5 WWE Superstars who returned after a decade
"No one stays gone forever" perfectly applies to WWE. History has shown time and again that it's never too late for gifted Superstars to find their way back to the Sports Entertainment powerhouse.
CM Punk, for example, is about to approach the 10-year mark of his infamous walkout from WWE. Despite that, the wrestling community remains hopeful to see the Second City Saint back in the fold.
But that isn't an exception. The professional wrestling world isn't short of stories of big names making their triumphant returns after more than a decade. Some of those stars left on bad terms, while others just needed to focus on other ventures. What matters is it's never advisable to bet against a comeback in this sport.
That said, let's take a look at five WWE Superstars who returned to the company after being away for over a decade.
#5 Carlito
For over 12 years, WWE didn't have someone who would deal with the people who didn't want to be cool. Fortunately, that isn't a problem now, thanks to Carlito being back in the company.
The former Intercontinental and US Champion was let go in mid-2010 following a wellness policy violation. Following his exit, he steered clear from mainstream wrestling for more than a decade and would primarily compete in his father's promotion, the World Wrestling Council.
He made a couple of non-wrestling appearances for WWE between 2014 and 2018. But his surprise cameos at Royal Rumble 2021 and Backlash 2023 made fans realize that the time was right to bring the Cool one back.
Thus, in the fall of 2023, Carlito made his full-time return to the Stamford-based promotion. He was immediately slotted into Rey Mysterio's popular faction, Latino World Order.
#4 Bobby Lashley
Every now and then, WWE likes to remind their audience to "expect the unexpected." All doubts surrounding that were removed following Bobby Lashley's release in 2008.
The Dominator was pushed to the moon right out of the gate. He arrived on the scene in 2005 and wasted no time butting heads with the likes of Booker T, Batista, The Big Show, etc. He was also a cornerstone of the revived ECW brand in its debut year.
Therefore, it came as a surprise when he was let go in early 2008. However, he utilized his time away from the Sports Entertainment giant to perfection. He dabbled in MMA and significantly improved his stock as a professional wrestler during his two stints in IMPACT Wrestling.
The All Mighty's persistence paid off, and he speared his way back into WWE. Within three years of his second run, he won the WWE Championship and successfully defended it at a WrestleMania.
#3 Kurt Angle
The term 'generational talent' gets thrown around quite a lot these days. However, its use to describe Kurt Angle wouldn't be an exaggeration in the slightest.
A couple of years after winning an Olympic Gold Medal with a broken neck, Angle arrived on the WWE main roster at the height of the acclaimed "Attitude Era." Despite being a part of a remarkably stacked roster, The Wrestling Machine took less than a year to climb to the top of the card. He kept his top spot through a better part of the Ruthless Aggression Era too.
In 2006, Angle left the Vince McMahon-led promotion due to being burnt out. Surprisingly, he didn't take a break from wrestling and showed up in TNA. The fact that a six-time World Champion, who was still in his prime, trusted a relatively new promotion instantly catapulted TNA's credibility.
The company's relaxed schedule, along with giving The Olympic Hero the freedom to wrestle all around the world, made him spend nearly 10 years there. After that, he made his long-awaited return to WWE in 2017 to wind down his illustrious career.
#2 Goldberg
The fact that Bill Goldberg is talked about to this day in the wrestling space is mainly due to his stellar WCW run. However, that doesn't mean his WWE run wasn't newsworthy.
"Da Man" headed to WCW's arch-rival in 2003, two years after the former went out of business. He triumphed over The Rock in his first match and quickly found his way into the World Heavyweight Championship picture. His first crack at the Gold at SummerSlam 2003 didn't end in his favor, which left the fans disappointed.
Goldberg would win the belt a month later, but his long-running feud with Evolution was far from a masterpiece. By early 2004, news of him leaving the company got out, and that gave the live crowd at WrestleMania 20 the license to fully turn on the five-time World Champion.
Despite Goldberg's first WWE run not being as exceptional as his WCW stint, it was apparent that he had a lot of gas still left in the tank. It took over 13 long years to mend fences on both sides. Finally, in the fall of 2016, The Icon reemerged on the scene to reignite his feud with Brock Lesnar.
#1 Bret 'The Hitman' Hart (Returned to WWE 13 years after the Montreal Screwjob)
Years will pass, and generations will change, but Bret Hart's impact on the professional wrestling world will neither be forgotten nor be replicated.
The Excellence of Execution made sure that every performance of his inside the squared circle was memorable in its own way. Whether he was squaring off against bonafide Superstars such as Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels, an undercard performer such as The 1-2-3 Kid, or even the trailblazers for the next generation such as Steve Austin, Hart never failed to put on a technical clinic.
Unfortunately, his immense contributions to WWE didn't guarantee a graceful exit for him in 1997. The Montreal Screwjob incident left a lingering sense of disappointment in his heart for the Sports Entertainment titan.
He didn't even show up at WrestleMania 22, despite being inducted into the Hall of Fame a night prior. Thankfully, though, he didn't have to close the book on his wrestling story on a sour note. He and WWE buried the hatchet, leading to The Hitman's glorious return in 2010.
Which long-gone superstar would you like to see return to the company? Sound off in the comments section below.