In his last WWE storyline, he was fired by SmackDown! General Manager Paul Heyman after the APA lost a match for the WWE Tag Team Championship. It was assumed that the APA was fired, but Heyman told Bradshaw he was allowed to stay. Simmons retired from his in-ring career, accusing Bradshaw of not being a faithful friend in storyline. In reality, Simmons, who had been planning to retire due to his health and age and become a backstage agent for the company, was let go the day this angle aired on "SmackDown!".