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WWE fans like surprises and always wait for a mega return after the end of a marquee event. While some of the supertstars have made memorable returns, others have struggled to get the much-needed support from the fans and momentum to reach the top again. From Shawn Michaels to Batista, here we have a look at the 5 most forgettable returns in WWE history. Four out of five superstars mentioned here have now retired from the in-ring action. Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels made a forgettable in-ring return at Crown Jewel 2018. The Heart Break Kid teamed up with his DX partner, Triple H, against the Brothers of Destruction, The Undertaker and Kane. While the match had the star power, the in-ring action was forgettable. Michaels was the only superstar who had retired back in 2018. Michaels' in-ring return was so bad that he doesn't consider it as his last match. He considers his Wrestlemania 26 match against The Undertaker his last. "It felt like a special, separate one-off. HBK, Mr. WrestleMania—that ended with Taker at WrestleMania. I still came back and refereed the match with Taker and Triple H. I don’t consider those a match, a single performance by me, HBK, by that guy. That’s not who that was. That was a dude hanging out with his buddies and having a match. So one was the artist, the other one was hanging out with his buddies," he told Chris Van Vliet in an interview. Batista Batista made his first return to WWE in 2014. He was announced for the Royal Rumble match and went on to win it. The timing of Batista's return coincided with Daniel Bryan's rise to the top. He went on to main event Wrestlemania 30 against Bryan and Randy Orton. The former World Heavyweight Champion soon quit WWE again. He returned to WWE in 2018 and retired after losing to Trilpe H at Wrestlemania 35. Goldberg After being away from WWE for 12 years, Goldberg returned to WWE in 2016. His first return with the company lasted till Wrestlemania 33. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018 and seemed to be done and dusted with in-ring action. He made several returns from 2019 to 2025 but failed to impress the WWE fans. He retired from in-ring action after losing to Gunther at July 12th Saturday Night's Main Event. The former World Heavyweight Champion was himself unimpressed with his retirement match. Kurt Angle Kurt Angle made a memorable return to WWE as the General Manager of Raw after Wrestlemania 33. He made his in-ring return after his return but it was evident that he wasn't the same superstar he used to be. He retired from in-ring action against Baron Corbin at Wrestlemania 35. The fans were hoping for him to face John Cena in his retirement match but that didn't happen. Angle lost to Corbin in his last ever match. Andrade Andrade became the first superstar to make his return to AEW after being in WWE. He joined AEW after being released from WWE in 2021. His contract with AEW ended later in 2023. He made his WWE return at Royal Rumble 2024. He couldn't win a title upon his return to WWE and was released in September 2025. He returned to AEW in October.
