Wrestling’s Greatest Comebacks

In the first edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable in over a year, we remember some of the greatest comebacks of every variety in the deep history of pro wrestling.

Steven Jackson’s Greatest Comebacks

Shawn Michaels (2002)

Shawn Michaels’ comeback in 2002 is arguably the most successful comeback in wrestling history. Making history at multiple Wrestlemania events, not to mention winning the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series 2002 are just two of the ample reasons why HBK’s comeback is one of my favourites of all time.

Eddie Guerrero (2002)

Eddie Guerrero’s triumphant and tenacious return to WWE was a wonderful moment. Working tirelessly on the indie scene (come to think of it, you could even say Eddie came back to the indie scene) Latino Heat earned his spot back on the WWE roster, and with it, we got the ‘ultimate’ underdog WWE Championship win in history. Truly emotional stuff.

Cactus Jack (2004)

There’s a heavy emphasis on the 2000s in my selections. It’s funny how things appear more prominent during certain years than others, but that’s the nature of the beast sometimes.

While we’d seen Mick Foley throughout 2003, it was the continuation of his feud with Randy Orton that produced probably my favourite wrestling comeback. Not only did we see Mick Foley but we saw the crazy Cactus Jack come back, resulting in the most insane hardcore match in WWE history at Backlash 2004.

BANG BANG!!!

Ricky Steamboat (2009)

Predominantly working backstage after retiring in the mid-90s, it always seemed Ricky Steamboat wouldn’t come back inside the squared circle.

Get to 2009 and the amazement not only ended at Ricky Steamboat returning to the ring, but how damn AMAZING he was between the ropes!

This comeback of Ricky Steamboat was just a true pleasure to watch and why you ‘never say never’ in the wrestling business.

Nigel McGuinness (2011)

My final comeback is one that’s very personal for me. Nigel McGuinness left ROH in 2009 to move on to WWE, along with his long-time adversary, yet real-time friend Bryan Danielson. Get to WWE and Nigel didn’t make it to WWE, due to an injury, and instead jumped to TNA. Although his first few months were great, things soon wound down and Nigel disappeared from TV.

At the time I was unsure what was happening and it was only after watching Nigel’s very personal documentary The Last of McGuinness I understood how much Nigel was struggling. During Nigel’s time away from ROH, the company had been bought by Sinclair Broadcasting Network and a new ROH era was to begin. Kevin Kelly took over announcing duties and on the very first ROH TV show, Nigel McGuinness returned as Kevin’s commentary partner!

While no longer an active competitor, Nigel’s insights and therapy, were incredible to see. By therapy, I mean Nigel’s regained passion for the wrestling industry, which was evident to hear when Nigel called the main event of ‘Showdown in the Sun: Night 2.’

A personal comeback for me, nothing will top Nigel McGuinness’ return to honor.

Curt Lemon’s Greatest Comebacks

CM Punk (2021)

Before Brawl Out, CM Punk was on a run like no one could have imagined; Matches of the highest caliber, promos that were off the chart, and a feeling that everything he was involved in made sense. You have to ask yourself with his apparent second AEW comeback pending, will he be able to top his first run?

Jerry Lawler (2012)

Not many people inside professional wrestling have the staying power of “The King.” For a guy who has excelled in every facet of the business for over 50 years, his most impressive victory might be over death. Lawler died on the air, only to return having never missed a beat only months later.

There will only ever be one Jerry Lawler.

Shawn Michaels (2002)

Having ended his career in 1998, HBK already had a Hall of Fame-worthy career. Somehow, after returning in 2003 he was better than ever. Even if you scrap his first WWE run entirely, Shawn Michaels would still be a Hall of Famer based on his second comeback, having arguably the greatest WrestleMania match of all time against the Undertaker at WrestleMania 25. 

Mr. Perfect (2002)

The Royal Rumble used to be full of legitimate surprises and perhaps my favorite of all time was the return of Curt Hennig, “Mr Perfect” in 2002. Making it all the way to the final four he would later go on to have a main event match on Raw against Stone Cold Steve Austin in what was a true dream match. He would later, unfortunately, be relegated to Sunday Night Heat, even competing against RVD… which actually sounds like a fever dream as I type it.

Jeff Jarrett (2022)

While I don’t think he ever truly “retired” it’s been a while since “Double J” was on the main stage. Well into his 50’s I truly didn’t think we would see him on the main stage outside of the occasional Ron Simmons “Damn” spot on Raw or even another Royal Rumble appearance. Yet somehow, Jarrett is doing some of the best work of his career and is one of the most capable heels in the business all these years into his career.

Whether that speaks highly of him or poorly of AEW is up to you.

Jack Goodwillie’s Greatest Comebacks

Edge (2020)

There have been a ton of great comebacks in wrestling – and few are created equal. The medical miracle comeback is one that we’ve seen more and more of in recent years, but I think the magnitude and improbability of Edge making his return in 2020 has to take the cake for me. I could be biased – I believe Edge to be one of the greatest heels of the last 20 years – but unlike Daniel Bryan, this wasn’t simply a matter of finding a doctor to clear him. Triple fusion surgery effectively ended “The Rated-R Superstar’s” career in 2012, as no wrestler had ever come back from it, that is, until Edge did just that eight years later.

While he returned at the Royal Rumble in 2020, he would go on to win the match the next year and main event a WrestleMania with Roman Reigns and the aforementioned Daniel Bryan. It’s been a good run for Edge, 49, and while he has gone on record to say his time is nearly up, all the little things that needed to go right for this comeback to happen are staggering. Now that he’s back, I don’t think Edge gets quite enough credit for the standard he continues to meet in the ring.

Bill Goldberg (2016)

When Bill Goldberg walked away from WWE after WrestleMania XX, it seemed improbable that we would ever see him step foot in a wrestling ring again. Goldberg went on to star on reality shows, make cameos on sitcoms, and occasionally commentate on – and start – MMA fights. Things changed in 2016, 12 years after Goldberg and Brock Lesnar, his WrestleMania XX opponent, simultaneously left the WWE behind. Goldberg expressed a desire to step back in the ring so his son could experience him wrestle live, and his motives for returning to the WWE won the hearts of fans and piqued the interest of lapsed fans.

What started as one final program with Lesnar to right the wrong of their dull WrestleMania XX encounter turned into a five-year on-again, off-again run that saw him capture the WWE Universal Championship twice and punch his ticket to the Hall of Fame. Goldberg is not everybody’s cup of tea. He’s never going to be. But for a man who got a lot of flack from his peers for never truly appreciating wrestling, his involvement with WWE in recent years has become something of a feel-good story.

Sting (2006)

Sting’s in-ring comeback in 2006 is another one that gets overlooked because he did have involvement with TNA, World Wrestling All-Stars, and other promotions after WCW closed its doors in 2001. However, these were sporadic appearances, and it took five years for Sting to become a regular on a weekly episodic wrestling show again. When it happened, it launched an impressive eight-year run with TNA filled with ups and downs.

While in TNA, Sting won the world title five times, engaged in key storylines such as The Main Event Mafia angle, and wrestled names we never thought he’d wrestle, such as Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, Samoa Joe and AJ Styles. He even became The Joker for a spell and rekindled his feud with Hulk Hogan. Don’t get me wrong, Sting – the overall performer – was and is phenomenal. However, longevity is one of the most distinctive features of his career that sets him apart from his peers, and I don’t think we’d view him in the same light if he called it a career after WCW folded in 2001.

Ric Flair (2001)

Ric Flair’s evolution into a weekly performer on Monday Night Raw in the mid-00s is nothing short of remarkable, particularly when you consider the confidence issues he’s been very open about experiencing in the final years of WCW. Remember in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me how the whole movie revolves around the eponymous character trying to get his physical “mojo” back? That’s essentially what happened to Flair, and like Austin Powers, he realized it was right in front of him the entire time.

Flair blames Eric Bischoff, and Eric Bischoff alone, for his loss of confidence. Don’t believe me? You can find hours of Flair ripping Bischoff to shreds in podcast episodes recorded within the last six months. But yes, Flair ended up finding his inner nature boy eventually, though it took several years for him to fully embrace being “The Naitch” again. I believe it took Flair turning face in 2005 to fully realize his capabilities bell-to-bell again. His prime had long passed him by, but he did an exemplary job of elevating heels like Edge and Carlito and what more can add to what’s already been said about his retirement program with Shawn Michaels? Now if only he honored the stipulation…

Shawn Michaels (2002)

Shawn Michaels owns arguably the coolest comeback of all time. Most of our writers seem to agree with me, and this one will be tough to top considering the longevity Michaels got out of this run. To me, it’s a similar thing to what made the Sting and Goldberg comebacks great: returning to the ring fundamentally changed the narrative about their careers. Had Shawn Michaels remained quietly retired after stepping away in 1998, he would likely be seen as a top-10 performer who couldn’t quite get out of his own way.

Instead, Michaels is unanimously viewed as a top-5 professional wrestler, and some will argue he is the single greatest in-ring performer of all time. I can’t say I disagree. As for the comeback itself, it helped that Michaels had the perfect set-up with the perfect match and the perfect opponent: a Street Fight with Triple H at SummerSlam 2002. The match is one of my all-time favorites and stands out as a top-two Triple H for me personally. Had Michaels stopped there, it might have been enough for fans to appreciate him the way they do now. However, he went on to pour nearly eight years’ worth of gravy on top of his career, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t call this one of the greatest comebacks in wrestling history.

Russ Good’s Greatest Comebacks

Hulk Hogan (2002)

This return was special as it was the culmination of a series of firsts for me personally. It was my first road trip with friends, my first time out of the country, and my first WrestleMania. We drove from outside Chicago to Toronto, and had a blast. And when we were part of that WrestleMania X8 crowd that collectively decided to forego the story WWF was telling by cheering for Hogan, it was amazing.

The storyline was that Hollywood Hogan and the nWo were the heels, and Rock represented all that was cool and good in WWF. But that was asking fans to forget Hulkamania, and to forget the roots of the nWo in WCW, and it was simply too big a request when the bell rang and the two icons faced off in the middle of the squared circle. Watching it back, it’s amazing how desperately commentators Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler try to impress on viewers that Toronto was fueled by nostalgia, and this crowd was “mixed.” It was not – Rocky was the heel and he knew it, and leaned into in during the match. Rocky won clean, and then Kevin Nash and Scott Hall attacked Hulk and Rocky to solidify the face turn.

Hogan would don the red and yellow a few weeks later, and as I grew older and learned more he became less of a superhero. But in that moment, when a crowd that likely went in as fans of the Rock decided to turn the match on its ear, the Hulkster returned to WWF in a way no one could have predicted going in.

Brock Lesnar (2012)

When Lesnar began his second run with the company after WrestleMania 28, he somehow became even more dominant than he was when he left – and when he left he was the youngest champ the company had ever seen, as well as a man who had wins against some of the biggest stars in the industry.

From his brutal match with John Cena at Extreme Rules – one of the best of his career – to his feuds with Triple H and CM Punk shortly thereafter, Lesnar has remained on top of the industry since his comeback over ten years ago.

Roman Reigns (2019)

On October 22, 2018, Reigns was forced to relinquish the title that many WWE fans didn’t want him to have in the first place. But when we found out why he had to do it, the action was a heartbreaking reminder that these superstars are real people, and are subject to the same whims of a cruel universe as any of us. Roman’s return, featuring the timeless “I’m in remission, y’all” line, was the beginning of another version of Reigns in WWE, and after his justifiable time away during the pandemic, he grew into his new role as the head of the table and our beloved “Tribal Chief.”

It was also just a really nice thing to hear. For all the times a wrestler has had to deal with addiction, or illness, or mental health issues, and all the times we never got to see that performer again, it was just nice to see a guy come back from something as serious as leukemia and be able to thrive the way Roman has. 

CM Punk (2021)

A quick YouTube search gives three results for “CM Punk returns” and they’re all great in their own way. Punk joining the cast of WWE Backstage was a shock, and his return to face off with a bewildered John Cena on Raw after having left the company with the title weeks earlier was incredible, but the show AEW built around a rumor was one of the best wrestling moments in this old Chicagoland-born fan’s life.

They couldn’t not have Punk show up. AEW sold out the United Center in Chicago, and had been dropping hints for weeks. Still, there was never an official announcement, and when that episode of the new Rampage show began, an air of uncertainty and anticipation filled the arena. Hopes were rewarded when that static hit and “Cult of Personality” began, and a new era for the Second City Saint’s legion of fans began with a heartfelt speech and some free ice cream bars for the faithful.

Paul Levesque, “Triple H” (2022)

This one’s less of a moment than it is a cultural shift for the internet wrestling community. Triple H was once the guy pointed to when masters of backstage politics are mentioned – see Booker T, D’Lo Brown, and Chris Jericho for examples. And while those accusations have never really gone away, Trips’ run as the head of creative during Vince McMahon’s all-too-brief time away has pretty much cleared the slate for the former Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

It’s amazing what making a show that went from an unenjoyable three-hour slog to a pretty fun three-hour slog can do to make folks forget little things like a 14-time world champion’s alleged history of refusing to put people over.

John Corrigan’s Greatest Comebacks

Ricky Steamboat (2009)

“The Dragon” has made several comebacks throughout his illustrious career, but the most impactful was his return to the NWA in 1989, where he battled Ric Flair for the World Heavyweight Championship in a classic trilogy. At WrestleMania XXV, Ricky Steamboat surprised everyone again with an incredible performance in his first match in 15 years. 

The Outsiders (1996)

Who would’ve thought the Diamond Studd and Vinnie Vegas would change the wrestling world?

Four years after appearing on WCW TV, Scott Hall (fresh off his run as Razor Ramon in WWE) sauntered from the crowd to the ring, hijacking Nitro to launch a war with Ted Turner and his “wrasslers.” Two weeks later, Hall was joined by Kevin Nash (who had been WWE Champion as Diesel just seven months earlier), planting the seeds for the New World Order, which ignited the industry’s boom period of the late ‘90s.

Shawn Michaels (2002)

At WrestleMania XIV, Shawn Michaels was a wreck. Drowning in drug and alcohol addiction while gritting through an agonizing back injury, the “Heartbreak Kid” dropped the WWE Championship to Stone Cold Steve Austin in a passing of the torch. Austin then carried the company to unprecedented heights, while one of the pillars of the “New Generation” went home to hit rock bottom. 

Four years later, now physically and spiritually healed, Michaels returned to the ring in a show stopping performance against his best friend Triple H. It seemed to be for one night only, but Michaels would go on to steal the show for eight more years, writing a second chapter that arguably surpassed his first. 

Brock Lesnar (2012)

During his final night in WWE, Brock Lesnar was eviscerated by New Yorkers, who felt betrayed that “The Next Big Thing” was abandoning the sport that made him famous. After all, Lesnar had a perfect rookie year, demolishing everyone in his path (including Hulk Hogan and The Rock), becoming the then-youngest WWE Champion and then winning the gold back in the main event of WrestleMania. But the daily grind of being a WWE Superstar wore him out, and the farm boy wanted to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL. 

Obviously, that didn’t work out, so the NCAA Division I National Champion took his talents to the Octagon. Lesnar quickly won the UFC Heavyweight Championship as the sport’s popularity skyrocketed. Unfortunately, a battle with diverticulitis derailed his momentum, and after losing the belt, the superhuman athlete and now household name retired from MMA. 

Wrestling fans were thrilled to welcome him back. Eight years after being booed out of Madison Square Garden, Lesnar came home to WWE the night after WrestleMania XXVIII, F5ing John Cena to the roar of the crowd. Since that night, more than a decade ago, the “Beast Incarnate” has cemented his legacy by wreaking havoc, racking up championships and even ending The Streak.

Vince McMahon (2023)

Following the Wall Street Journal’s hush money expose, there seemed to be no chance in hell that Vince McMahon would return to his WWE throne. After all, the #MeToo movement has taken down far more powerful men. But the sports-entertainment kingpin is truly inVincible, defeating Ted Turner, the federal government and now the Judas in his inner circle who kept spilling the beans to the press. 

In July 2022, McMahon announced his (forced) retirement. Six months later, he was back as executive chairman. In April, WWE — the regional, family business that the third-generation promoter expanded into a national and then international juggernaut — was sold to Endeavor, parent company of UFC.

In less than a year’s span, McMahon went from being canceled to selling for more than $9 billion. There’s no greater comeback in pro wrestling history.

About Author

Jack Goodwillie

See author's posts