5 WWE Superstars who returned after being released to become world champions

WWE is a brutal business, where only a few get to go to the top of the business, i.e., win a world championship. WWE Superstars not only have to be great in the ring, on the mic, and ooze charisma, but also have to compete with many Superstars waiting in the wings to take their spot.

To reach the top requires a lot of effort, dedication, and drive to succeed. The majority of the performers won't main event WrestleMania or even win a world title. The ones who have won world titles in the promotion have done so after clawing and clinging to their position in the company.

But, there have been a few who have had to deal with an even tougher journey of being released by the company, before returning to winning a world title.

Let's take a look at 5 WWE Superstars who returned after being released to become world champions:

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#5 Drew McIntyre

Let's begin with the latest Superstar to achieve this arduous feat of dealing with being released to come back stronger and win the WWE Championship. Drew McIntyre won his first WWE world title at WrestleMania 36 when he defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship. This occurred just three years after returning to WWE after being released in 2014.

McIntyre was deemed "The Chosen One" by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon a decade ago. But after a few years in the promotion, and not impressing the bosses backstage, he was released.

The Scottish Psychopath was not discouraged by his release as he worked hard in various promotions like ICW, Evolve, and even TNA, before returning to WWE. He became NXT Champion, and after being called up to the main roster, was a heel, before he was turned babyface, winning the 2020 men's Royal Rumble match.

This set-up a mouthwatering feud with Brock Lesnar, whom he defeated at WrestleMania 36.

#4 Jinder Mahal

A Superstar who had a similar journey to Drew McIntyre was Jinder Mahal. Mahal and McIntyre were a part of the 3MB group in WWE, before he too was released with McIntyre in 2014.

The Modern Day Maharaja gave up on alcohol and worked on his physique, and when he returned to WWE in 2016, he looked very different from how he did when he was released. This time around, it seemed like it would work out well for him, as he looked and sounded like a Superstar who could be taken seriously.

He put on a strong showing at the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33, before being moved to SmackDown in the Superstar Shake-Up. He entered into a feud with Randy Orton, who was the then WWE Champion. And at Backlash 2017, he won the WWE Championship from Orton.

He finally lost the belt a few months later to AJ Styles on an episode of SmackDown. While not many fans were impressed by WWE for putting the title on Mahal, some fans will argue that Mahal was a perfect heel and that the hard work he put in to come back to WWE warranted the title reign.

#3 Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan has won the Heavyweight title and WWE Championship

Daniel Bryan has had quite an incredible relationship with WWE. He first appeared in 2002 and 2003 for a few matches on Velocity and Heat shows. After impressing in indie wrestling, he got his big break in 2009 when WWE signed him.

He was a part of the first season of NXT and then had a feud with The Miz. But he was let go by WWE in 2010 after he was deemed to have been too aggressive in his mock strangling Justin Roberts, who was a ring announcer with WWE back then.

He returned to WWE later in the year and showed great promise on WWE television. Bryan won his first major title at TLC in 2011 when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Big Show. He then won the WWE Championship in 2013 at SummerSlam. Bryan has won numerous singles and tag team titles with WWE.

Bryan made a triumphant return from a career-ending injury in 2018 and had one more WWE Championship run.

#2 Jeff Hardy

When Jeff Hardy hangs up his wrestling boots, he will be remembered for his daredevilry and his high-flying moves that wowed an entire generation of WWE fans. Hardy, along with his brother, put on fantastic tag team feuds with the likes of the Dudley Boyz and Edge & Christian.

Hardy has had issues away from the ring, too, with his alcoholism and drug use being a cause for concern to those backstage. He was released by WWE in 2003, after which he wrestled in TNA. He returned to WWE in 2006, and after briefly teaming with brother Matt, Jeff had a good singles run where he won the Intercontinental title.

In 2008, he was in a feud with Edge and defeated The Rated-R Superstar to win the WWE Championship. He was in the main event picture for the next year or so, feuding with Edge once again for the WWE Heavyweight Championship, defeating him once again. CM Punk, though, cashed-in his contract to win the title before Hardy won it back once again.

Punk won the title once again in a TLC match at SummerSlam 2009, which was Hardy's final world title.

#1 Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero is highly regarded among WWE fans as one of the best in-ring talents the WWE has seen in the last 25 years. Guerrero had tremendous in-ring ability, but he had issues away from the ring, which resulted in him getting released by WWE in 2001.

Then head of talent relations, Jim Ross, had this to say about why WWE decided to terminate Guerrero's contract:

"We sought help for Eddie but then I had to end up terminating his contract after an incident that occurred after Eddie had attended rehab. Sometimes people have to hit rock bottom before they can dig their way out of the holes that they dig for themselves.

Ross said that when Latino Heat returned to WWE in 2002, he was "essentially a new man." Just two years after his return, Guerrero did something few Superstars have done - winning a match against Brock Lesnar and the WWE Championship at No Way Out. He then defended the title against Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 20 and came out on top.

Edited by Shruti Sadbhav