On the January 1st episode of ROH TV, a veteran of the women’s division bid farewell to in-ring competition. Madison Rayne, whose career has spanned two decades and multiple promotions, announced that she would be retiring from active wrestling. The announcement culminated in a retirement match where she teamed with long-time friend and rival Deonna Purrazzo to take on the team of Billie Starkz and Diamante.
Rayne, who originally made her debut in 2005 under the name Lexi Lane, has been a staple of women’s wrestling, competing in WWE, TNA (now TNA Wrestling), AEW, and Ring of Honor. Following her emotional send-off, Rayne appeared on the Boots To Boots podcast with Purrazzo and Steve Maclin to discuss the factors that led to her decision. She revealed that the difficulty of balancing her dual roles as an in-ring talent and a backstage coach played a significant part in her choice to step away.
“It’s been really hard over the last few years to balance agenting, producing, and coaching with wrestling,” Rayne explained. “In my opinion, you have to love them both and given 100% of yourself to both of them. Giving 100% of myself to two separate things in one day was challenging. I’ve also always had in the back of my mind this little voice telling me, ‘Get out, retire, and know when enough is enough.’ People do it all the time. They outstay their welcome in the wrestling business. I didn’t want to be somebody who did that.”
Rayne reflected on her ability to adapt throughout her 20-year career, noting how the industry shifted from a heavy focus on storylines when she broke in, to a work-rate-heavy style later on. This evolution forced her to reinvent herself multiple times. However, now that her full-time job involves coaching and producing—roles she expressed a deep love for—she felt the time was right to celebrate her career rather than prolong it unnecessarily.
She also addressed her previous “semi-retirement” during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she obtained a business degree and worked in mortgage sales. She contrasted that experience with her current feelings, noting that the previous attempt felt forced and left her with a sense of unfinished business.
“It didn’t feel right and wasn’t the right time,” Rayne said of her first retirement. “Now, having done that, I’m glad that I did that, as much as the internet wants to tell me I’ve retired 45 times, it’s only been twice. I’m glad I did it the first time to know the difference and the way that it feels different. Before, it felt like there was more that I hadn’t done. Now, I feel so accomplished and ready to continue to move on within the wrestling industry, just in a different space. I feel really fortunate to be able to do that.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Boots To Boots with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
