5 times WWE released superstars and they came back to win championships

Drew McIntyre is a two-time former WWE Champion.

Not all wrestlers reach desired success in WWE, and when the company thinks they're not cut out for its future gameplan, they are released from their contracts. 2020 and 2021 have seen WWE release superstars en masse with the reasoning of budget cuts.

Said "budget cuts" were executed during a period when the Vince McMahon-led promotion collected record profit despite a worldwide pandemic. The releases include big stars such as Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt and a multitude of main roster and NXT talents. However, hope is not lost yet. History has proved it possible for released superstars to return and become important stars.

Braun Strowman was man of many talents in WWE. https://t.co/WDqHSharVh

Many such returning superstars have won championships in WWE. Others, such as Eva Marie, have failed to improve upon the failure of their initial run. Here is a list of 5 such examples in the company's history, where previously released superstars have returned and won titles.

#5 Former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan

.@WWEDanielBryan vows to bring the most DANGEROUS Daniel Bryan @WWERomanReigns and @EdgeRatedR have ever seen this Sunday at #WrestleMania! #UniversalTitle

#SmackDown https://t.co/z0SyKDFU0F

When Daniel Bryan was introduced in NXT as a rookie with The Miz as his mentor, longtime professional wrestling fans were incensed. Bryan was already known as a technical master and The Miz wasn't well-known for his in-ring ability at that point.

Bryan eventually debuted on the main roster as part of the Nexus, but was released. His WWE career looked over and he returned to the independent circuit.

However, WWE came calling within months and Bryan was treated like a star on his return to the company. He went on to become one of WWE's top stars during the 2010s. When he left the company, he had already main-evented two WrestleMania events and been a multi-time world champion.

In this case, the release was the best thing that happened to Bryan. The fate of Nexus was sealed due to a loss to Team WWE, and Bryan was, fortunately, on the victorious side. No other original member of the Nexus went on to win a world championship.