A wrestling comeback can provide a lot of excitement to audiences, seeing the pop of a crowd and opening up the chance to create another exciting run for someone is a lot of fun. Many wrestlers have made brilliant comeback runs that were memorable and impactful, particularly in WWE, but that's not the case with everyone.

Related

10 Forgotten WWE Returns From The 2000s

WWE made a lot of changes in the 2000s, so odds are that most fans forgot these wrestlers returned to the company for a short stint in that decade.

There have been plenty of wrestlers over the years that have returned when it wasn't necessary. Whether this was because they were long past their prime, or because there wasn't anything there for them to do creatively, these are returns that didn't need to happen.

10 Shawn Michaels Competes In Saudi Arabia

His Comeback Happened In 2018

Close

Career Length	Debuted In 1984	Originally Retired In 2010
Major Accomplishments	Two-Time WWE Hall Of Famer	Three-Time WWE Champion

Shawn Michaels had a perfect retirement at WrestleMania 26, competing in a streak vs. career match against The Undertaker. It allowed him to ride off into the sunset at the top of his game. For a long time, Michaels stayed true to his word that he wouldn't wrestle again until he ended up inside the ring in Saudi Arabia.

Big money offers are made with those shows, and clearly, that was enough to pull Michaels back into the ring. He got involved in Triple H's storyline with the Deadman earlier in the year at Super ShowDown, and then teamed with him against the Brothers Of Destruction in a match all four men would likely want to forget, which is why it shouldn't have happened in the first place.

9 Kevin Nash Can't Complete The Story

His Comeback Happened In 2011

Career Length	Debuted In 1980	Retired In 2020
Major Accomplishments	NWO Member	Former WWE Champion

At SummerSlam in 2011 fans were left puzzled when Kevin Nash randomly returned and injected himself into WWE's main event scene by attacking CM Punk, setting up a Money in the Bank cash-in. It's something that came out of nowhere and was supposed to lead to a match between him and Punk, but that never happened.

Related

10 Things Kevin Nash Never Accomplished In Wrestling

Kevin Nash is one of the most decorated wrestlers of all time, but there are still several things he never accomplished in the wrestling business.

Nash couldn't get medically cleared in time to face Punk, not that people were screaming out for that match anyway, and instead he wound up having a random encounter against Triple H. It was a strange return that didn't fulfill its purpose and just left everyone in a state of confusion.

8 Shane McMahon Hurts Himself On A Comeback

His Comeback Happened In 2023

Close

Career Length	Debuted In 1998	Not Officially Retired
Major Accomplishments	WWE World Cup Winner (2018)	Former European Champion

Some comebacks are done to create an entire run, other times it is simply meant to be a one-off moment to pop a crowd, and that was the case with Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 39. He interrupted The Miz to create a match between the former rivals, but this ended up being a nightmare for McMahon.

Fans weren't crying out for him to make a return, and unfortunately, he ended up suffering a torn quad. It created an awkward moment on the Grandest Stage Of Them All, with Snoop Dogg having to fill in for McMahon at the moment.

7 Bob Backlund Becomes A Life Coach

His Comeback Happened In 2016

Career Length	Debuted In 1973	Retired In 2018
Major Accomplishments	WWE Hall Of Famer	Two-Time WWE Champion

Bob Backlund is one of the all-time greats of the professional wrestling business, and someone who would always create great matches inside the ring. However, seeing him return to be a manager in 2016 wasn't needed, and it certainly didn't work out.

He became a life coach for Darren Young, which was an odd pairing and didn't end up boosting Young's position in the company. Backlund was very eccentric in this role, and it was something that just didn't connect with audiences at that time.

6 WWE Has Little For Rob Van Dam

He Made His Comeback In 2013

Close

Career Length	Debuted In 1990	Not Officially Retired
Major Accomplishments	WWE Hall Of Famer	Former WWE & ECW Champion

RVD is still competing in the ring to this day, sporadically working for AEW, and he has certainly proven that he's got plenty to offer inside the ring and in terms of star power. That was even truer back in 2013 when WWE decided to re-hire to a contract, but the company had very little for him.

There was plenty of buzz about RVD coming back to WWE due to the career that he had, but the company didn't seem to have any plans for him. He went through a few forgettable feuds and slipped down the card to the point where he was competing on WWE's Main Event, which left people questioning why the company brought him back.

5 Brian Christopher Doesn't Get A Response

His Comeback Was In 2011

Career Length	Debuted In 1988	Retired In 2017
Major Accomplishments	Former WWE Tag Team Champion	Former Memphis Wrestling Southern Heavyweight Champion

Brian Christopher is best known to wrestling fans as Grand Master Sexay, but when he came back in 2011, WWE used his real name and it led to him getting zero reaction from the fans. WWE decided to have him come in as a heel for the one-off appearance to trash his father, Jerry Lawler.

Related

Rikishi & Too Cool Dance Break & 9 Other Times The Royal Rumble Stopped Action

If Rikishi and Too Cool can stop the Royal Rumble for a dance break, what else has brought the match to a halt over the years?

It was part of Lawler's storyline against Michael Cole, which fans weren't enjoying anyway, and this segment definitely didn't help. It created a very awkward moment, with this not being a necessary comeback.

4 The Great Khali Aids Jinder Mahal

His Comeback Was In 2017

Career Length	Debuted In 2000	Retired In 2018
Major Accomplishments	WWE Hall Of Famer	Former World Heavyweight Champion

The Great Khali might be a WWE Hall Of Famer, but once his full-time run with WWE was, over fans were not crying out for a return. Despite that, he popped up at Battleground in 2017 for a cameo appearance where he distracted Randy Orton, allowing Jinder Mahal to defeat him.

Khali then randomly posed with the WWE Championship and there was no follow-up between him and the Viper or Mahal. It was an odd one-off moment that wasn't needed.

3 Bret Hart Didn't Need To Compete Again

His Comeback Was In 2010

Close

Career Length	Debuted In 1976	Retired In 2011
Major Accomplishments	Five-Time WWE Champion	Two-Time WCW World Heavyweight Champion

Seeing Bret Hart return to WWE in 2010 was great. The segment where he shook hands with Shawn Michaels was an emotional one, and something both men needed personally. However, creating a full-time run where he would compete in matches simply wasn't necessary.

While the Hitman is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, by this point in his life he simply wasn't able to perform at the level required for television. That's why it wasn't needed, nor should it have happened at all.

2 D'Lo Brown Failed To Make An Impact

His Comeback Was In 2008

Career Length	Debuted In 1994	Not Officially Retired
Major Accomplishments	Four-Time European Champion	Former Intercontinental Champion

D'Lo Brown had a great run in WWE throughout the Attitude Era, feeling like a major part of the business, particularly during his time in Nation Of Domination. That is why his return in 2008 did have great potential on paper, but that's as far as it went.

Related

10 Things Fans Should Know About The Nation Of Domination

The Nation of Domination was one of the dominant factions at the start of the Attitude Era, but a lot of their successes have been lost to time.

WWE completely wasted Brown during his comeback run, rendering the entire thing unnecessary. He was barely used on television, and even when he was it ended up being in random encounters as the company failed to get the most out of him.

1 Ric Flair Has One Last Match

His Comeback Was In 2022

Close

Career Length	Debuted In 1972	Originally Retired In 2008
Major Accomplishments	16-Time World Champion	Two-Time WWE Hall Of Famer

Ric Flair has had several retirements and comebacks at this point, despite the fact WWE truly rolled out the red carpet for him at WrestleMania 24. He was given arguably the greatest retirement possible, but that didn't stop him from getting back into the ring at several points, including a run with TNA.

However, his most recent comeback in 2022 was certainly not a necessary one considering the health complications the Nature Boy has gone through in recent years. A one-off PPV was created around his last match, in which Flair certainly didn't look like he should've competed, particularly since he has admitted to blacking out several times during it.