10 Awesome WWE Stars Who Returned Even Better Than Before

When Triple H tore his quadriceps mid-match in May 2001, he was right at the top of his game (no pun intended).

Prior to the injury, he’d been teaming with Stone Cold Steve Austin, forging a faction that at one point held the WWF, Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships. Add in his work with D-Generation X, the Corporation and his four WWF title reigns, and he’d already had a Hall of Fame-worthy career.

Upon making his eventual comeback from that devastating quad tear though, it was somehow going to get even better for him.

Triple H returned in January 2002, winning the Royal Rumble almost immediately and going on to capture his fifth World Championship by beating Chris Jericho in the main event of WrestleMania X8. In the years that followed, he'd embark on what became known as his Reign of Terror, practically making the newly-introduced World Heavyweight Championship his own personal title, whilst also founding one of the greatest stables of all time in the form of Evolution.

Numerous WrestleMania main events would follow, to the extent that he’s now a 14-time World Champion and one of the most decorated stars in the history of the business.

Though he may not necessarily have been technically better upon the reconstruction of his knee, his haul of championships certainly suggests that he enjoyed even more success after that lengthy eight-month lay-off.