5 WWE Superstars who were away from the company for a very long time

Sometimes the wide, wide world of WWE can be a little too much to handle for some people. There can be any number of reasons why Superstars decide to part ways with the company, from falling out with the boss to moving on to what they perceive to be greener pastures.

There are actually very few wrestlers who manage to hold down a spot in WWE for the entirety of their in-ring careers. Even the likes of The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin wrestled for other companies before WWE. If they had left though, how long would it have taken them to return?

That's the key point too. It would seem no matter how badly burned the bridge and regardless of how much time has passed, everyone eventually comes back. Relationships that seemed irreparable are patched up after years of bad blood. Here are five Superstars who spent awfully long times away from WWE only to eventually return.

#5 The Rock

As soon as The Rock started to rise to prominence in WWE, you knew that The People's Champion was destined for some great things. As he became a bigger star within the business, he began to attract the attention of those outside of it.

After getting a taste of the Hollywood lifestyle while still wrestling, Rocky would eventually leave WWE officially in 2004. So began his mission to become one of the biggest action stars in the movie business.

Well, mission accomplished. Despite Rock making sporadic appearances for WWE, it was actually a whole seven years before he would make his real, triumphant return. It was a hero's welcome in 2011 and it was shortly after that his legendary feud with John Cena began.