8 WWE stars who made a surprising return to the company this decade

#1 Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar

Left in 2004; Returned in 2012 after WrestleMania 28

The Beast is one of the biggest stars in wrestling history. He's been a constant main-event presence since 2014 and has held both WWE and Universal Championships in 2019. There was a time, however, when Lesnar and the company weren't a lucrative partnership.

Due to an impressive collegiate wrestling career, Lesnar was signed right out of college in 2000 to WWE's developmental territory at the time, OVW. The impressive physical specimen would debut in 2002 and enjoy a rocket-like ascension to the top of the card. He would leave shortly thereafter, however, in 2004. The Beast claimed that he wanted to pursue a career in the NFL. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings and played in the preseason for the team but was released before the start of the 2004 season.

While still away from the WWE, Lesnar made a huge impact in MMA. He didn't start in the UFC but eventually made his way to the world's biggest MMA company. In the promotion, he won the UFC Heavyweight title but had to eventually semi-retire due to a bout with diverticulitis.

He would return to the UFC at UFC 200 but ultimately chose professional wrestling once more. The Beast came back in 2012 to confront John Cena. His return after WrestleMania 28 made the RAW episode following the Showcase of the Immortals one of the most anticipated shows of the year.

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