Professional wrestling can be a grind and is certainly taxing on those involved both mentally and physically. The constant bumps can push people's bodies, meanwhile, all the travel makes life incredibly draining and difficult for wrestlers, largely because of how long they spend away from their families.
This is ultimately why several wrestlers (associated with WWE at some point) have opted to take a hiatus during their careers, stepping away from the business completely to pursue other passions. This has had varying degrees of impact when it comes to their return, as certain people can end up being missed desperately while others may very well be forgotten about.
10 CM Punk
One of the most famous examples of a hiatus in wrestling came via CM Punk who stayed completely away from the sport following his WWE departure. While he got involved in MMA, acting, and other roles, he typically didn't do many interviews or talk about his time in wrestling much.
However, this only built up the excitement in the eyes of the fans as they had missed him. That's why his return to the sport for AEW was such a big deal and has continued to be ever since because audiences have been desperate to see Punk.
9 Batista
Batista has had a couple of big hiatuses to focus on his acting career and his returns have been met differently. When he first returned to wrestling for one final full-time run in 2014, fans hated him. They felt he was being pushed over Daniel Bryan, and it led to resentment, despite the great career he'd had.
Thankfully, that seemed to wash away when he returned for his retirement match at WrestleMania 35 against Triple H. While he was a heel in this scenario he did gain respectful reactions, which he deserved.
8 The Rock
Much like Batista, The Rock took a hiatus away from wrestling when he decided to pursue acting full time, only his was a longer break. Considering the star power that The Rock had, his time away from wrestling made people desperate to see him back because he had been such a big name for the company.
When he did make his return in 2011 fans went crazy for him and his final run as a part-time talent was a major hit. People loved seeing him back in the business because he had made himself an even bigger, more global celebrity during his time away, therefore he drove more eyes to the product.
7 Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels was one of few wrestlers that seemed to be set to stick to the idea that he lost a retirement match, but that was until Saudi Arabia money became available. He then came out of retirement to team with Triple H against The Brothers Of Destruction, which seems like a great idea on paper.
The reality of the situation was that this match was a complete disaster that hurt all four men. Nobody came out of this looking good, not the least Michaels, who fans did lose some respect for because he didn't stay true to his word about retiring.
6 Alex Riley
Not every hiatus in wrestling leads to someone returning in a major WWE storyline, as Alex Riley proves. He took a six-year break from professional wrestling following the end of his WWE career to focus on other aspects of his life, and when he returned it was for the NWA.
Riley didn't have the same hype surrounding him due to the time away from the ring, and the hiatus did seem to impact him as a performer as well. Riley looked rusty inside the ring, and it featured a big botch as he tried to dive out of the ring, which was a shame to see.
5 Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho has often taken little breaks throughout his career, but in 2005 he decided to take a big hiatus as he focused on his music career. However, fans never forgot about him and when he came back to WWE in 2007 there was a lot of excitement surrounding him.
While he wasn't quite accepted at the main event scene he would eventually get back to, there's no doubt that the WWE Universe was happy to see him. The break did him a lot of good and really helped him change things up for his career trajectory.
4 Goldberg
Following WrestleMania 20 most fans presumed that Goldberg's career in wrestling was done, but he surprised fans by making his comeback. It was all done to feud against Brock Lesnar with the main focal point being a WrestleMania 33 match between the two men.
It proved to be a great moment and the break was beneficial for him. When he departed WWE beforehand the fans hated him, but the break allowed people to only focus on the good parts of his career and he got treated like a hero instead.
3 Edge
Some wrestlers take a break because they choose to do so, others have that decision forced upon them, and that was the case with Edge. He had a nine-year hiatus from wrestling because of a neck injury that many people thought had brought an end to his career completely.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case as Edge was able to return to the ring and add further years to his career. He has put on great matches and while it certainly changed the trajectory of how his career would've gone, it has created some amazing moments for fans.
2 Ric Flair
Ric Flair returning to the ring in 2022 wasn't something that anybody was actively searching for, yet the Nature Boy provided it with his 'final' ever match. The decision was something that seemed to be done for his ego alone, and it was met with a mixed response from fans.
Some people were happy to tap into nostalgia and see Flair wrestle once again, but the bulk of people didn't want to see it. The main reason was that there was genuine concern for his health, which does show that people care.
1 Brock Lesnar
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and that was certainly the case when it came to Brock Lesnar and his hiatus from wrestling. He was burnt out and decided to step away from wrestling, but that was the best decision he ever made because it led him to the Octagon to fight for UFC.
Dominating in that world only made him a bigger star in the eyes of wrestling fans as it helped to legitimize professional wrestling and Lesnar himself. Therefore, when he did come back, Lesnar had a new aura about him, and he has ever since, which was down to his break.
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