5 WWE Superstars who claimed they wouldn't return but did

WWE Superstars can sometimes be left at a crossroads when the options are to leave the company and start anew, or push through their issues.

A number of WWE Superstars who have left the company have claimed they will never return but have still taken WWE's calls.

Sometimes it appears that Vince McMahon's call and the opportunities that WWE can offer is too much to turn down.

The following list looks at just five WWE Superstars who wanted to leave the company but still made their return.

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#5. Current WWE Superstar Maryse

Maryse came to WWE through the annual Diva Search and elevated her career to the level of becoming Divas Champion. The star was released by WWE in 2011 and was able to explore several other opportunities including launching her own jewelry and clothing line.

Following her release, Maryse revealed that it was a mutual decision and she had wanted to leave for some time. During an interview with SLAM! Wrestling back in 2011, the former champion revealed that there would only be two conditions where she would ever make her return to WWE.

“My manager was happy when he heard of my release. He said to me, ‘Now we can start working on the serious stuff.’ I’m ready for a new chapter in my life. I have been with the WWE for six fantastic years, but now I want to do more. I would go back to WWE, for a million dollars and a main event match at WrestleMania."

Maryse returned to WWE the night after WrestleMania in 2016 and has been a consistent fixture at her husband, The Miz's side. Even though the women of WWE have main-evented WrestleMania since her return, it hasn't been a match that she was part of.

It can only be assumed that Maryse changed the terms for which she would make her return to the company or WWE handed the former star a million dollars so that she would come back.

#4. Former WWE Superstar Jeff Jarrett

Jeff Jarrett was blackballed by WWE for several years after the former star held Vince McMahon to ransom when it came to the Intercontinental Championship.

Jarrett's contract expired the day before the company's No Mercy pay-per-view in 1999 and the star was well within his rights to leave the company with the title. Of course, McMahon didn't want this so Jarrett said he would drop the title to Chyna if the company reportedly paid him around £300k.

Jarrett then went on to work for WCW and went on to help his father build the IMPACT Wrestling empire where he became one of the company's biggest stars.

It came as a huge surprise when Jarrett was revealed as one of the names that made up the 2018 Hall of Fame class, but it appears that the bad blood between McMahon and Jarrett has been cleared up.

Jarrett even returned to WWE and worked backstage for several months before he was released from the company as part of their recent budget cuts.

#3. Former WWE Superstar Bret Hart

Bret Hart had a legitimate reason to leave WWE back in 1997 after he was part of one of the biggest controversies in the history of the company.

Hart was screwed out of the World Championship, spat in the face of Vince McMahon (literally), and then made it clear that he was heading to WCW whilst the show was still on air.

There was no one in Montreal that night at Survivor Series in 1997 who would have believed that Bret Hart would ever make his return to WWE.

The Hitman waited more than a decade to patch things up with Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels as he returned to WWE in 2010.

Of course, the whole "screwjob" made for a fantastic storyline for WWE, but it wasn't the best finale when Hart and McMahon met in a one-on-one match at WrestleMania. Perhaps the 12-year delay was a little too long to expect the wrestling world to wait?

#2. Former WWE Superstar Carlito

Carlito was once a popular superstar in WWE, but the former United States Champion was released from the company when he refused rehab in 2010.

Carlito had violated WWE's Wellness Policy at the time and the company was looking to help him attend a rehabilitation program, but he refused.

It's been more than a decade since his release and Carlito was able to briefly return to WWE in order to watch his father's Hall of Fame induction in 2014 and then at the 2021 Royal Rumble.

Carlito's return was a brief one because the star had turned down returns for several years. First Carlito refused because the money on offer was too low, and then later because it wasn't a good enough storyline.

Carlito even refused to return as part of the company's Legend Night despite being advertised for the show because he didn't want to travel across the country for a cameo. He later returned to a much bigger role in the Royal Rumble and the RAW the following night.

#1. Former WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar has returned to WWE several times throughout his lengthy career, but at one point there was a belief that he wouldn't come back.

Lesnar wanted out of his WWE contract during his first spell since he wanted to test his mettle against athletes in other sports. This led to the company slapping a non-compete clause on Lesnar, forcing him to go to court in order to have it lifted.

Lesnar then went on to compete in UFC and it could be argued that if it wasn't for injury, the star would never have returned to the company.

From 2004 until 2012, Lesnar wasn't even considering a return to the company and all of his bridges had been burned. He was able to sort things out with Vince McMahon and made a sensational return in 2012.

Lesnar has since been pushed as one of the biggest stars in the company's history and was the man who ended The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania in 2014.