10 WWE Stars Who Left And Returned More Badass

1. Brock Lesnar

Two Drews
WWE.com

Brock Lesnar was never not a badass.

Pushed to the moon between 2002 and 2004, The Next Big Thing Brock Lesnar was an intense, towering hulk of a performer capable of conveying a badass aura. Still, he was badass by the standards of a pro wrestler, and he was very much that; decked out in trunks and constructing mostly back-and-forth matches against the top stars, the Beast was special within a certain context.

He created an aura unprecedented in his exile years, having conquered the Octagon as UFC Heavyweight Champion and, prior to the emergence of Conor McGregor, becoming the biggest draw in North American MMA history,

His aura from 2012 onwards was pure deadly. He returned to WWE an entirely different Beast, one so legitimately terrifying that merely throwing a knee into the gut of his opponents was felt by everybody watching. No man before or since was capable of inspiring a gladiatorial atmosphere of pure dread and glee at the prospect of that dread erupting in the sickening blows levelled at his woefully outmatched opponents.

In a general sense, the Lesnar character is completely incompatible with the fictional universe of WWE - but, on too few occasions, with the right, credibly-built opponent in place, the sight of Lesnar pummelling those poor b*stards remains an unparalleled spectacle.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!