Making an impact in WWE is never easy. It requires an equal amount of hard work and luck. And if you are coming back from a hiatus and trying to make an impact, the task gets tougher. Although a return might give a Superstar the initial platform that he or she requires, afterward, it just fizzles out if there is no hard work and luck that we mentioned earlier.
We’ve seen numerous cases where Superstars struggled to keep their momentum going after a return, but there have been Superstars out there that have overcome this huge hurdle to proclaim themselves as the comeback kings of WWE. In this list, we are going to take a look at them.
Luke Gallows
Luke Gallows is currently enjoying his stay on the WWE roster as part of The Club. Before Gallows found success in his recent spell, he had a forgettable stay. When WWE had the idea of running an imposter Kane angle, Gallows was chosen as the ‘Imposter Kane’. This angle went nowhere and Gallows was sent back to developmental.
He was later repackaged as Festus by WWE. The Festus character was that of a mentally challenged and unresponsive person and it’s safe to say that Gallows worked well within his limitations.
Later, he had a run as part of the Straight Edge Society under CM Punk but the angle soon fizzled out despite having immense potential. Gallows went away from WWE afterward and made it big in Japan as part of the Bullet Club. This set up the foundation for a triumphant return which happened recently.
Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels has two great returns to his name and both of them are worth mentioning here. During early years of his career, Michaels and Marty Jannetty, collectively known as the Rockers, secured a contract with WWE but were soon fired after an incident in the bar.
Michaels and Jannetty would return months later and they went on to become a phenomenon. Michaels embarked on a legendary singles journey after breaking up with Jannetty.
This spell ended when Michaels retired due to a back problem, but a few years later, Michaels would once again return triumphantly. During his third spell, he gave some memorable matches including those gems against the Undertaker.
Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete. Lesnar, who started his athletic career early itself, went on to secure a contract with the WWE back in 2000. With some great guidance from Paul Heyman, WWE pushed Lesnar to the moon, and in just four years, Lesnar became the WWE champion, won the Royal Rumble, was in the WrestleMania main event and did a string of other notable things as well.
Lesnar then tried out his hand in UFC and become a top draw there. Lesnar left UFC in 2011 after two back-to-back losses and a medical condition and this was the moment when everyone thought that Lesnar’s career was over.
But just a year later, the Beast made his WWE return. In this second spell, Lesnar would go on to end the legendary streak of the Undertaker, destroy John Cena, make Suplex city trend, main event WrestleMania and win the WWE Championship again.
Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan, much like Shawn Michaels, had a couple of good returns. Bryan first showed up in WWE when he wrestled B-shows. He then took a long hiatus from the company and successfully established himself as a big star in the Independent circuit. This made WWE bring him back for the NXT series and Bryan was part of Nexus that changed the landscape of the promotion.
Bryan was fired from WWE for a non-PG thing that he did on television during the Nexus debut, but would return later and rise to fame. The Flying Goat would enjoy the peak of his career during his spell where he headlined WrestleMania and led the Yes movement.
AJ Styles
AJ Styles is clearly not someone that followed the path of other superstars on this list. He did not have a lengthy stay in the WWE like others, but AJ did show up on WWE shows way back before he went to TNA and made a name. AJ was used during WWE’s so-called ‘B-Shows’ and he did wrestle some notable names back then. Afterward, AJ found his calling in TNA, and then in Ring of Honor and Japan.
More than a decade later, when AJ finally made his return to the WWE ring, he got the welcome that he deserved. AJ, who performed during shows that people barely watched, is now in the main event scene feuding with the top stars.
