Former WWE, and current ROH, star Charlie Haas announced his retirement from wrestling on Saturday before a match with Jeff Louis Neal at the ROH show in Asheville, NC. Haas came to the ring to start the second half of the show, and cut a long, and sometimes rambling, promo about his history in wrestling and having done enough. He wrestled the match, and then stayed in the ring after the match and drew cheers from the crowd. Someone on the ROH staff waved him to come to the back twice, and Haas flipped him off both times. He asked for a mic but was not given one after the match, so he cut a similar promo by just yelling it into the crowd.
During both promos, he called out ROH booker Delirious (a/k/a Hunter Johnston) and ROH commentator Kevin Kelly, specifically referring to Kelly as a "fat piece of shit," for "all the things they say" about him. Haas was visibly shaken and cried during the entire match and later in the locker room. He changed and packed quickly, leaving the building in an agitated state.
Haas later went on to tweet: "Officially retired. No match against [Shelton Benjamin] next week NYC. Time to be a full time dad and husband. I've turned my spandex in for scrubs. Thanks to all the fans throughout the years. I love you all. Stay safe and God bless. WGTT will always be a top Tag Team, forever."
Shore's Slant: Haas appeared to be intoxicated and was heard having words with several people backstage during the final match before intermission, including Delirious and Kelly, which may explain why he took shots at them specifically. The situation was addressed in a post-show meeting with the locker room, and all signs point to this being Haas's unexpected last night.
