogan’s popularity in the mid-1980s. We never got the chance to find out, as an automobile accident crippled Magnum TA and put to bed any thoughts that he could lead the NWA into another generation.

We’ll never know what could have happened with Magnum TA as the NWA World Champion against the Four Horsemen with Jim Crockett Promotions not going bankrupt. Maybe it would have changed the outcome of the wrestling war. Maybe it wouldn’t have. The robbery of the chance to know the outcome haunts us old-school wrestling fans.

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1