5 Superstars whose return WWE run was more successful than their original run

Who doesn't love getting a second chance, especially when the company to work for is a professional wrestling giant like WWE? Over the years, even all-time greats like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair have worked for WWE through multiple runs, and have had success every time they've appeared for WWE.

Also, there have been some who achieved mind-boggling success during their initial runs, but failed to capitalize on the opportunities given to them years after their initial success, such as Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. However, finding someone who reappeared in WWE after a significant gap following their first release and still managed to achieve overwhelming success, even more than their initial runs, is quite rare.

Take, for example, Drew McIntyre, who has been in the WWE for only a year in his second run but is already poised for a better in-ring career than he had during his first run. This is not a new thing, as a few superstars have achieved this significant feat in the past as well. Here are 5 such superstars whose return WWE run was more successful than the original one.

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#5 Christian (2009-2014)

Christian had a career-defining rivalry with Randy Orton in 2011.

In the eyes of WWE, Christian was never a bonafide main event star. Unlike his best friend Edge, who was the top villain in the WWE for almost 5 years, Christian rarely got the chance to showcase his talent at the top of the order despite being equally good inside the ring. As someone who was in the WWE for almost 15 years, Christian seldom gets enough credit.

Making his debut as a tag team wrestler back in 1998, the team of Edge and Christian revolutionized the art of tag team wrestling in WWE. Wrestling a number of all-time classics along with The Hardys and The Dudleys, the two accumulated 7 tag team title reigns before the two went separate ways in 2001.

Following the breakup, Christian stayed in the mid-card for most of the time, winning the Intercontinental title, Hardcore Title, European Title and 2 more Tag Titles, until he was released in 2005 after a main event run. Following his first WWE run, Christian had a highly successful run with TNA, where he won the NWA World Title twice and was a staple of their main event scene. The success of TNA not only brought Christian back to WWE in 2009, but it came alongside him.

Merely months after his return, Christian won the ECW Championship, held it one more time and lost it only on the last night of ECW. Christian's peak, however, came in 2011, when, following Edge's retirement, he won the World Heavyweight Championship twice and had a universally acclaimed feud with Randy Orton. Christian's last title run came in 2012 when he won the Intercontinental Title for the last time as he was mostly sidelined after that before hanging his boots in 2014.

#4 Jeff Hardy (2006-2009)

Jeff Hardy ended his second run at the peak of his career.

Jeff Hardy is the kind of superstar that no wrestling fan can even dare to hate. As one of the most exciting and dare-devilish superstars to have ever stepped foot in the ring, Jeff Hardy has earned all the respect that the fans are giving him right now. Although he has slowed down a step or two due to injuries, Jeff is still as popular as he was when he debuted in 1999.

Alongside his elder brother Matt, Jeff scaled unimaginable heights in the tag team division, with the two winning the WWF Tag Team titles 5 times and the WCW Tag Team Titles once. Hardy also tasted singles success during his first run, winning the Intercontinental, European, Hardcore and Light Heavyweight Titles. He even faced The Undertaker for the Undisputed WWE Championship in one of Raw's best match in history.

However, erratic behaviour and a long history of drug use cost him his job with the company in 2003. Hardy's stunning in-ring work catch the eye of TNA as he joined them in 2004. During his 3-year run with the company, Hardy, unlike his WWE run, regularly challenged for the World Title and was involved in some of the biggest rivalries during this time. This, however, was just the start, as Hardy's best days began when he rejoined WWE in 2006.

Initially realigned with brother Matt, with whom he had one more Tag Title reign, Hardy made a jump to singles competition and won the Intercontinental title 3 more times. In 2008, Hardy became the prime challenger to Triple H's WWE Title and finally won it in December 2008. After a grudge feud with his brother, Hardy had a sensational final feud with CM Punk, during which he won the World Heavyweight Title two times before he was again released in 2009.

While Hardy is enjoying a good third run with the company right now, it would take a lot of efforts to overtake the success that he achieved in his second run.

#3 Chris Jericho (2007-2017)

This was Jericho at his very best.

Chris Jericho is a kind of superstar who comes only once every generation. In fact, no man has had more career resurgences in the history than Jericho, and he has only improved on all aspects with every passing year. In fact, Jericho has had so many returns to the WWE in the past decade that it becomes nearly impossible to realize that he is no longer a full-time wrestler in the WWE.

After a successful 4 year run with WCW, where he was one of the pioneers of the promotion's cruiserweight division and a key figure of the mid-card, Jericho arrived in WWF in 1999 to great pomp and shows. In less than 2 years after his debut, Jericho had won every singles title in the company except the World Title. The Invasion storyline, however, skyrocketed Jericho to superstardom.

He not only became a three-time World Champion, but he also became the first ever Undisputed Champion when he defeated both The Rock and Steve Austin on the same night. However, a disappointing reign and a lackluster feud with Triple H meant he stuck in the mid-card throughout his remaining tenure, feuding with Shawn Michaels and Christian, until his release in 2005.

After a 2-year break from wrestling, Jericho returned to the WWE and took the whole wrestling world by shock when he began a heartless villain. His feud with Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio and Edge turned him into the most hated man in the industry. Apart from doing some of the best in-ring work of his life, Jericho won 3 more World Titles, 2 more Intercontinental Titles and 2 reigns as Unified Tag Team Titles.

After a lengthy period of mediocre feuds, apart from that hot feud with CM Punk in 2012, Jericho reinvented his career again with the List of Jericho storyline, during which he won the United States Title twice and became one of the most loved characters in WWE again.

#2 Brock Lesnar (2012-Present)

Lesnar became an undefeatable entity during this run.

Love him or hate him, but you sure as hell can agree that Brock Lesnar is one of the best pure athletes to have ever stepped foot in the WWE ring. On his best days, he is capable of enthralling the fans in a way that no other professional wrestler can even imagine to do. It was because his talent and his aura that he was always poised for massive things even before he made his debut for WWE.

Nicknamed the Next Big Thing, Lesnar took the world by a storm when he won the King of the Ring tournament and defeated The Rock for the Undisputed Title at Summerslam with six months of his debut. Adding glory to this, he won the Royal Rumble in 2003 and won the WWE Title in the main event of WrestleMania that year. After lengthy feuds with The Undertaker and Kurt Angle throughout 2003, Lesnar departed from WWE on a sour note after his loss to Goldberg at WrestleMania XX.

The decision to leave WWE turned out to be the best of Lesnar's career as he became the biggest star in the whole world during his time outside WWE. In his first match for NJPW, he won the IWGP World Heavyweight Title. But it wasn't until he joined UFC in 2008, where he became the UFC Heavyweight Champion, that Lesnar finally achieved the superstardom that he boasts right now.

Reappearing in WWE in 2012, Lesnar developed the new persona of The Beast, where he would decimate superstars like Triple H, CM Punk, John Cena, The Undertaker and many more. His victories over John Cena at Summerslam 2014 and Goldberg at Mania 33 gave him his fourth and fifth World Title win, with the last one being the longest of the modern era. However, the biggest achievement of Lesnar's second run was his win over The Undertaker at Mania XXX, which turned him into the undefeatable entity that he his now.

#1 Shawn Michaels (2002-2010)

The best way to exit - Losing with Pride.

It would be unfair to select which of the two WWE in-ring runs of 'Heart Break Kid' Shawn Michaels was the better one. Often rated as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Michaels always delivered big time whenever he stepped in the ring and has wrestled more all-time classics than probably any other professional wrestlers in America.

Making his debut with the WWE way back in 1988, Michaels had a successful stint as a tag team wrestler, along with Marty Jannetty as The Rockers, during his first 3 years. Upon turning on his partner in 1991, Michaels became a snobbish heel and became a big star in the mid-card. His three Intercontinental Title reigns and two reigns with Tag Team Championships acted as a stepping stone for his future success.

After failing to win the WWF Title at Mania XI, Michaels won his second Royal Rumble in 1996 and defeated Bret Hart in the main event of Mania XII to win his first WWF Title. Upon his heel turn in 1997, Michaels founded DX, won his 3rd WWF Title and continued to be the top star until an injury brought an end to his career at WrestleMania XIV. After his injury, Michaels became a trainer for future wrestlers until he was cleared to return in 2002.

Returning with a lot of fanfare, Michaels was immediately put into the main event scene and won the World Heavyweight Title less than 6 months after his return. Even after losing the title, Michaels stayed in the main-event scene and developed a whole new persona of the Showstopper. His matches with the likes of Chris Jericho, Triple H, Kurt Angle, John Cena, Ric Flair and The Undertaker were the best wrestling matches in the subsequent years.

After reforming DX in 2009 and winning the unified tag team titles with HHH, Michaels ceremoniously retired again after losing the main event of Mania XXVI, hence bringing an end to inarguably the best return run in the history of WWE.