10 Best WWE Returns Of The Decade
The WWE Universe has witnessed hundreds of returns this decade, but which stood out among the rest?
In a world as demanding and risky as professional wrestling, hiatuses are a necessary part of life. Whether a superstar suffers an unfortunate injury, their character grows stale or they just need some time off, absences are crucial when it comes to maintaining a healthy and successful career. The best thing about those absences, however, are the inevitable returns that follow.
We all love a good return, and WWE does them better than anyone else. These comebacks are often a chance for the returning superstar to remind us all that they still exist, putting the entire WWE Universe on notice and raising some good old-fashioned hell while they're at it. Furthermore, the company thrives off them, as they often become the most talked-about moments of their respective week, year and, sometimes, even the most memorable of the decade.
Speaking of which, this past decade has given us hundreds of them. Though not all of them were worth remembering, there are some truly awe-inspiring comebacks that changed the game altogether. With that in mind, let's take a look back over the 2010s and celebrate the ones that really stood out.
10. Triple H - Raw (25 February 2013)
The second that the opening of Triple H's iconic theme song hit, the audience watching Brock Lesnar about to assault the injured Mr. McMahon lost their damn minds. That's how much they wanted to see someone stand up to 'The Beast Incarnate'.
'The Game' had seemingly retired after losing to Lesnar at the previous year's SummerSlam - a storyline that benefited from his reduced on-screen role, increased behind-the-scenes role and the corporate buzzcut that went with it. But there he was on-stage, sporting that buzz-cut for the first time as a superstar and looking more jacked than ever.
From the death stare to the messy brawl that ensued, everything about this was appropriately violent. The fact that it all centred on Lesnar's heinous mistreatment of one of Trips' family members made the story all the more compelling, and it all felt like a totally believable renewal of a rivalry once-thought-to-be dead.