4 Retired WWE stars we thought would never return

Clash in Paris once again kick-started rumors of a potential AJ Lee return, and teases on Monday Night Raw, as well as reports over the past 24 hours, have rapidly exacerbated speculation regarding Lee returning to partner with her husband, CM Punk, against the duo of Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins at WWE WrestlePalooza less than three weeks from now.

Fans have been clamoring for AJ's return for almost a decade, and yet, the likelihood seemed next to none until CM Punk's return to the company, itself often believed to be close to impossible, in November 2023 at Survivor Series: WarGames, just weeks after his controversial AEW firing.

The cases of AJ Lee and CM Punk, however, are not unprecedented. Whether due to issues with management, injuries, or just pursuing other interests, a lot of professional wrestlers have said tata to WWE, only to return elsewhere (like Punk did to AEW in 2021) or eventually return to the global juggernaut itself. What's more, a lot of them have come back after having officially announced retirements!

In this article, we shall discuss X WWE Superstars who have returned not just to professional wrestling or to WWE in non-wrestling roles, but indeed returned to WWE as active in-ring competitors despite the popular (if unfortunate) sentiment regarding their potential returns.

#4 WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin

When Stone Cold Steve Austin walked away in 2003 due to mounting injuries, fans accepted that his last match was behind him. His match against The Rock at WrestleMania 19 would prove to be an unofficial retirement. Austin himself admitted he could never risk returning to the ring.

That’s why his shocking comeback at WrestleMania 38 in 2022 in Texas stunned the wrestling world. It was obviously an incredible moment, but facing Kevin Owens, Austin delivered a full-on brawl that ended up being far better than expected, even in execution.

Steve Austin had to retire from professional wrestling after years of dealing with neck issues, spawned by a piledriver he took from Owen Hart during an Intercontinental Title match at SummerSlam 1997, where he suffered a bruised spinal cord and temporary paralysis.

The injury, however, is what led to the first time Steve Austin and Vince McMahon really interacted in the WWF, with an argument that saw McMahon declare that Austin wasn't yet cleared to compete. It is somewhat poetic that this occurred on the first-ever Raw to be broadcast from the iconic Madison Square Garden, because this was the night that Austin "stunned the boss" for the first time ever.

#3 WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels

We won't be talking about Shawn Michaels' 2018 return here, which, in many ways, ruined perhaps the greatest retirement in professional wrestling history when HBK lost to The Undertaker in the "Career vs Streak" match at WrestleMania 26. For years, fans trusted Michaels’ vow that he would never wrestle again, respecting the finality of his exit.

Did you know, however, that his 2010 retirement was actually his second one? Shawn Michaels suffered two herniated discs and one crushed one after a nasty back body drop bump he took against The Undertaker in a Casket Match at Royal Rumble 1998. As the WWF Champion at the time, however, he would go on till WrestleMania 14, where he'd drop the title to Stone Cold Steve Austin.

HBK, much like Stone Cold, continued as an on-screen character in the WWF for a long time, but he also took time off to rehabilitate not just his physical issues post-surgery, but deeper ones too, focusing on resolving his drug or painkiller issues. During this time, Shawn Michaels also became a devout Christian.

He returned and immediately began feuding with a man who was once his protege: Triple H, and would win the World Heavyweight Championship from him early into his run. Shawn Micheals' second run in WWE was extraordinary, and much like his first retirement, the second one also happened at the hands of The Phenom, this time, in the most ceremonious way possible.

#2 11-time WWE World Champion Edge

Edge’s retirement in 2011 broke hearts worldwide. Diagnosed with spinal stenosis, he was told another bump could paralyze or even kill him, making his retirement feel tragically permanent. At just 37, the “Rated-R Superstar” was forced to retire, and as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, forced to vacate the title too.

Edge appeared for WWE part-time in various capacities over the next few years, and at SummerSlam 2019 in Toronto, got physical in a major way for the first time in years, interrupting Elias and delivering a Spear. At the 2020 Royal Rumble, Edge’s return shook the stadium to its core. The roar of the crowd... the emotion... it was magical!

While much of his run happened during COVID without fans, he did main event WrestleMania 27, WWE's first show with fans since the pandemic, alongside Daniel Bryan and the Universal Champion, Roman Reigns. The 11-time World Champion would go on to have a killer feud with Seth Rollins thereafter, and following his heel turn against AJ Styles, he birthed The Judgment Day, one of the greatest and longest-running factions of this era.

His run as a heel with the group was cut short due to Cody Rhodes' horrific injury in 2022 (WWE needed top babyfaces in Rhodes' absence), but despite the unrealised potential of a strong heel run, his legacy lives on, with The Judgment Day having turned the likes of Damian Priest, Liv Morgan, and particularly Dominik Mysterio into massive stars, and Rhea Ripley into perhaps the biggest female star in the company.

Edge, meanwhile, crossed the border almost exactly two years ago and now competes under his real name, Adam Copeland, in AEW. A former TNT Champion, he is now in presumably his final run, having recently reunited with Christian Cage to reform their legendary tag team, with the iconic duo set to face FTR at All Out in Toronto.

#1 Former WWE Champion and trailblazer Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan’s 2015 retirement speech was one of the most emotional moments in WWE history. After already having been forced to relinquish the WWE World Heavyweight Championship just a few weeks after his iconic win at WrestleMania 30 due to losing strength in his right arm and requiring neck surgery, he was forced to relinquish the Intercontinental Championship, much like the year before, due to concussion-related troubles.

The possibility of an in-ring return was monitored over several months, but in February 2016, he announced that he was officially retiring, despite initially wanting to leave WWE and wrestle elsewhere because of independent medical professionals having cleared him. Much like Austin and Michaels, Bryan too assumed an on-screen authority role in the company for a significant amount of time.

Daniel Bryan, however, continued to fight for his dreams, and against all odds, The American Dragon returned triumphantly in 2018, clearing every hurdle to have his comeback match at WrestleMania 34. He shockingly turned heel just a few months later and went on to have a stellar WWE Championship reign before eventually dropping the title to Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 36.

After turning babyface, he would continue to be pushed as a top guy and was inserted into the Universal Championship main event at Wrestlemania 37 between Roman Reigns and Edge, at Vince McMahon's particular choice. He began to also be creatively involved with the SmackDown product during this time, although upon the expiry of his contract, he made the decision to head to AEW.

After Bryan Danielson made his iconic AEW debut at All Out 2021, he'd go on to have some incredible matches as a babyface and a heel, wrestling Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Will Ospreay, Zack Sabre Jr., Kazuchika Okada, Nigel McGuinness, Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, MJF, and more. Throughout this run, he also competed intermittently in ROH, CMLL, and NJPW.

A return to the strong style took its obvious toll on Danielson's body, but the sicko wouldn't have it any other way, and while major matches with the likes of CM Punk and Samoa Joe unfortunately never happened, he did wrestle almost everyone he wanted to during this time. While Danielson is practically retired, an in-ring return is still on the table if Danielson feels he is healthy enough. He is a major part of AEW behind the scenes and one of the promotion's most ardent brand ambassadors. Hopefully, this won't affect a deserved WWE Hall of Fame induction down the line.