 By the end of the 1970s Mendoza was all but retired, with his last headliner match being a championship match against WWWWF Junior Heavyweight Champion Tatsumi Fujinami, a match that was Mendoza's last true headliner match.Mendoza announced his retirement in late 1982 and following a retirement tour of Mexico and Panama he retired from in-ring action in early 1983.He would later work as a referee for special UWA matches, adding to the "big event" feel by having Mendoza oversee the action.