Greatest Returns in Professional Wrestling

Professional wrestling is as much about the drama as it is about the wrestling itself, and fans want to see the clashes, feuds, and emotions as much as they want to see the beat downs. Amping up the drama is the fact that wrestlers will sometimes take a break from the world of professional wrestling, only to return in surprising and exciting ways.

Whether it is because of tensions with the higher ups or just a need for some down time, not to mention injuries given the occupational hazards of wrestling, it isn’t uncommon for some of the wrestling greats to go on hiatus. They could just come back with little fanfare, the way an athlete does after missing some games due to an injury, but what would be the fun in that? Read on for four great returns in pro wrestling.

Bruno Sammartino

Bruno Sammartino is one of the WWE’s most legendary wrestlers, and “The Italian Strongman” dominated in the “WWWF” back in the day, with an 11 years total that he held the Heavyweight title. Hailing from an earlier era, with his prime period being from the 1960s through the early 80s, he wasn’t thrilled with the direction that the federation was headed, feeling as though the storylines were too raunchy and the usage of steroids too prevalent, and he cut ties with them in the late 80s. 

The WWE wished to induct him into the Hall of Fame for many years, but Sammartino repeatedly declined. However, in 2013 he accepted, believing that they were finally doing a reasonable job on turning the world of professional wrestling into a more wholesome environment. Inducting him was none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger, and younger wrestling audiences got to learn about what made “The Living Legend” and his bearhug so spectacular. 

Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar departed from the WWE in 2004, and fans were unhappy with how it all went down. Rumors had spread before WrestleMania XX that “The Beast would be leaving because he wished to give a professional football career a shot, and this didn’t go well with audiences. Lesnar had his infamous match with Goldberg which sent fans over the edge, and Lesnar went out on a sour note rather than with bang.

Making up for his disappointing departure, he returned in a dramatic fashion. After WrestleMania in 2012, John Cena had called out The Rock, but answering the call was none other than Lesnar. It had been nearly a decade since he fought in the WWE, having wrestled in Japan after his short lived football stint, and he did not disappoint them this time, giving Cena an F-5.

Roddy Piper

In 1987, Roddy Piper announced he was retiring. The iconic heel, who the WWE declared in 2012 was their top villain in the company’s history, surprised everyone with the move. For the next two years, he was nowhere to be seen, and wrestling fans awaited someone who could fill his shoes.

It turned out the only person worthy of filling Piper’s shoes was Piper himself. Before WrestleMania V in 1989, it was announced that the event would see the return of Piper. “I won’t believe this until I see it,” announced Gorilla Monsoon, and maybe some fans also had some doubts whether “Rowdy” Roddy Piper would be coming back after all, but he put any doubts to rest when he came out, receiving a standing ovation. In “Hot Rod’s” case, he lived long enough to see himself become the hero. 

Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan is one of the most exciting names in the modern WWE, filling a void left by greats like Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Steve Austin. While Bryan cannot be compared to those legends, he carved out a niche of his own and was a much beloved underdog. Leading up to WrestleMania 30, he surprised everyone with his phenomenal skills, and he delivered an even bigger surprise winning the championship. Audiences couldn’t get enough of him, but in 2016 he decided to call it quits after receiving a number of concussions which led to a brain lesion and a number of seizures.

Considering Bryan was one of the toughest guys in the WWE, having beaten Triple H and taken down Randy Orton and Batista to become the World Heavyweight Champion. Seeing him wave the white flag was a dispiriting sign. However, in 2018 the doctors stated he was medically fit to wrestle again, and he returned for WrestleMania 34.