ECW Icon The Sandman To Retire During WrestleMania Week

By
Phil Johnson
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The Sandman
The Sandman | ECW

ECW icon The Sandman is officially preparing to step into the ring one final time.

On Saturday, Joey Janela and Game Changer Wrestling announced that the hardcore legend will compete in his retirement match at Joey Janela’s Spring Break X. The event is scheduled for April 17 in Las Vegas, taking place during WrestleMania week.

An opponent has not yet been revealed, but The Sandman’s confirmed participation signals the end of an in-ring career that spans nearly four decades. Now 62 years old, the former Extreme Championship Wrestling standard-bearer has continued wrestling well beyond ECW’s heyday, typically working one or two matches per year. According to Cagematch, he has logged close to 900 matches since debuting in 1989.

The announcement also continues a recent tradition of ECW legends closing their careers on Janela’s stage. The Sandman made a surprise appearance at Spring Break IX in 2025, where he played a role in Sabu’s farewell match against Janela. One year later, he will return to the same platform to bring his own storied career to a close.

Best remembered for his beer-soaked, cigarette-in-hand entrance and multiple reigns as ECW World Heavyweight Champion, The Sandman also competed in WCW, TNA, and WWE over the years. Despite his age, he has remained a fixture on the independent scene, most recently wrestling in October 2025 in a New Jersey-based tag team match — one of just two bouts he worked that year.

With Spring Break X, one of the most unmistakable figures in hardcore wrestling history will finally take his last walk to the ring.

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