WWE Hall of Famer JBL recently opened up about the end of his full-time in-ring career at WrestleMania 25, a moment he described as “absolutely heartbroken.” He detailed the physical issues that forced his retirement, his desire to put over Rey Mysterio as a tribute to Eddie Guerrero, and the powerful experience of watching the classic Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels match immediately after his own career had ended.
In 2009, JBL was in the midst of another run as a top heel on the WWE roster, holding the Intercontinental Championship. However, debilitating back injuries that had plagued him for years had returned, forcing him to make the difficult decision to step away from the ring for good.
A Tribute to Eddie
On his Something to Wrestle With podcast with Conrad Thompson, JBL explained that with retirement imminent, he had a specific request for his final match: he wanted to lose to Rey Mysterio. This was a decision born out of his deep love and respect for the late Eddie Guerrero.
“I told Vince. I said, my back’s killing me, and it’s not getting better. And so we agreed that I was going to retire. And I also told him, you know, because of my love of of Eddie, that I wanted to work with Ray. And I love Ray too. By the way, he’s not just, not just Eddie, but I love Ray. And I said, I want to give whatever I have in equity in me, I want to give it to Ray. And so that’s when I started coming up with the idea of, I’m going to do something monumental. That was all for Ray, 100 100% from that point forward, where Vince said, ‘Hey, we’re going to we’re going to retire you at WrestleMania.’ We both agreed on that… And I knew the ending was going to be shocking. So I didn’t care what the build up was, because I knew what the payoff was going to be.”
“A Perfect Ending”
The match itself was historic for its brevity, as Mysterio defeated JBL for the title in just 21 seconds. After the match, JBL grabbed the microphone, declared “I quit!” and walked away. He described the immense sadness he felt backstage, knowing his dream was over. However, his perspective changed after watching the masterpiece that followed.
“Absolutely heartbroken. 100% absolutely heartbroken. You know, I realized that was my last match, and I mean heartbroken, that’s only way I can describe it. I just felt terrible. I didn’t even stay for the rest of the show… I came out of the ring, and, you know, I didn’t really want to retire, literally, I didn’t want to be in this business my entire life… And I realized now that it’s over… Vince came back and hugged me and told me, thank you. And I remember I just got my bag and thought, I’m just leaving, and oh, man, this sucks. But I stayed and watched… Undertaker and Shawn. Next match was the next match… I stayed there at the monitor… I remember watching that match, and I remember thinking, that’s the greatest wrestling match I’ve ever seen… I sat there, before I left, I watched two of my friends go out there and have, in my opinion, the greatest match in the history of this business… And I just remember thinking, it’s a good day to leave… got my bag, walked out, and I never thought I’d be back.”
The story of JBL’s retirement is a poignant look at the physical and emotional toll of a long career in wrestling. While he would later return for commentary and sporadic appearances, his WrestleMania 25 match remains his official retirement from full-time competition. The full story can be heard on the latest episode of the Something to Wrestle With podcast.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit AdFreeShows.com with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
