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WWE is all about storyline and kayfabe. Everything that we see inside the ring is scripted. Many times WWE presents that a particular wrestler got injured or suspended as the part of the storyline to make it more interesting like they are doing with Jeff Hardy at the moment. But, seldom these planned matches and stunts can also lead to serious distress. All the wrestlers have suffered some kind of injury in their career. Sometimes it is minor but sometimes it is serious enough to end a wrestler's career like in the case of Paige or Edge.
Some wrestlers have managed to bounce back despite suffering these injuries and have had a better run in WWE than their previous one. Let us look at 5 such biggest comebacks by a Pro-Wrestler in WWE who had the time of their life after returning.
These wrestlers were out for many different reasons like injury, suspension or they decided to have a career elsewhere and then returned to WWE after a while like Bobby Lashley and The Hardy Brothers.
#5 Shawn Micheals vs Triple H- 2002
Shawn Michaels was never supposed to wrestle another match again. During a Casket Match at Royal Rumble 1998 against The Undertaker, Michaels herniated two discs in his back. The injury was threatening and it was the same injury that ended the career of Iron Man Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.
When the news of the injury broke early, doctors said that it was the end of Micheals' in-ring career. Micheals was at his prime when he suffered this and naturally, many wrestling fans were upset to see an early end to the career of one of the greats. But, Shawn had other plans.
Unable to wrestle, he returned to TV and was paired with Triple H and they reformed DX, one the most popular tag-teams in the history of WWE.
Unfortunately, that comeback was short-lived as well. Triple H soon turned against him by attacking him, which served as an instigator to an in-ring return of Mr. WrestleMania at Survivor Series 2002.
Everyone had their doubts as Micheals was out of in-ring action for 4 and a half years. But, Shawn surprised everyone by having a nearly perfect hardcore match with Triple H. It became one of the best matches of both, Triple H and Shawn's career. It was the birth of the new and better Shawn Micheals.
He wrestled for another 8 years. Many believe that the second half of Shawn's wrestling career overshadowed his first half. He had some unforgettable feuds with Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Vince McMahon, John Cena, and The Undertaker. He truly established his legacy with that second run.
#4 Rock’s Return During Wrestlemania 27-
During 2011, The Rock was one of the biggest names in the world of wrestling and Hollywood; John Cena was the face that was running the WWE. So, naturally, a rivalry between these two had success written all over it. Vince looked at it as a big opportunity and gave them the biggest wrestling stage of all, WrestleMania. This rivalry was a WrestleMania trilogy masterpiece expanding through Wrestlemania 27, 28 and 29.
It all started when The Rock appeared on Raw and was announced as the host of WrestleMania 27. The tension can be clearly seen between The Rock and Cena and it was a no-brainer that it was going to result in some kind of a feud in future.
At the event, The Rock cost Cena the WWE Championship, after which Cena challenged The Rock for a match at WrestleMania 28, which Rock accepted. Logical and smart booking kept this feud heated over an entire year, a rarity in today's programming.
The Rock won the match after having a great match with Cena at WrestleMania 28. They again had a match at WrestleMania 29, when Cena won the Royal Rumble and got the right to challenge the WWE Champion at WrestleMania and The Rock defeated CM Punk, then WWE Champion to defend his title against Cena. They had another classic match and this time Cena emerged the winner.
This rivalry severely obscured the lines between kayfabe and reality, with their real-life dispute dropping over into WWE programming. The Rock had one of his memorable runs and was able to become WWE Champion and headline two WrestleManias in the process.
#3 Edge in 2010
Edge was off television for more than 6 months to
Achilles tendon when he finally returned to Royal Rumble 2010 and won it. Everyone was behind Edge after his return as he was one of the best wrestlers of his generation.
Even though he could not win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 26, he had something bigger coming his way. After returning, he had great feuds with Chris Jericho, Dolph Ziggler, Raw's Anonymous General Manager, Kane, and Alberto Del Rio.
He was an established name in WWE even before his return, but his 2010-11 run truly made him the great star that he is. Unfortunately, he had to retire in 2011, but many like me will always remember him for his this period in WWE.
He was running SmackDown successfully single-handedly. He showed that he was not only a magnificent heel but also an exceptional babyface. In his final run, he won a Royal Rumble, World Heavyweight Championship on more than one occasion, and had great feuds with the top stars and General Managers of the company.
#2. Brock Lesnar's Return in 2012
Brock Lesnar returned to WWE on April 2, 2012, on Raw, as a heel, by confronting and delivering an F-5 to John Cena which set up the feud between the two. It was his second run with the company and WWE wanted to establish him as a brutal maniac who would basically kill his opponent to win a match and they achieved it in his match against John Cena at Extreme Rules 2012 when he almost murdered him. He lost the match, but he was dominating for the most part of it. Since then, he has been in and out of the company due to his part-time status. But whenever he returns, we know that we are in for a madcap feud.
He even ended the famous streak of The Undertaker that was described by Sports Illustrated as being "the most shocking result since the Montreal Screwjob" and established himself as the face of the company. In this stint apart from ending the streak, Lesnar won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Universal Championship and had some of the most unforgettable feuds with John Cena, The Undertaker, Triple H, Roman Reigns and Randy Orton. He even became the longest reigning WWE Champion with 504 days. Now, he is one of the moat popular stars in the world from the current roster.
#1 John Cena's Return at Royal Rumble 2008
John Cena made a surprise return as the final participant of the Royal Rumble match in 2008 after being out of action for almost 4 months due to a torn muscle, winning the match. Cena was already a popular name in WWE before 2008 with his Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick and his WWE Championship reign, But he truly proved himself as an all-time great after his return. Now, he is one of the most recognizable WWE Superstars in the whole world. He is a part-timer at the moment but whenever he makes an appearance, the ratings of that show automatically increases. He is a natural in his role.
After returning in 2008, he had a dream run in which he won Royal Rumble match twice, won World Heavyweight Championship and WWE championship on multiple occasions, headlined several Wrestlemanias and had amazing feuds with almost all the top stars of the WWE like CM Punk, Rock, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Daniel Bryan to name a few.
