10 Most Unthinkable Comebacks In Wrestling History
1. Bret Hart Returns To WWE
There's no delicate way of putting this, and nor should there be: Bret Hart was thought to be the one to actually mean never, given the preventable death of Owen Hart at Over The Edge 1999. The resulting lawsuit was settled out of court, but Martha Hart remains steadfast in that belief, telling Sports Illustrated in 2020 that "I'd never want him recognized by a company responsible for his death and that has been so disrespectful to his family".
While Bret on his Confessions of the Hitman podcast has since expressed his (own, personal) belief that Vince McMahon "had probably very little to do with what happened to Owen," he came to this (personal) realisation over time.
In a secondary story that feels so utterly trivial in comparison, Shawn Michaels had returned to and scripted a second, illustrious chapter of his career when Bret made his own, unfathomable return to the promotion in 2010. He had entered the Hall of Fame in 2006, but only to thank his fans for their loyalty and support. The 2010 return was different; he was once more a character within WWE's fictional world.
It was a bleak viewing experience, all told - Hart's catharsis was all his own in an intense private moment inexplicably broadcast to the world - but his ardent fans still could not begrudge him the opportunity to exorcise those old demons.