Wrestling returns that excited fans.

In pro wrestling, nothing exhilarates the fans more than a shocking return! A good return can give a shot of adrenaline into a crowd and provide a unique feel to the show. When promotions can execute a good return, the show immediately feels fresher; they tune in each week, wondering what is next. That's why wrestling was so exciting in the late '90s and early 2000s! The Monday Night wars raged on, and fans never knew who would appear next. We saw it on Monday Night Raw when Johnny Gargano returned to WWE, everyone had a feeling he would come back, but nobody knew when and how he would. That got me thinking about other returns that got fans out of their seats and the wrestling world talking, so here is my list of wrestling returns that stand out.

Johnny Gargano- Yes, this has some recency bias to it, but let's start with this, the man managed to travel across the Canadian border and went UNNOTICED!! With the internet being as huge as it is, nothing is a surprise anymore. Reporters find out everything and share it immediately, so Johnny being able to travel and go completely unnoticed is an impressive feat. After the show ended, we found out nobody in WWE besides top brass knew he was in the arena; ten minutes before Gargano came out, production was told so they could set up his entrance, and other wrestlers saw Johnny as he was preparing to go out. Once his music hit, the crowd stood there shocked, nobody knew what was happening, and most couldn't believe what they were watching. Suddenly Gargano walked out, and a roar from the crowd echoed throughout the arena giving everyone watching goosebumps. The question surrounding Johnny was where would he sign? Would he become All Elite and sign with AEW,? or perhaps he would sign with underdog Impact Wrestling because of their flexible schedule so he could be more active with his family? So many variables were in play for Johnny Gargano, and fans waited with bated breath, wondering where "Johnny Wrestling" would appear.

The Hardy Boyz- On April 2nd, 2017, wrestling fans were treated to a monumental return; for the first time in years, Matt and Jeff Hardy returned to WWE. This was an exciting moment for fans because, before the return, fans worldwide watched as The Hardys dominated worldwide, winning championships in every promotion they could. The only thing left was to dominate the new era of WWE just like they did with the old generation. Matt and Jeff always were fan favorites due to their high-flying offense, and The Hardyz made themselves famous in ladder matches, so fans began to speculate who could be competing when the tag team ladder match was announced. Slowly we got the tag teams, and unfortunately, none of them were Matt and Jeff; the contract talks had stalled, leaving a massive question mark on the event. That night when the ladder match was about to start, the hosts of Wrestlemania came out and announced they had one more tag team to announce. Suddenly the iconic music of the Hardys hit, and the entire arena went WILD!! Fans screamed and cheered many cried tears of joy for the future Hall of Famer's return to WWE, it was a heartwarming moment for everyone involved, and justice had been served; The Hardy boyz were getting one more run, a chance to show everyone why they were the best tag team alive.

Brock Lesner- You want to talk about shocking? Let me remind fans of the SHOCKING return of "The Beast Incarnate" Brock Lesner!! The former megastar left WWE to pursue a career in football, but when that failed, Lesner joined the UFC, where he would go on to find massive success, becoming one of their biggest stars and a world champion. Lesner left the WWE in his rearview mirror and showed no signs of ever returning. That's why on April 2nd. 2012 the wrestling world was stunned when Lesner walked out to an arena of fans screaming their heads off; he stormed down to the ring, decimated John Cena, and left him unconscious. Cena himself deserves credit for this return being so iconic because when Lesner music hit, Cena looked around, confused, looking puzzled at what he was witnessing. After dominating the MMA world for years, Lesner brought a new aura to WWE, a more intense and brutal vibe; he dominated men, left them brutalized, and left the building.

Cm Punk- Another recent return but man, what a return it was; AEW brought us the return of "The voice of the voiceless" to pro wrestling. When Punk famously walked out on WWE on that fateful night in 2014, he decided he was done with pro wrestling; fans didn't think we would ever see the return of Punk to the ring. Fortunately, the creation of AEW brought change to the wrestling landscape, and Punk's interest started to grow. Rumors ran wild with internet fans wondering if he would legitimately return to wrestling. So on August 20th, 2021, Cm Punks music blasted over the speaker and the entire arena full of people leaped out of their seats for the return of their hero. Nobody could believe their eyes; it was 2021, and Cm Punk was in a professional wrestling ring; fans who grew up watching Cm Punk cried as he embraced the crowd. He was happy and excited to be back, his love of wrestling had returned, and fans immediately started to fantasize over all the dream matches we could finally see now that Cm Punk was active and in wrestling shape. When Punk was in WWE, he was considered the best in the world; he was technical, a clean striker, and constantly putting on excellent matches in the ring, but the biggest draw to Cm Punk was his iconic promo abilities. Give Cm Punk a microphone and watch ratings soar! He brought a new era to WWE, so fans immediately fantasized about all the changes he'd bring to a new wrestling world.

John Cena- The Royal Rumble is always fun; we see debuts and returns all the time, but in 2008 we witnessed the most shocking return in Royal Rumble history! Cena tore the pec clean off his muscle in October of 2007 and was going to miss over a year of action. For most men and women, that would have been accurate, but fans and doctors tend to forget John Cena is no regular man; he's Superman, and the legend would return only THREE MONTHS LATER!! It was astounding; no human should have been able to return that quickly, but Cena was standing in the ring throwing and slamming other wrestlers like they were pillows. Fans couldn't take their eyes off the action fans became so invested in Cena's miraculous story. The moment Cena's music hit for a moment, fans stood in silence, but when Cena slowly walked out from behind the curtain, the roof almost blew off the building!!! Triple H, who was in the match, saw it all first hand and later on, in an interview, said how not a single fan was in their seats and the arena was so loud it sounded like a bomb went off. WWE managed to keep this return hidden from the fans and the internet, making this return even more special because they managed to shock the fans