5 WWE Superstars who had the greatest retirement comebacks

Retirement is inevitable for all athletes, including WWE Superstars. However, it can be deceptive in Vince McMahon's company as superstars never shy away from returning after their retirement.

The Undertaker retired and then came back so many times that it almost became impossible to keep track of. Likewise, Mark Henry gave a passionate retirement speech just to body slam John Cena and chase for the title.

Thus, fans hardly believe a superstar when they express their hesitancy to continue. Many superstars have come out of retirement over the years, with results varying from awful to remarkable.

Often the performance of a returning superstar stains their legacy due to their age and rustiness due to staying away from the action for a long time. On the other hand, some names have returned from retirement better than ever.

New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE

On our list, we will focus on five WWE Superstars who have had the greatest retirement comebacks.

Which of the following comebacks do you think was the best? Sound off in the comments below.

#5. Lita is one WWE Superstar who has had a great retirement comeback

Expand Tweet

Lita decided to retire at the age of 31 following her defeat to Mickie James at Survivor Series in 2006. It came as a shock to the WWE Universe, who weren't expecting the former Women's Champion to hang up her boots so early.

Her return for a one-off intergender match against Heath Slater at RAW 1000 was a surprise. However, her sporadic appearances ever since the first edition of Women's Royal Rumble have been remarkable.

She competed in the eponymous battle royal, teamed up with Trish Stratus on a couple of occasions in a winning effort and also challenged for the RAW Women's Championship in a recent dream match against Becky Lynch.

It was impossible to tell Lita originally retired 16 years before her bout with Lynch due to her standout performance. Her current run is yet to come to a definite end.

#4. Here comes the fun - Brock Lesnar has been a great cowboy ever since he returned

This may be a bit of a surprise because Brock Lesnar wasn't actually retired after his loss to Goldberg at WrestleMania XX. But we are not talking about his eight-year hiatus.

Rather, it was his loss at the hands of Drew McIntyre that retired the veteran, albeit temporarily. The Beast Incarnate had to compete in an empty arena with no crowd, and he thought it was over.

According to Lesnar, he retired after that match and revealed the same on The Michael Kay Show.

“I actually retired when COVID hit and my contract was up in 2020. Full circle Brock Lesnar story, I had my first wrestling match in Minnesota was in a garage with no people. 20 years later, had a WWE Title match at WrestleMania in a warehouse in front of no people. 20 years, full circle. I was like ‘I’m out,'” said Brock Lesnar. (H/T RSN)

Following his 'retirement', Lesnar didn't compete at WrestleMania in 2021 for the first time since his return in 2012. He, however, did not stay true to his retirement plans and returned to confront Roman Reigns for another run in WWE.

Brock Lesnar's current run with WWE is arguably better than any previously. Lesnar as a babyface was not something fans knew they wanted until it happened.

Without Paul Heyman, Lesnar has taken it upon himself to deliver great promos. He has since won the Royal Rumble match, Elimination Chamber match and the WWE Championship twice.

#3. Edge returned after almost a decade to rain down spears

Expand Tweet

Edge was the World Heavyweight Champion when he had to retire in 2011 due to several neck injuries. Nine years later, his theme played at Royal Rumble 2020 and fans went berserk.

The Rated-R Superstar soon found himself in a vicious feud against his former friend Randy Orton. The nine-year gap didn't seem to effect his capabilities at all, and he even managed to win the Royal Rumble match.

He engaged in various high-profile feuds against the likes of Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, The Miz and now AJ Styles. Edge also headlined the WrestleMania 38 where he unsuccessfully challenged for the Universal Championship.

#2. Daniel Bryan is still one of the finest performers in pro-wrestling

Daniel Bryan was a crowd favorite in the early 2010s. He was extremely popular and was perhaps meant to be the face of the company when John Cena started wrestling part-time.

However, many concussions due to a lesion on the brain forced him to retire. The American Dragon overcame his injury in two to three years to continue wrestling.

Look at the Bryan of 2015 and then the Bryan of 2018, the only changes you would find are positive ones. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion looked better than ever in the ring and added another feather to his cap with a great WWE Title reign in 2018-19.

#1. Shawn Michaels' homecoming in 2002

Shawn Michaels was one of the biggest names in pro-wrestling when he had to bid farewell to in-ring action in 1998 due to a back injury. Vince McMahon's company had a neck-to-neck rating war with WCW back then, and Michaels' situation was a huge blow to the promotion.

After four years of staying away from the fight, Shawn Michaels returned to WWE in 2002. He soon shut down all the doubts about his physical condition with outstanding matches.

HBK perhaps had an even better second run where he blended well with Ruthless Aggression stars like John Cena, Randy Orton and Chris Jericho. His return from retirement was incredible.

The Showstopper made another return in 2018 but it had nothing particularly memorable involved.

Edited by Brandon Nell