Madison Rayne reveals why she chose to retire

AEW/ROH wrestler Madison Rayne announced her retirement in a promo that was posted to social media on New Year’s Day. Now she’s explaining what went into her decision.

In a recent appearance on Boots to Boots (a podcast co-hosted by the husband-and-wife team of TNA’s Steve Maclin and ROH’s Deonna Purrazzo), Rayne explained that she had been juggling her roles as an agent/producer and as an active wrestler.

“You have to give 100 percent of yourself to both of them,” she said. “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.”

“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,” she contiued. “I’ve done everything that, for me, I needed to do to fill my cup and feel fulfilled.”

Rayne also acknowledged this was not the first time she had announced a retirement. “I semi-retired a few years ago because I thought it was the right thing during COVID,” she said. “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.”

Rayne debuted with Ohio Valley Wrestling in 2005. She is probably best known for her time in TNA, where she wrestled off and on from 2009 to 2022 before joining AEW. She has also wrestled for WWE, ROH, and Shimmer, among other promotions.