3 Superstars who unsuccessfully contacted WWE for a return, and 3 who were approached

Over the course of the past four decades or so, WWE has turned from one of the biggest wrestling corporations to a global media giant. Vince McMahon put his sweat and blood for years on end to ensure WWE becomes the biggest pro-wrestling company in existence.

A long string of WWE greats helped Vince McMahon achieve his goal, most notably Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Hulk Hogan. For the sake of business, the WWE Chairman has never shied away from contacting former Superstars for a return.

On the other hand, there have been instances where former Superstars called WWE themselves in order to discuss a return, and were rejected by the boss.

Here, we'll take a look at 3 Superstars who approached WWE for a return, and 3 Superstars who were contacted by WWE for a potential return.

#6 Brock Lesnar - contacted WWE for a return

Brock Lesnar left WWE immediately after WrestleMania 20, where he lost his final match to Goldberg. Lesnar and WWE separated on bad terms and he couldn't wait to get out as fast as he could, as the pressure of WWE's hectic schedule was something he wasn't happy with. Lesnar pursued his NFL dream following his WWE exit, but was involved in a bike accident mere days later.

The accident squashed Lesnar's NFL aspirations and he wasn't picked up during selections. With no clear goal in sight, Lesnar decided to contact WWE for a return. As described in Lesnar's book, "Death Clutch", Vince McMahon responded to his request by stating that he wasn't interested in signing him back. Lesnar went on to work for NJPW, and later made a name for himself in UFC.

Lesnar's mainstream popularity helped him bag another stint with WWE in 2012, and he has been with the company since.

#5 Shawn Daivari - contacted by WWE for a return

Fans who watched WWE actively back in the mid-2000s might remember Muhammad Hassan and his manager, Daivari. The duo made their WWE debut in late 2004, and established themselves as heels on the RAW brand. Hassan and Daivari were involved in several major feuds, including a tag team rivalry with Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels.

Soon after the Muhammad Hassan character was canceled on the road to SummerSlam 2005, Daivari began managing Kurt Angle, and later managed The Great Khali as well. He later competed on the main roster as a Cruiserweight, before his release in 2007.

Years later, Daivari was recruited by WWE as a backstage producer. Here's what Daivari had to say about his return:

"I got a phone call from Hunter, he was like 'Yeah, we were thinking maybe we'd bring you in as a producer on the road. We need more fresh, younger eyes on the product.' I was thinking, 'Man, this is literally right to the finish line. This is where I wanted to get."

Daivari was one of several employees who were released by WWE as a part of budget cuts amidst the Coronavirus crisis, back in April.

#4 Kurt Angle - contacted WWE for a return

After working with WWE for almost the entirety of his career, Kurt Angle decided to leave the company in 2006. Angle went on to sign a contract with Impact Wrestling and had a memorable stint there as well. Back in 2014, Angle contacted WWE for a potential return to the company. Unfortunately for him, WWE wasn't even interested in having talks with him.

“Paul [Levesque] is in charge. I found that out when I contacted Vince. I’ve always had a good relationship with Paul, so I didn’t consider that a problem. But he decided they had enough talent. For the Vince McMahon who I knew, enough was never enough. He always wanted more. I don’t know what was going on over there, but they even canceled our meeting. I never went to see them. They didn’t even sit me down and talk to me.”

Around three years later, WWE announced that Angle was to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. On the RAW after WrestleMania 33, Mr. McMahon revealed Angle as the new RAW GM. At WrestleMania 35, he lost to King Corbin in his retirement match.

#3 Bobby Lashley - contacted by WWE for a return

Around a decade after his WWE exit, Bobby Lashley made his return to the company in 2018, on the RAW after WrestleMania 34. Lashley became a major star during his first stint in WWE, and was involved in the biggest angle on the road to WrestleMania 23.

The storyline saw Mr. McMahon and Donald Trump battling it out in a "Battle of the Billionaires", with Umaga and Lashley representing the duo, respectively. Lashley exited WWE months later, and made waves in MMA as well as in pro-wrestling during his stint with Impact Wrestling.

In an interview soon after his 2018 return, Bobby Lashley revealed that Triple H called him to discuss his return.

"When he saw me he was like, 'damn, you look almost better than you did when you were here before.' He said there's a tremendous amount of money to be made and we'd love to see you come back."

Lashley didn't do anything of note during his first year with the company. Last year, he was involved in a controversial angle that saw him and Rusev's real-life partner Lana getting married in storyline. Lashley recently took on Drew McIntyre for the WWE title, but failed to win the belt.

#2 CM Punk - contacted WWE for a return

CM Punk left WWE on bad terms in 2014, immediately after the Royal Rumble PPV. Punk hasn't wrestled ever since, but returned to the business in a different capacity last year, when he joined WWE Backstage on FS1.

Months after Punk and WWE parted ways, the former WWE Champion criticized the company on Colt Cabana's podcast, in a tell-all interview. Punk also revealed that WWE sent him his termination papers on the day of his wedding. Mr. McMahon went on to apologize to Punk for what had happened, and added that he would like to work with Punk again.

In early 2020, Dave Meltzer of WOR reported that Punk's agent had contacted WWE for a return. Meltzer added that Vince McMahon didn't want to do business with Punk, thus closing the door on what could have been the biggest news story of the year in pro wrestling

Punk occasionally appeared on WWE Backstage, and shared his thoughts on WWE's weekly storylines and matches. The show was recently canceled, and many are wondering whether we have seen the last of Punk in pro wrestling.

#1 Drew McIntyre - contacted by WWE for a return

Drew McIntyre was dubbed as a future World Champion by Vince McMahon himself, when he made his way to WWE SmackDown in late 2009. Things took a turn for the worse soon after, and McIntyre turned into an enhancement talent in a matter of years.

McIntyre and WWE parted ways in 2014 after a forgettable run. After improving himself in all aspects while wrestling in other promotions, McIntyre made his WWE return in 2017.

He later revealed that Triple H was the one who contacted him for a return.

Triple H convinced me it was time to come home. I’m proud of the different man I became during my time away. I came back as the grown-up version of myself.

McIntyre was pushed as a legit monster, and the moniker of The Scottish Psychopath suited his personality and demeanor. He went on to win the 2020 Royal Rumble match earlier this year, and defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 to win his first WWE Championship.