'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
This week on Raw, Dean Ambrose made his long-awaited return from injury to a thunderous reception from the live audience.
In times where the internet rules the wrestling world, a well-executed return is extremely difficult to do, with most fans already aware of what is about to go down.
Regardless of this, though, the WWE still manage to pull off some excellent surprises from time to time, and when things go right, there are fewer things more exciting than a familiar entrance theme hitting and a crowd losing their mind.
With Ambrose's return still fresh in the memory, let's take a look a look back at five of the best WWE returns of all time.
#5 CM Punk, Raw, 2011
While the WWE might have made a pig's ear of the 'Summer of Punk' in the long-run, the program is still cherished by wrestling fans around the world as providing us with some of the most original and daring pieces of television in WWE history.
When Punk defeated John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011, fans were genuinely baffled as to what was going to happen next.
Punk had announced that he was leaving the company, and was posting pictures on his social media of the WWE title in all sorts of weird and wonderful places.
The WWE reacting by announcing a tournament to crown a new champion. John Cena took on Rey Mysterio in the final on an episode of Raw, and would eventually defeat the former cruiserweight champion to lift the belt.
As Cena stood celebrating in the ring though, the unfamiliar sound of 'Cult of Personality' rang out and fans turned their attention to the entrance ramp.
Cena was then greeted by a returning CM Punk and his original WWE title belt, sending the live audience into a frenzy. The show went off the air with the two men holding their belts above their heads.
There is an argument to be made that the company should have waited a little bit longer for Punk's return to generate even more of a reaction from the fanbase, but this was still an awesome moment.
#4 The Rock, Raw 2011
At the start of 2011, rumors began to spread around the internet about who was going to be the host of that year's WrestleMania, WrestleMania 27.
Names from Stone Cold to Justin Bieber were thrown around the internet, and even as the announcement got closer, things still remained fairly unclear.
When the announcement was made on the Valentine's Day edition of Monday Night Raw in 2011, fans in the arena held their breath, eagerly waiting to see whose music was going to hit. The production team played their part superbly as well, with lightning bolts flashing across the titantron for what felt like an eternity before The Rock's iconic music hit and the audience blew the roof off the place.
The Rock is guaranteed a big pop whenever he makes a return to the WWE, but this one has to rank up there as one of the greatest of all time.
#3 The Hardy Boyz- WrestleMania 33
The Hardy Boyz were one of the hottest acts in the wrestling industry at the start of 2017. Matt Hardy's inspired 'broken' gimmick had taken off on a massive scale, and his run with Jeff Hardy in Impact and various other promotions had made the Hardys one of the most talked about teams in the industry.
Most fans expected The Hardys to return to the WWE in early 2017 but their arrival at WrestleMania was executed to perfection. The team had performed for Ring of Honor just 24 hours before WrestleMania 33, losing to The Young Bucks in an excellent ladder match at Supercard of Honor XI. In the eyes of most fans, this ruled them out of a return to the WWE until at least after WrestleMania.
The company then made sure no-one saw the team sneaking into the arena, and when The New Day revealed them as the fourth team in a fatal-4-way ladder match for the Raw tag team titles, the crowd went berserk.
The Hardys would top off their incredible comeback by winning the tag-team titles in that match, and while they have gone their separate ways on the roster since then, this return is still one of the best moments of both men's careers.
#2 John Cena- Royal Rumble
Love him or hate him, John Cena's commitment to the WWE throughout his career is commendable, and his superhuman spirit was on full display at the start of 2008 when, after picking up an injury that should have sidelined him for six months, the champ returned after just three.
Cena's return at the 2008 Royal Rumble was one of the biggest surprises in the history of the event. With 29 men already having entered, fans were baffled as to who the final competitor in the match was going to be. When Cena's music hit, fans who had hated him for the past several years, lost their marbles and blew the roof off Madison Square Garden.
If there was ever an example of just how popular John Cena is, then this is it.
#1 Brock Lesnar- Raw, 2012
Between the years 2004 and 2012, it seemed like barely six months went by without someone mentioning the possibility of a Brock Lesnar return.
Lesnar's absence from the company had left a huge hole at the top of the card, and when he went on to find success in the UFC, most WWE fans presumed we would never see him inside the squared circle again.
That all changed in 2012, however, when The Beast Incarnate made his return to the WWE in front of what is traditionally their hottest crowd of the year.
One night after WrestleMania 28, John Cena cut a promo to close the show. Cena had lost to The Rock the night before and wanted to address The Rock's victory man to man. As Cena held his mic out, waiting for The Rock to make his way to the ring, Brock Lesnar's music hit and the crowd lost their minds. Things only got crazier as Lesnar then made his way to the ring and hit Cena with an F5 to close the show.
Like most modern-day returns, fans in the arena had a fair idea that Lesnar was making his return thanks to the internet, but that still didn't stop them going crazy when the first beats of his music hit.
