10 Most Shocking WWE Raw Returns

WWE may adhere to the same model we're used to - weekly TV shows building to monthly pay per views - but that doesn't mean Raw is simply filler. As Vince McMahon's flagship show for the past quarter of a century, it is the very essence of his product. We don't just tune in to see wrestling; we watch for the developments. It has, at various points over the course of its history, been the manifestation of the old 'anything can happen in WWE' soundbite.

As such, we've seen countless unforgettable Monday night moments - and some of the most exciting have taken the form of the shock return.

A big surprise comeback is one of wrestling's simplest pleasures. The crowd comes unglued, an old face strides out (perhaps with a slightly different look), and everything feels tremendously exciting - for a while anyway.

Whether the subsequent storyline is a success or not, there's no taking away from the fact that a huge return can give an incredible surge of energy to an otherwise standard edition of Raw.

With Raw's 25th-anniversary special rapidly approaching, it's time to take a look at the best shock returns in the history of the show. Strap yourselves in.

10. Kurt Angle - 2017

This one's only 10th on the list because it had been widely reported beforehand. Angle was inducted into the Hall of Fame to a huge reception, and his return as Raw General Manager was wrestling's biggest open secret.

That didn't dampen the excitement, however, when Vince McMahon introduced the Olympian as the red brand's new authority figure.

The surreal thing here was actually how

normal

it all felt. Kurt hadn't been seen in a WWE ring since leaving for TNA in 2006, yet his return seemed the most natural thing in the world. That's a testament to just how beloved and skilled a performer he was in his heyday.

9. X-Pac - 1998

An X-Pac return may not seem top 10-worthy on paper, given the fact that Waltman never rose too far above midcard status in WWE. The important thing here, though, is context.

This return came in the midst of the Monday Night Wars, and saw Triple H bring X-Pac out after an explicit reference to the Kliq.

The defector then cut a promo on WCW, who had fired him days earlier, shooting on Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. He also claimed that were Scott Hall and Kevin Nash not contracted to WCW, they'd be right in the middle of the Raw ring with him. It was a clear shot aimed at the other side, and one of the moments that best encapsulates the feeling of competition (and, indeed, animosity) that characterised the time period.

8. Shane McMahon - 2016

Shane McMahon's return is certainly one of the most seismic on this list as it altered the course of WrestleMania 32, and eventually provided SmackDown with a new commissioner. However, it also might be the

strangest

we'll take a look at.

On the surface, the moment was simple and effective. Shane bounced out to cut off Vince and Stephanie during a self-congratulatory promo. He did the dance; he was wearing sneakers. It was everything we loved.

But during the early stages of his return, it didn't take long for things to get a little weird. Shane was put into a WrestleMania match with The Undertaker and would be allowed to reveal the contents of a mysterious McMahon family lockbox if he won. But he didn't. And we just never mentioned the lockbox again.

I still don't understand, but at least it was an eventful time. That's all that matters, right?

7. Chris Jericho - 2007

Chris Jericho has turned the shocking wrestling appearance into an art form. His electrifying 1999 debut was the original example, but his 2007 return was when things got a little more cryptic.

For weeks leading up to the return, WWE aired vignettes with a strange Matrix-style code, often involving the message 'Save Us'. Interest was piqued, and when Y2J was eventually revealed as the saviour in question, the pop was immense.

He strode out onto the stage to disrupt Randy Orton's 'passing of the torch' ceremony - where the champ had hired a long-distance runner to literally run to the venue and pass him a torch. Although he ultimately failed to take the belt from Orton, this return made it clear that Jericho was back - and hadn't lost any of his characteristic showmanship while away.

Since then, we've seen Y2J's strange postmodern take on the shock return, coming back in 2012 without saying a word - one of the most intriguing heel turns ever, for my money. Similarly, his recent return to New Japan showed that Jericho's shock appearances often simply feel bigger than anyone else's. He's a true master of the return angle.

6. Matt Hardy - 2005

Real life bled into kayfabe in 2005, when the ugly love triangle between Matt Hardy, Lita, and Edge became major wrestling news. Matt was subsequently released, prompting a huge online backlash from fans who felt that he had been treated unfairly.

Matt's return was certainly a little different to most. He hadn't spent a lot of time away, nor were there any fireworks or theme music accompanying his comeback.

Instead, the whole thing was played off as a 'worked shoot', with Hardy crashing the venue and attacking Edge, only to be led away by security.

Ultimately, the whole thing will be remembered as a blown opportunity. The feud could have been dynamite, but WWE seemed insistent on putting Edge over at the expense of Hardy's momentum. Still, for a while, it was the hottest thing in wrestling.

5. Ric Flair - 2001

In terms of in-ring competition, Ric Flair will largely be remembered as an NWA and WCW icon - and that's totally justified. But, on the flipside, his early-90s run in WWF was cut sadly short, especially after such a promising heel run (including that legendary Royal Rumble win in 1992).

For that reason, his WWE return after almost a decade must have felt surreal. In the aftermath of the Invasion angle, wrestling was in a state of flux. The biggest storyline in the business had been completed (and, in the opinion of many, botched). Where did WWE go from here?

The answer was the brand split, which was foreshadowed by Flair's explosive return. Although not as physically seismic as some of the others on this list, the sight of the Nature Boy strutting out to announce his co-ownership of WWE was still completely landscape-shifting.

4. Triple H - 2002

Not all of the returns on this list have to be particularly complicated. This was a very simple one. In 2001, Triple H suffered a potentially career-ending injury (during that legendary tag team match alongside Stone Cold, facing Jericho and Benoit).

Every cloud has a silver lining, and The Game's was that is injury caused him to miss the entirety of the Invasion angle - meaning that his stock didn't suffer one iota.

Indeed, when the game made his return in early 2002, he was met with a rapturous response - quite a shift for a man who had been the company's top heel for the past couple of years.

Triple H proceeded to win the Royal Rumble, and take the Undisputed Championship from Jericho in the main event of WrestleMania - but this sequence of events was all kickstarted by that explosive Raw return. So much denim; so much leather.

3. Bret Hart - 2010

Although Bret Hart returned in the mid-2000s to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he very deliberately didn't appear on any of WWE's regular programming. It seemed as though the events of the Montreal Screwjob had left a lasting bitterness in the minds of many parties.

It was therefore monumental when WWE announced that the Hitman was returning to Monday Night Raw. The unthinkable was happening.

Not only did Bret return, he even buried the hatchet with Shawn Michaels - his former bitter rival, and the man who he faced on that fateful night in Montreal.

This historic episode of Raw also coincided with TNA's first attempt at starting the second Monday Night Wars - but they didn't do too well up against this legendary return. Quite understandable, really.

2. The Rock - 2011

The Rock's 2011 return saw his first Raw appearance for

seven years

, after leaving the wrestling business for the bright lights of Hollywood. Ostensibly, he came back to announce his position as 'the host' of WrestleMania 27 - but this kickstarted a chain of events that would change the business forever.

Rock's stint as host led, of course, to his interference in the main event - starting a feud with John Cena that would span the next two WrestleManias. It also aggrieved CM Punk, who felt that part-timers such as Rocky were being favoured over hard-working newer stars like himself.

Punk's resultant pipebomb changed wrestling, was a major factor in the emergence of Daniel Bryan, and led to WWE's current infatuation with the independent scene's top workers.

That all started on Raw - and even if we look at the moment in isolation, it is perhaps the most heartily-received of this list. That live crowd go

wild

.

1. Brock Lesnar - 2012

Brock Lesnar certainly took an unorthodox approach to achieving future Hall-of-Famer status. Starting out as a monstrous youngster with monstrous potential, he fully lived up to his Next Big Thing moniker.

Then he left to try to break into the NFL. Then he went to New Japan for a little while. Then he became an MMA fighter and

actually won

the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Then he returned.

It's an odd story, but one which made his return all the more spectacular. Brock's UFC stint had raised his profile considerably, meaning that his return - on the Raw after WrestleMania 28 - felt humungous.

It was also very fitting that he attacked John Cena, the man who had perhaps benefitted most from Lesnar's strange career path. With The Beast out of the picture, it was Cena who became the biggest star of a generation - and now Brock was back to extract his revenge.

Perfect storytelling, and a perfect moment. We'll even forgive Lesnar losing the eventual match with Cena, because he got his revenge in such a big way two years later, winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the process.

10. Bobby Lashley

WWE

With his distinguished amateur wrestling background, freaky physique and impressive athleticism, it was obvious from the off that WWE weren’t going to waste time when it came to Bobby Lashley.

After smashing through the Simon Deans and Orlando Jordans of the world, Lashers found himself at the top of the card as a member of the SmackDown Survivor Series team, earning his place in the main event of that show around two months after his televised debut.

From there, Lashley was booked to look dominant in whatever he did and had notable feuds with veterans like JBL and Finlay, going months before tasting a pin-fall loss in singles competition.

His feud with King of the Ring winner Booker T, who beat Lashley in the finals, raised his stock, as did his US Title win in May of 06.

Elevated liver enzyme problems took him out of action for a bit but when he returned it was evident that WWE planned on pushing him to the very top, placing him into the World Heavyweight Title scene with Booker, Finlay and Batista.

Lashley ended his rookie year as one of the top babyfaces on the blue brand, but would actually achieve more success when he was shipped over to ECW.

The All Mighty deserves a lot of credit for the improvements he made during his rookie year, as he went from green muscle-man to a much more accomplished worker.

And it only took WWE fifteen years to pull the trigger on him properly…

9. Sheamus

WWE

The Celtic Warrior’s rookie year is especially impressive when you consider that, at the time, it was a lot harder for foreign talent just to get signed, let alone used and pushed, by WWE.

And Sheamus certainly was ‘foreign’, wasn’t he? The big, ginger, translucent Irishman that he is.

His unique look certainly set him apart, but it was his close relationship with gym buddy Triple H that really landed him in the good graces of higher-ups.

Not that Sheamus didn’t work hard or anything, because he absolutely did, quickly graduating from low-level matches and feuds on ECW and getting drafted to Raw and put into a programme with WWE Champion John Cena.

Incredibly, Sheamus beat Cena in a Table’s Match at TLC, winning the spinning gold under 200 days after his first televised match.

From there, The Great White held it for a couple of months before dropping it and moving into a feud with The Game, which saw him lose at WrestleMania but win at Extreme Rules.

Mere days before his one-year main roster anniversary, Sheamus won a fatal four way at, erm, Fatal 4 Way, to win the WWE Title for the second time, which established him as a member of the main eventer clubs for the foreseeable future.

8. The Shield

WWE

Sometimes, it can take wrestlers coming from WWE’s developmental system a long time to make it, if indeed they make it at all.

Stop-start pushes, 50/50 booking and a general apathy or indifference are all things that can stunt the careers of a hot prospect.

Luckily for the members of The Shield, they encountered no such setbacks after they debuted at the 2012 Survivor Series.

It helped that they were aligned with CM Punk, top star and then-WWE Champion, but Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns all did the work and were good value for their winning streak, which lasted through June 2013.

Not that it was a bad time for the Hounds of Justice or anything, as each member won their first WWE title in May, Ambrose bagging the US Title while Reigns and Rollins captured the tag straps.

They continued defending their titles and put on some incredible matches over the summer and autumn and were associated with WWE COO Triple H, a sure sign that the company had big plans for them.

The Shield were stars and were clearly being positioned as the future of the company, potential world champions one and all, and they continued to go from strength to strength as they entered their second year.

7. The Undertaker

WWE

In the hands of someone other than Mark Callaway, odds are that The Undertaker gimmick probably would have been done within a year.

Debuting as a surprise at the 1990 Survivor Series, The Undertaker instantly began terrifying the audience.

He was protected from then on, usually demolishing his opponents in quick squash matches before stuffing them into a body bag.

‘Taker’s WrestleMania winning streak began during his rookie year, with a win over Jimmy Snuka and he was always featured in a top spot thereafter, regularly headlining house shows (which is where the money was made back then).

He would usually only lose if it was a stipulation like a Casket Match or by DQ or countout and gained such momentum that he was programmed with WWE Champion Hulk Hogan at the 1991 Survivor Series, which is where he won his first WWE Title, almost murdering the Hulkster with a Tombstone Piledriver.

Thankfully, with the power of prayers and vitamins, Hogan came back a couple of weeks later and took his belt back, but ‘Taker was already a made man at that point, as he could lay claim to being the youngest WWE Champion in WWE history.

But hold on a second, how can you age if you’re already dead?

6. Yokozuna

WWE

Like the Undertaker, Yokozuna had the benefit of being a monster WWE creation that ticked a lot of boxes for the time.

He was experienced, he had a great gimmick and he had the size required to be pushed as a force.

Which he was, right from the get-go, as he Bonzai-dropped his way through the opposition from his October 1st, 1992 debut to the Royal Rumble, which he won by last eliminating Randy Savage.

This was the first Rumble that guaranteed a WWE Title opportunity at WrestleMania, the sumo leaving The Showcase of the Immortals as champion after defeating Bret Hart…

…no, wait, it was the Hogan thing, wasn’t it?

Anyway, Yoko wasn’t without the title for long, as he won it back at the King of the Ring pay-per-view.

His first real test was the suddenly patriotic Lex Luger, who famously slammed the big man on the USS Intrepid on July 4th.

Yokozuna lost their big match at SummerSlam, but retained the title since it was only by count-out.

Somebody please tell Luger before he – oh, too late, he’s already celebrating with confetti.

Yoko passed his one-year-in-WWE mark as champ, the then-youngest WWE Champion ever having established himself as the man to beat.

5. Charlotte Flair

WWE

Charlotte Flair has dominated the women’s division since she debuted on WWE TV in 2015, the tone being set right from the beginning.

And the good news is that absolutely nobody has had a problem with The Queen’s perennial main event status!

She won her first title, the old Divas Championship, when she beat Nikki Bella at Night of Champions, just a couple of months after her main roster bow.

She retained it against Nikki and in a series of matches with Paige, before turning heel and getting past Brie Bella and Becky Lynch.

That took us to WrestleMania 32, where Charlotte, Lynch and Sasha Banks competed for the new Women’s Title, replacing that terrible purple butterfly thing.

Guess who won?

Yes, it was Charlotte, who had a new title but continued running through the division in the same fashion, defending it against Natalya and Paige once again, before being drafted to Raw and finally relinquishing the belt to Sasha Banks, just over one year after Stephanie McMahon introduced her to the WWE Universe proper.

Charlotte’s first year is not just noteworthy for how long she held onto her titles and her undefeated pay-per-view run, but also her growth as a performer, as she developed into one of the most assured talents on the roster, male or female.

4. Alberto Del Rio

WWE

It doesn’t feel good putting Alberto Del Rio on a list of ‘best’ anything (unless it’s ‘Best Worst Person’ or something), but it’s hard to ignore how impressive his first year in the company was.

A seasoned veteran with extensive experience in Mexico and Japan and with a real pedigree due to his family, Del Rio showed up in June of 2010 via a series of vignettes displaying his aristocracy and then made his in-ring debut almost two months later, beating Rey Mysterio.

He quickly worked his way up the ranks and was the booker’s choice to win the 2011 Royal Rumble (the biggest ever, with 40 participants), giving him a crack at Edge and the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania.

He was unsuccessful in his pursuit and also failed to upend Christian for the vacant title following Edge’s retirement, but that didn’t slow him down too much.

ADR won Raw’s Money in the Bank ladder match in July and cashed in a month later, beating CM Punk at SummerSlam after the Second City Saint had beaten John Cena but was attacked by Kevin Nash.

That title triumph came just five days before the one-year mark of him beating Mysterio in his first WWE match.

3. Ronda Rousey

WWE

I suppose it’s a bit silly to talk about Ronda Rousey having a ‘rookie year’ in WWE because, at this point, she has only had one year in WWE (at least if we’re counting the time between her first and last matches).

She debuted at the 2018 Royal Rumble and did some lovely sign pointing, making her intentions of having a WrestleMania match clear.

On the road to the 'Showcase of the Immortals' she got into it with the Authority, which included a couple of killer angles, and then teamed with Kurt Angle to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania in her first actual match.

For a debut performance, it was practically perfect, as Rousey (who won the match) came out of the show looking better than anyone.

She failed to win the Women’s Title from Nia Jax at Money in the Bank, as she won their match by disqualification, but wiped the floor with Alexa Bliss to become champ at SummerSlam a month later.

After that, there was simply no stopping Rowdy Ronda.

Nikki Bella, Mickie James, Natalya, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Bayley all couldn’t get the job done, and it took Becky Lynch to hand Rousey her first loss in the main event of WrestleMania 34, ending her title reign at 231 days.

2. Brock Lesnar

WWE

WWE offered Brock Lesnar what was at the time the biggest developmental deal in company history in order to lure the NCAA Division 1 Heavyweight Champion away from other potential suitors in 1999, and it was plain to see that with that sort of investment behind him, Brock wasn’t going to be toiling in the opening match once he made it to TV.

Debuting on the post-WrestleMania Raw in March 2002, Lesnar tore his way through everyone in his path and won the King of the Ring tournament in June.

That led to SummerSlam and a title match main event with The Rock, where the 'Next Big Thing' sent Dwayne off to planet Hollywood as he became the youngest WWE Champion in history.

Following that, Lesnar became SmackDown exclusive and saw off The Undertaker, including beating him in a brutal Hell in a Cell match, before dropping the strap to Big Show, who then lost it to Kurt Angle in order to set up a WrestleMania match between the amateur standouts.

Lesnar won the 2003 Royal Rumble to book his place against the Olympic Hero and capped off an amazing year by downing Angle in a classic at ‘Mania.

Brock was always good, but he went from Goldbergian powerhouse with untold upside to genuine box-office draw and ring general in scary time.

1. Kurt Angle

WWE

Lesnar’s ascension was awe-inspiring, no doubt, but Kurt Angle did it first and, on the whole, did it better.

The Olympic gold-medallist wasn’t guaranteed anything but an opportunity, as he received no monster developmental deal and came into the fold at a time when WWE were riding a real wave and had an embarrassment of star power.

Kurt’s proper in-ring debut came at the 1999 Survivor Series, an easy victory over Shawn Stasiak that established him as a squeaky-clean (and thus very annoying to the Attitude Era audience) heel.

He was soon in possession of both the European and Intercontinental championship belts and won the 2000 King of the Ring, before becoming involved in a major storyline with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon and finding himself in the WWE Title mix.

Kurt capped off his astonishing year by beating The Rock for the title at No Mercy.

Taking to wrestling quicker than just about anyone ever, Angle demonstrated an aptitude for not just the in-ring aspect, but everything else, too.

He could be serious or funny, performed admirably in skits and angles and developed his own unique promo style as well.

By the time he took the belt from The Brahma Bull, he was a total all-rounder and truly deserved to be positioned as WWE’s main titleholder.

Oh it’s true…well, you know the rest.