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Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but in WWE, that may not always be the case. While there have been examples of long hiatus leading to superstars having great runs (Triple H in 2002, for example), there are occasions where long periods away can lead to fans not caring as much anymore.
We look at five recent examples of WWE Superstars who were out so long that fans simply stopped caring as much:
#5. 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt - Almost completely inactive in WWE since December 2020
Many WWE fans would argue that Bray Wyatt is the most misused WWE Superstar of this generation, and it's not hard to see why. With greater charisma than most on the roster, Wyatt has been in numerous situations where he could have been one of WWE's breakout stars, but the company's handling of him has prevented him from reaching the level that many feel he should be at.
The Eater Of Worlds character had incredible appeal, and it culminated in 2017 with his WWE Championship victory. That ended in less than 50 days, and fans felt he should have defeated Randy Orton at the peak of an otherwise incredible storyline.
Bray Wyatt gaining a lot of momentum and then losing it all has been the story of his WWE career. The Fiend was a breath of fresh air, and after the debut of his new character at SummerSlam 2019, he seemed destined for a great run ahead.
The Fiend had the air of a mystical, larger-than-life character, but his momentum was halted severely by a loss against Goldberg in Saudi Arabia last year. The decision still baffles WWE fans to date. He somehow bounced back and "defeated" John Cena at WrestleMania 36.
Since then, he went on a pursuit of the Universal Championship, finally recapturing it at SummerSlam 2020, only to lose it a week later to the returning Roman Reigns at Payback.
After that, a storyline against Randy Orton followed, all while Alexa Bliss was under his spell and became his new ally. The Fiend was defeated by Orton at TLC, where he was immolated.
Since then, he only returned at Fastlane 2021 and lost again to The Viper at WrestleMania 37 after Bliss turned on him. He has been inactive ever since, and minus an unforgettable WrestleMania program, WWE has done nothing with The Fiend.
At this point, it's clear that most fans don't seem to care about his return, though we hope that he can come back when the crowds start attending again in July.
#4. Sheamus - Away from WWE from 2019 to 2020
Sheamus had a great run in WWE between 2016 and 2019, winning the RAW Tag Team Championship four times and the SmackDown Tag Team Championship once.
Right after WrestleMania 35 in 2019, his partnership with Cesaro ended after he reportedly suffered a concussion. While Sheamus was supposedly cleared a few months later, he only returned in 2020. He then began his somewhat controversial feud with Jeff Hardy, where the storyline was centered around the legend's struggles with alcohol and drug addiction.
The period that Sheamus was away had good programming, and since Cesaro had split off to become a singles star again, The Bar was disbanded. Fans didn't seem to have much interest in a return for The Celtic Warrior.
It was only in October of 2020 where Sheamus' fortunes had changed, and his initial alliance with Drew McIntyre did wonders for him. A heel turn was inevitable, and he is currently having the best run of his WWE career in over eight years. Perhaps the apathy towards him helped him in the long run.
With that said, Sheamus is a bonafide future Hall of Famer, with only an Intercontinental Championship left to add to his stacked trophy cabinet.
#3. Randy Orton - Away from WWE from October 2015 to the summer of 2016
Randy Orton had several injuries before, but in late 2015, he had to take a hiatus from WWE for a bizarre injury. He suffered a major shoulder injury while taking out the trash, and he would be out of action for nearly a year.
It's not that Orton was lighting the WWE Universe on fire around that time, because apart from Seth Rollins, not many stars were thriving in 2015.
Perhaps it could be argued that his absence was felt at WrestleMania 32, but Randy Orton was among a long list of superstars who couldn't make it to The Grandest Stage of Them All due to an injury.
But ultimately, WWE fans didn't seem to care too much about his absence. Things were picking up in 2016 post-WrestleMania 32, and it was only well before SummerSlam that Randy Orton's return was announced.
It was revealed that he would headline SummerSlam 2016 against Brock Lesnar. While the match ended in a bloody mess (literally), he managed to regain momentum just by being a part of the 2016 SmackDown Live roster.
#2. Goldberg - Only had small spells with WWE since 2018
Goldberg returned to WWE after 12 long years away in 2016. His return was an instant success, and he took out Brock Lesnar in 1 minute and 26 seconds in a shocking Survivor Series main event.
It led to him returning at Royal Rumble 2017 and culminated with a Universal Championship win and a defeat to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 33. 2017 seemed to be the perfect place for Goldberg to have his farewell, as he went out on his back and righted the wrong of WrestleMania 20.
His WWE Hall of Fame induction a year later cemented that, but it wasn't the end of his run. He had a few stints in between, including a disastrous "dream" match against The Undertaker, a short but fun match against Dolph Ziggler, and a return to win and lose the Universal Championship.
His most recent run saw him lose to Drew McIntyre at the 2021 Royal Rumble, and minus a few appearances, there hasn't been too much buzz about his returns. If he were to quietly retire from WWE, it wouldn't make much of a difference.
#1. CM Punk - Left WWE in 2014
It's hard to imagine that seven-and-a-half years have passed since CM Punk's departure from WWE and wrestling in general. It's almost as long as his entire WWE tenure, and after quite a few years, fans finally seem to be disinterested in his return.
With that said, Punk never teased a return to WWE. His biggest source of frustration was the hectic schedules, rough injuries, and creative limitations. The latter particularly had a great impact on his decision to walk away from WWE.
CM Punk was expected to return to WWE at some point, and there have been instances where the company has been open to negotiations. The closest he came to a WWE return was when he was signed to be a part of WWE Backstage on FOX. That was ultimately canceled, and he has been vocal about his criticism of his former employer.
Interestingly, a lot of the rift that he had seem to be with Triple H more than Vince McMahon. But at this point, the door is likely closed on a return to WWE, and fans don't care as much as they did a few years ago.
