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WWE Hall Of Famer Jimmy Valiant Announces Last Dance Retirement Bout Aged 83

Posted By: Ben Kerin on Mar 28, 2026

WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Valiant is set to step into the ring for the final time on Saturday, April 25, headlining an event titled “Boogie’s Last Dance” for NAWA Championship Wrestling in Lancaster, South Carolina. The bout will bring the curtain down on a remarkable career that began in 1964 and has stretched across seven decades.

At 83 years old, Valiant confirmed in a statement sent to wrestling media that this will mark his true farewell after decades of competing.

“Yes, this will be my final dance. I’ve retired before but this is truly my last dance,” he said. “I’m honored to hang up my boots after 62 years of wrestling pro. I had over 15,000 matches and drove 6 million miles on U.S. highways, plus flying getting to those matches.”

He added that he hopes to make one last memorable entrance, saying he wants to walk down the aisle to his theme “Boy From New York City” one final time, bringing his journey from 1964 to 2026 full circle.

NAWA promoter Michael Elliott praised the significance of the occasion, calling it a historic night for the promotion.

The event will take place at Buford High School in Lancaster, with doors opening at 6 PM and the first bell at 7 PM. Ticket prices have been set at $10 for general admission and $15 for front row seats, with the show open to fans of all ages. Valiant’s opponent has not yet been revealed.

Known to generations of fans as “The Boogie Woogie Man,” Valiant rose to prominence as one of wrestling’s most beloved babyfaces throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Alongside his storyline brother Johnny Valiant, he held the WWWF World Tag Team Championship for an impressive 370 days. Over the years, he shared the ring with legends such as André the Giant, Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, Jerry Lawler, and Dusty Rhodes.

Valiant was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996 as part of a class that included Johnny Valiant, Vince McMahon Sr., Jimmy Snuka, and Killer Kowalski.

Throughout his career, he captured multiple championships, including the WWWF World Tag Team Championship, the NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship, and five AWA Southern Heavyweight Title reigns. His most recent match came in September 2023, when he competed in a six-man tag for NAWA at age 80.

While he previously had what was promoted as a retirement match in 2005 at WrestleReunion, teaming with Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka, Valiant returned to the ring in 2006 and continued making sporadic appearances for years. Outside the ring, he has remained active running a training school in West Virginia, where he has helped develop talent including Hangman Adam Page.

When he competes in April, Valiant will surpass Ric Flair in age at the time of a final match, as Flair was 73 during his widely publicized last bout in 2022.

 

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