10 WWE Superstars Who Recovered From Disgrace
Don't Call It A Comeback
Vince McMahon's been called all sorts by all corners of the pro wrestling world, but an adjective often oddly attributed to The Chairman is "forgiving".
This, towards the man that brutally froze out a despairing Kevin Owens whilst his own cameras captured the scene at WrestleMania 33. This, towards the business owner that callously admitted that his drug and alcohol recovery outreach programme was only for "public relations". This, towards the ghoul that trotted out Brian Pillman's wife Melanie live on Monday Night Raw to cover his own conscience 24 hours after she was widowed.
"Forgiving". Not really an obvious association with arguably the industry's most divisive ever figure, but those that have made it back inside his closed club would absolutely attest to his kind nature. And to McMahon's credit, his record reads well for those that have at least made him money at least once. It's hard to imagine him making too many emotional decisions when it comes to his business, but the financial possibilities of a second, third or tenth run for a former (and/or fallen) star has often proven too tempting to pass up.
The repeated post-slump pushes and heroic comebacks have perhaps motivated others to clean themselves up or undergo other reinventions to make it back to wrestling's biggest stage. This, inadvertently is the result of McMahon's forgiving nature. His deep pockets, and the wrestling fanbase's collective long memory create quite the powerful pincer movement...
10. Jake Roberts
Probably the most well-documented decline industry history, Jake Roberts' slide into an oblivion of drugs and alcohol dependency was immortalised in 1999's 'Beyond the Mat' movie, and most had spent the next decade-and-a-bit awaiting tragic news of his death. Funding his drug and alcohol dependencies by continuing to work for any independent organisation willing to pay him, Roberts spent the entire 2000s off the wagon and sleepwalking towards an early grave.
His body paid a similar toll, with 'The Snake' ageing aggressively over a decade of decay. Fleeting appearances for WWE and TNA (including DVD documentary treatment with the excellent 'Pick Your Poison' set in 2005) spotlighted this, and his demise was considered a crushing inevitability by fans and contemporaries.
At his lowest ebb in 2012, Roberts was pulled back from the brink by Diamond Dallas Page. As highlighted in the gripping 'Resurrection of Jake The Snake' documentary, he was a physical and emotional wreck.
Over a period of several years with DDP Jake lost over 50 pounds, tackled his seemingly indestructible addictions, and even won a battle with muscular cancer in his knee.
Roberts returned to WWE television in 2014 a new man. Beaming, he closed an 'Old School' edition of Monday Night Raw by draping a snake over the visibly excited Dean Ambrose, and was inducted in the Hall of Fame two months later.