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A major former WWE Superstar's return has always been one of the most exciting aspects of pro wrestling. When a Superstar returns to the ring after a long absence, it sends fans into a frenzy as it comes out of nowhere and happens when they are least expecting it.
Fans might remember Hall of Famer Edge's return to WWE at the 2020 Royal Rumble event, earlier this year. Edge had been away from the ring for nine long years, and fans had given up hope that they would ever get to see him wrestle again. It did happen though, and Edge's moist eyes told the whole story.
In this list, we will be taking a look at five former WWE Superstars, who teased making a return but didn't end up coming back as fans had expected.
#5 Former WWE Superstar AJ Lee
Former Divas Champion AJ Lee is deemed by many as a major reason why the Women's Revolution took off, even though she was done with WWE by the time the movement began gaining steam. AJ Lee was a mainstay on WWE TV for years on end and had memorable rivalries with the likes of Kaitlyn and Paige. While talking with Kristine Leahy on the FS1 show Fair Game, Lee teased a return to the ring.
"I'd say never say never. Every time I've said never in my life, I wound up doing the thing. 'I'd never date a wrestler; I'd never date another wrestler.' Then it ended with me marrying one. I don't know what the future holds. So, not to hold your breath but never say never."
This interview took place last year, and we haven't heard anything about a potential AJ Lee return ever since. AJ Lee left WWE just over a year after her partner CM Punk quit. Lee and Punk both left a mark on pro wrestling and were quite popular among the WWE Universe while they were active Superstars. Lee's version of the Pipebomb on an episode of RAW in 2013 is regarded as one of the greatest promos of the past decade.
#4 Former WWE Superstar Sting
At Survivor Series 2014, the unthinkable happened and WCW legend Sting final made his WWE debut in one of the most surprising moments in pro wrestling history. Sting was one of the biggest WCW stars to not come to WWE following WCW's purchase, and he soon went to TNA to resume his career. Sting's WWE career didn't last long and he was done with wrestling after his WWE World Heavyweight title outing with Seth Rollins. A few months ago, Sting teased a return by posting a cryptic message on Twitter and asked fans who wanted to take a 'last' ride with him.
As was expected, this didn't amount to anything and didn't lead to a return. Sting suffered a legitimate injury during his match with Rollins, which made sure that he wouldn't return to the ring again. Currently, Sting is 61-years-old and it's safe to say that The Franchise is done with pro wrestling for good. Sting was one of the biggest babyfaces in the history of this business, and his feud against nWo in the late 90s were a major reason why WCW was toppling WWE in the rating war.
#3 Former WWE Superstar Summer Rae
After spending some time in WWE's developmental territory, Summer Rae was moved up to the main roster, where she was introduced as Fandango's dance partner. Rae was let go by WWE in 2017, after being inactive for around a year. Recently, WWE started airing vignettes hyping up the arrival of a mystery woman, and Rae decided to have some fun on social media. Around the same time, she posted a tweet in which she hinted at a WWE return, and fans speculated that she was the mystery woman. The tweet was posted less than 24 hours after an episode of SmackDown came to an end, which featured the vignette.
This was all for naught though, as the mystery woman was later revealed to be WWE Superstar Carmella, who had been repackaged after a brief period of inactivity on WWE TV. Carmella is a former SmackDown Women's Champion and has also won the women's Money in the Bank briefcase on one occasion. At 32, Carmella still has a lot left in the tank in regards to a WWE run. As for Summer Rae, there's no indication that we will get to see her in a WWE ring in the future.
#2 Former WWE Superstar Stone Cold Steve Austin
This one's a special case, as Stone Cold Steve Austin has made several appearances for WWE following his retirement, but none of those were as a pro wrestler.
WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of that rare crop of Superstars who bid goodbye to the ring and stayed retired. Austin's final match came at WrestleMania 19, where he lost to The Rock, in what was their third WrestleMania encounter. Ever since then, Austin has made a long string of appearances for WWE and has delivered thunderous Stunners to several WWE talents. Last year, Austin teased a potential return to the squared circle, and fans couldn't contain their excitement.
For the last couple of weeks, down there at the Raw reunion in Tampa, down there at the Madison Square Garden show at ‘Monday Night Raw’ – people always ask me, ‘Hey man, you’re still in really good shape. You got one more match left in you?'
And I tell them, ‘Man.’ I say, ‘You know, it’s a tough thing to think about.’ Physically, would I be able to have one more match? Yes, most definitely, and I could make it to that match without being injured.
Unfortunately for the fans, this led to nothing and Austin is still happily retired. Over the past decade or so, we have seen a number of former WWE legends return to the ring for one last hurrah, most notably The Rock, Goldberg, and Shawn Michaels. Austin's neck injury prevented him from returning to the ring. Austin appeared on RAW earlier this year, alongside Becky Lynch, and he will keep making one-off appearances in the near future as well. As for an in-ring return, it seems like the ship has sailed for The Rattlesnake.
#1 Former WWE Superstar CM Punk
CM Punk wrestled his final WWE match in 2014, at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. He quit WWE immediately following the match and has yet to return to pro wrestling ever since. Punk wasn't happy with how WWE was handling his character at the time and decided to leave the company. He has stated several times since then that he is done with wrestling. Punk has also teased a return to the ring on various occasions, one of which came in March 2020. Punk took a bunch of names and stated that if the money is right, he would listen to the pitch and would be down for a return.
As far as people that I’ve worked with before, if there was a clean slate, if the money was right, I think a guy like Daniel Bryan, I would go, ‘I would listen to your idea.’ If you said John Cena, I’d probably listen to your idea. Rey Mysterio, I would listen to your idea. For people I haven’t ever wrestled before, I think Will Ospreay, I would listen to your idea. There’s a lot of moving parts. I’m busy doing other stuff and nobody has found the right combination of ways to approach me. It’s not all up to me, ladies and gentlemen, it’s up to the people who actually run the company.
Soon after, CM Punk's stint on WWE Backstage came to an end, as the show was canceled. Punk's tease amounted to nothing and we have yet to see him back in WWE. Punk does show some interest in WWE's product though, and occasionally tweets about the same. He was recently seen tweeting about RETRIBUTION and teased at one point that he could be involved with the faction.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
