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AEW Superstar Reveals Shocking Retirement Timeline

AEW Superstar Reveals Shocking Retirement Timeline

Newsweek9 hours ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
AEW star MVP has revealed his plans for his in-ring retirement. The veteran performer and manager of The Hurt Syndicate stated he has a "maximum of two years left" as an active competitor.
The 51-year-old hopes to conclude his nearly two-decade-long career with a final retirement tour. This would allow him to say goodbye to fans in different cities.
MVP On His In-Ring Future
The former United States Champion is currently managing the AEW World Tag Team Champions, Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin. He is also a mentor to the fourth member of The Hurt Syndicate, MJF.
More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation
Speaking on the Marking Out podcast, MVP discussed his timeline for stepping away from the ring. He explained his desire for a proper farewell run.
"At this stage of the game for me, like, I don't have to do it. I just still enjoy doing it. When I get to the point that I can't do it effectively or if I'm taking baseball slide bumps, then it's time to go. I plan on ending this run here pretty soon anyway. I want to have my last match. I want to have the retirement tour, let me go around, 'Hey, this is the last time MVP will be wrestling in your city.'"
All Elite Wrestling ALL IN at Wembley Stadium in London on August 27, 2023.
All Elite Wrestling ALL IN at Wembley Stadium in London on August 27, 2023.
Courtesy of AEW
A Two-Year Window
While his in-ring career is winding down, he has no plans to leave the wrestling business. He sees himself continuing as a manager for many years to come.
"I'd like to think I got maybe another 10 as a manager, maybe 15 depending on my age and health. As far as in the ring, I got like maybe a year or two left max, man."
While he primarily serves as a manager on AEW television, MVP has remained active as a wrestler on the independent circuit. His last match was a victory over Al Snow in May 2025.
MVP debuted on WWE SmackDown in 2006 with his "Ballin'" persona. He became a two-time United States Champion, with his first reign lasting an impressive 343 days, and also won the WWE Tag Team Championship with Matt Hardy.
After leaving the company, he returned in 2020 to form the dominant and highly successful faction, The Hurt Business. As their manager, he led Bobby Lashley to a WWE Championship victory, cementing a career resurgence before his latest run ended.
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