 By the end of 1996, Anderson rarely competed in the ring as years of wear and tear on his body finally started to catch up with him.On the November 25 edition of "Nitro", Anderson fought Luger to a double count-out in a quarter-final tournament match for the vacant WCW United States Championship.On the August 25, 1997 episode of "Monday Nitro", Anderson formally announced his retirement from the ring.