10 Best WWE Comeback Runs

As a general rule, comeback runs do not usually last more than two or three years, and if they do, the wrestler in question will usually perform sporadically in that time. This is because the sabbaticals that precede them are often precipitated either by personal need to take some time away from the road, or a doctor breaking some bad news.

In the case of Shawn Michaels, it was the latter. He herniated a couple of discs in his back at the 1998 Royal Rumble after a nasty landing on a coffin, an injury for which the initial prognosis was bleak. So bleak, in fact, the Heartbreak Kid was told he'd never be able to perform again.

So, when he returned in 2002, it was widely thought that it was simply a one-time deal. He would show up on Raw for a few months, bump into Triple H, have a blow-off match at SummerSlam, and then go back from whence he came to live out the rest of his days thinking about new ways to annoy Bret Hart.

Oh how wrong we all were. Not only did HBK stick around beyond the summer, he stayed long enough to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series, long enough to fight a dream match against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania the following year, and long enough even to retire Ric Flair in 2008. Talk about defying the experts.