24 Wrestlers Who Were in the Business Far Too Long

Sometimes, wrestling acts like any other addiction. Some wrestlers never know when to say when.

Their skills diminish. They lose their edge. They find it tough to fit in with the new talent, the younger generation.

And what was an outstanding career loses the luster of what fans remember it to be.

We want our heroes to live up to the same pizazz that drew us into wrestling in the first place: the look, the athleticism, the connection between reality and the storyline. But when the lines of being in the moment and being in real life is skewed, then the wrestler has hung on too long.

Because of the lifestyle of wrestlers in the past and present, many "have" to hang on for various reasons. Debts mount, injuries take over, some are distorted from real-life work and then they have to fall back into the business because it is the only thing they know.

Here are 24 wrestlers who just did not or do not know when to hang them up.

Fritz Von Erich

He wrestled with his boys years after he "retired" from the business.

Von Erich built an empire in Dallas with his boys as the poster children for the territory.

We all know about the problems that existed with the family and the tragedies they endured. Von Erich tried to capitalize on that and exploit them to some extent.

And when he was in the ring, it was more than anything a gimmick that did not go over well.

Road Warrior Hawk

This one will surprise many. But I believe the wrestling business was part of the reason Road Warrior Hawk is no longer with us today.

Demons continued to play a role in his life, and in the end, Mike Hegstrand's addiction with drugs and alcohol played a role in a storyline in the WWF.

In 2003, Hawk died of an apparent heart attack. Whether the drug and alcohol use were a contributor was never determined.

Mick Foley

Whether it is Cactus Jack, Mankind, Dude Love or just plain Mick Foley, the "Hardcore Legend" still wants to get in the ring.

Please don't do it, Mick.

He was a popular cartoonish character in the WWE who has a major cult following for his hardcore style of putting his body on the line every night.

Foley was successful in the WWF, WWE, WCW and TNA. There is a rumor he still wants "one more match."

George South

Although South works more as a trainer than a wrestler, he is still known to get in the ring.

South began his work in 1985 in Jim Crockett Promotions. He was known then as Ric Flair's favorite jobber.

He recently had an angle with another veteran, Brad Armstrong.

Larry Zbyszko

At 60 years old, Larry Zbyszko still gets in the ring from time to time.

That is a scary thought.

As heels go, there may not have been many who were as adept as Zbyszko. A face in the WWWF who turned on his mentor, Bruno Sammartino, Zbyszko became one of the better heels of the late 1970s and then took his act to the AWA where he was a champion.

He was great on the mic and proved that his talking was as good as his mat skills. He also proved to be a good commentator in WCW.

But the thought of "Larry Legend" getting in the ring now is kind of haunting.

Scott Steiner

Go home now!

Steiner is such a shell of himself. The same skill set, the pumping of the "guns," the push-ups and the mouth that you just want to slap.

He may be the worst talent on the TNA roster.

Management should retire him.

Puple Haze

"Maniac" Mark Lewin was a five-decade star in wrestling, touring the country with his gimmick. In the mid-1980s his "Purple Haze" gimmick was popular in both Texas and Florida, where he battled with the likes of Dusty Rhodes.

Lewin was a successful tag team champion as well in his younger wrestling years. But after five decades of punishment, sometimes you need to know to say "stop."

Jerry Lawler

Although he still wrestles from time to time and at times looks better than some of the younger talent on the independent circuits, Lawler needs to stay out of the ring.

While he is great on the mic and a good commentator, there is something about him in the ring that looks so odd to me.

And the gimmicks he has been involved in with Jack Swagger and Mark Henry just have been awful.

Triple H

He left the ring and had been working backstage, only to return to the ring for a confrontation with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 27.

The match took everything out of the two icons, leaving The Undertaker injured and Triple H with the desire to get back in the ring.

His feud with CM Punk and subsequent ring action was not as good, and both the spot with The Undertaker and his recent feud with Kevin Nash were just not right.

Roddy Piper

His being in the ring long past his prime is evident by the fact he had emergency surgery recently on a broken neck.

Whether he sustained the injury in the ring is not known.

Piper is good for a thought or two—as well as getting under the skin of John Cena or riling the crowds of the WWE. But with his age and very diminished movement, he should give up trying to wrestle.

Hulk Hogan

He wrestled as recently as two months ago, and was a shame of his former self.

Even as a member of the NWO, Hogan looked tired, beat up and not the wrestler he used to be.

Hogan, who has been embroiled in controversy lately with his former wife, has been involved in TNA, imposing his will on the company and constantly looking for face time on camera.

He needs to retire in the worst way.

Undertaker

He has been away from the business going on what will be a year now.

"If" he comes back to wrestle at WrestleMania, will we see the "Dead Man" at his best?

While he is still one of the best draws ever for the WWE, Undertaker's skills are not as sharp as they once were, but he still brings heat and intensity and makes up for his advancing age in the ring.

While the injuries have mounted more over the last few years, it will be interesting to see how long he really can continue in the ring.

Giant Baba

A Japanese icon, Baba was a three-time NWA World champion and wrestled for over 30 years in his native land and abroad.

His popularity was once described as comparable to Hulk Hogan.

He wrestled the likes of Ric Flair, Harley Race and Jack Brisco.

Sting

He was a TNA World champion this past year, but my opinion is Sting needs to get out of the ring and behind the scenes.

That was something that appeared to be in the works, but wouldn't you know it, he jumped into the ring last week with Jeff Hardy.

A man in his early 50s, it's time to hang them up so the younger talent can get some push.

Kenny Jay

A five-decade jobber, "The Sodbuster" wrestled them all. For five decades.

Jay worked all over the Midwest and even trained Muhammad Ali in his preparation for his match with Antonio Inoki.

Jay had nominal success as a mid-carder at one point and was a cult hero for the work he did.

Carlos Colon

From 1966 until 2008, Carlos Colon was the face of professional wrestling in Puerto Rico.

He took on all foes, including Abdullah the Butcher, Bruiser Brody and Ric Flair. Colon won the NWA World title in 1983 but it was never recognized by the NWA.

Colon is responsible for the World Wrestling Council being established.

Jake Roberts

Has anyone in wrestling been more affected during and after he was in the ring?

Roberts' demons are well-documented over the years for his extensive drug use, his debts and his relationship with his father and mother.

Roberts was a great performer early in his career in the NWA and then traveled to Florida where he met Kevin Sullivan and the downward spiral began. He went to the WWF and used his gimmick to become a fan favorite.

Because of his offbeat lifestyle, Roberts wrestled well beyond his prime, mainly because he had to.

Fabulous Moolah

If you are a five-decade wrestler, regardless of whether you are a male or female, something has to give.

Even in the "Rock and Wrestling" era, Lillian Ellison was well beyond her prime.

Ellison was the "queen" of women's wrestling, holding the Women's title for over 28 years. In that time, she took on the likes of Mae Young, Judy Grabel, Lelani Kai and Wendi Richter.

Scott Hall

Has there been a story as sad and depressing as Scott Hall?

Maybe the Hardys to some extent. But Hall's troubles in and out of the ring have been documented on ESPN.

His alcohol issues have led him down a path many in the wrestling business have turned a blind eye to.

Had he gotten out of the business when friends like Kevin Nash tried to help him, Hall may have been able to seek attention to help his demons sooner.

Andre the Giant

I put him on the list for one simple reason: I did not like how he left the business.

Andre the Giant was older, failing and at the end of his career. And the WWF turned him heel to "put" Hulk Hogan over.

The two met in an epic battle at WrestleMania III, which, if you really watch, was not as good as it looked back then.

Did the Giant lose something from his "heel" turn and his legacy? No. Could he have left the business before the heel turn and saved some dignity? Yes.

For me, this was a tragedy that did not need to happen.

Ricky Morton

As one half of the famed "Rock and Roll Express," Morton is still wrestling from time to time on the independent circuit.

At 55 years old, he gets in the ring on the independent circuit and struts his stuff, even getting into a spot with Kevin Nash.

Morton could have been a serious singles competitor in the late 1980s, when he was given a push by Ric Flair during the Great American Bash.

Morton and Robert Gibson were four-time World tag team champions at the height of their success.

Terry Funk

He just keeps going and going.

Much like the Energizer Bunny, Terry Funk does not know when to stop.

A former NWA champion and technical "heel," he was one of the best in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Funk extended his career in Japan and then later as a hardcore wrestler, earning the moniker the "Hardcore Legend."

He was a fixture in ECW and pleased the crowd with his matches against Mick Foley, but his body is beaten and has betrayed him. He still wrestles from time to time.

Kevin Nash

He is another one of those big guys who does not need to do a lot of wrestling—he just got in the ring and used his size to his advantage.

Nash also seems like he has lost a bit on the mic, as seen in his recent vignettes with Triple H.

The match between Triple H and Nash at Tables, Ladders and Chairs was decent, but it also proved his best days are really behind him.

Ric Flair

Was there any doubt who would be chosen as the top spot?

Flair looks like a flunky in TNA. Sure, he would be great if he could act anymore, but his look is awful, his speech is slurred and he looks drunk half the time.

Flair is still in the business, and even wrestled Sting two months back and looked out of shape, out of touch and in need of a retirement home.

Please save your legacy, Ric! Go away while we still have fond memories of you.