10 ALMOST Impossible Wrestling Comebacks That Might Actually Happen
Never say never.
Following Cody Rhodes' Ring of Honor World Title victory, Daniel Bryan set wrestling tongues wagging with a bombshell tweet that implied he might one day make an unlikely return to the ring.
Toasting 'The American Nightmare's win, he reminisced on his own lengthy spell with the strap, suggesting Cody would have room to gloat in September 2018 when he'd pass his incredible 462 day stint. Ending simply with '#FinalCountdown', as an ode to his ROH theme music, it was another cheeky reminder that as a free man outside of his current contract, Daniel Bryan can do as he pleases.
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion has enjoyed toying with both the audience and his current employers with similar references in the past. Since taking the on-screen role as SmackDown Live's General Manager, Bryan has been a daring treat on the blue brand's sister show Talking Smack, happily colouring outside of the company's stringent lines.
He noted in his emotional retirement speech how frustrating it had been to only be lacking clearance from WWE doctors after seeking and receiving it from other personal physicians, but that clearance now represents the only hurdle on his return to the ring, and it's likely that most independent promoters wouldn't balk at using the 'Yes Man' if he himself assured them of his overall wellbeing.
Wrestling has trained fans to expect the unexpected, but Bryan's in-ring return would represent what many thought as an unthinkable reality. His wouldn't be the first, and it definitely won't be the last.
10. Hulk Hogan
'The Hulkster' was scrubbed from WWE lore almost overnight in 2015 following the revelation of racist remarks he'd made during recordings that would ultimately briefly return him to pop culture's delicate zeitgeist.
Hogan was in the middle of a $100million lawsuit against Gawker Media for the publication of a sex tape with Heather Clem, the wife of shock-jock DJ and occasional wrestling personality Bubba The Love Sponge. The release of the crude and offensive remarks came thanks to leaked evidence due to be presided on ahead of the trial, and immediately cost him the ambassadorial role he'd held with WWE since 2014.
Despite repeated public acts of contrition following the news, Hogan's Twitter feed suggested that perhaps he'd still not grasped the gravitas of the situation. WWE maintained a safe distance from the entire story, removing every mention of his name from their website and aggressively downsizing references to him where available on television and the WWE Network.
Astonishingly, just two years after the scandal broke, tensions between both parties may have already eased. Though not vilified for his remarks, Hogan received bizarre acclaim for his mammoth court victory over the entertainment blog, and Triple H and others have made hopeful allusions to his eventual return.