Madison Rayne recently opened up on her decision to retire from professional wrestling late last year, wrapping up a two-decade run as an in-ring performer.
During a recent appearance on Boots to Boots, a podcast hosted by AEW’s Deonna Purrazzo and TNA’s Steve Maclin, Rayne said that a variety of factors made her decide to step away from performing.
Having served as a coach and producer for AEW since 2022, Rayne explained that she was balancing her behind-the-scenes work with an in-ring career. Along with this factor, she mentioned that by the end of last year, she had determined that “enough is enough.”
“It’s been really hard over the last few years to balance agenting, producing, coaching with wrestling, because, in my opinion, you have to love them both. You have to give 100 percent of yourself to both of them. And, giving 100 percent of myself to two separate things in one day was challenging, but also, I’ve always had in the back of my mind this little voice telling me ‘Get out and retire and know when enough is enough.’ People do it all the time, they outstay their welcome in the wrestling business, and I didn’t want to be somebody that did that. I think I did a really good job over 20 years of moving with the ebs and flows and the different dynamics of wrestling and, you know, it was super storytelling focused when I first broke into television wrestling, and then a few years in it was like, the wrestling is the most important part, so that forced me out of my comfort zone. It forced me to get better, reinvented myself, and I did that so many times that, at this point, when my full-time job is coach/producer and I love it so much, it was like these two things both telling me it’s time to celebrate your career instead of trying to prolong it past what is necessary. I’ve done everything that, for me, I needed to do to fill my cup and feel fulfilled.
Many will remember that Rayne had previously announced her plan to retire from wrestling in 2021 amid a second run with TNA Wrestling. When she stepped away that time, Rayne explained that it felt like there was more she could’ve done before calling it a career.
“I semi-retired a few years ago because I thought it was the right thing during COVID. I got my business degree, I got my job selling mortgages, I thought, ‘this was my career path now, this is my life, let me force myself to step away from wrestling.’ And it didn’t feel right, it wasn’t the right time … As much as the internet tells me I’ve retired 45 times, it’s actually only been twice. But I’m glad that I did it the first time to know the difference and the way that it feels different. Before I felt like there was still a little more that I hadn’t done, and now I feel so accomplished and so ready to continue moving on within the wrestling industry, just in a different space, and I feel really fortunate to be able to do that.”
Rayne’s last match saw her team with Purrazzo in a losing effort against Billie Starkz and Diamante. She confirmed her retirement in a post-match promo: “Tonight was exceptionally emotional because this is the end of an era for Madison Rayne.”
