4 retired WWE stars who can return to the ring
WWE Superstars and legends returning to the ring for one last match after retiring is quite common and has happened several times. From the looks of it, more retired names can return to the ring again soon.
Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Edge (AKA Adam Copeland) are just some wrestlers who initially retired from in-ring competition but have returned following the announcement. While most of them only had one final match, others had a full-on run and are still active today. Interestingly, some of their fellow legends may follow this path in the future.
For this list, we will look at four retired WWE stars who can return to the ring.
#4. Current RAW commentator Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett was one of the most promising stars in the early stages of NXT. He led The Nexus, was a former Intercontinental Champion, and a vicious heel. In 2015, he requested an early release from his contract after being creatively burnt out. He appeared in various independent wrestling promotions for non-wrestling roles.
Wade returned to WWE in 2020 as a commentator, having experienced commentating across three brands. Recently, he even teased coming out of retirement to have a match against Drew McIntyre, with whom he crossed paths on RAW.
#3. Bobby Roode has been cleared for an in-ring return
In September 2022, Bobby Roode underwent neck fusion surgery and transitioned from an in-ring wrestler to being a backstage figure by being a match producer. In February this year, he shared that despite being cleared to return, he chose not to do so to focus on his role as a producer.
Bobby had a successful career in TNA and even in NXT, successfully connecting to fans across both promotions. Despite the neck injury, knowing that he's cleared to return is enough to consider for one final match.
#2. Trish Stratus has unfinished business in WWE
Trish Stratus was among the legends who had to retire early from wrestling due to personal reasons but stated that despite all of it, felt content with her decision to step away in 2006 as she felt content with her accomplishments.
Stratus returned to the Stamford-based promotion sporadically throughout the years, having another full-time return in 2022. She aligned with Becky Lynch and Lita but later betrayed them to feud with The Man. Her last match was at the 2023 Payback event, ending with her partner Zoey Stark attacking her. Since then, she has teased returning to the ring on multiple occasions.
#1. The Undertaker recently expressed wanting to return
The Undertaker is one of the longest and most well-known WWE Superstars in all of wrestling history, which is why his eventual retirement in 2020 was an emotional moment for fans and professionals.
He was inducted into the 2022 Hall of Fame and made sporadic appearances in the company since then, even paying NXT a visit to chokeslam Bron Breakker. Since then, The Deadman has expressed having an itch to return to in-ring competition on multiple occasions. It would be interesting to see if he will act on it soon.