10 Wrestlers AEW Saved From Retirement

14 years is a long time, a long, long time. It's enough time for a baby to turn into a teenager, and is about the average life expectancy of a cat. It's also the elapsed time between Tully Blanchard's last match in the industry and his AEW return bout. Now that is something!

Tully Blanchard is a legendary member of The Four Horsemen and a massively influential figure in the industry. He had nothing left to prove in his career, with his last wrestling match occurring in 2007 against Dustin Rhodes at NWA Legends Fanfest.

However, he used his veteran knowledge to provide credibility to early AEW, acting as a manager for Shawn Spears and eventually FTR. Still, the company decided to go even further, letting him lace up those boots one last time.

Blanchard stepped back into the ring for an exhibition match on AEW Dynamite The Crossroads, teaming with FTR against Jurassic Express. He broke his 14 year absence with a satisfying victory.

Of course, it's not like he would start wrestling on every episode of Dynamite after this. He was hardly hitting Canadian Destroyers and taking big bumps. But this one-off return from in-ring retirement was special and would never have happened without AEW.