The Ruthless Aggression era of WWE was one of the strongest in the history of the company. With a stacked roster and a lot of brilliant storylines taking place during this period, this period of WWE's history is a memorable one. There were great matches and moments in these years, and there were also some amazing returns.
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Returns in wrestling always lead to amazing moments and this time period of wrestling had no shortage of that. There were a lot of brilliant returns, whether that be people coming back from injury or just as a legendary comeback, which led to some fantastic pops and memorable segments.
10 Shawn Michaels (2002)
Shawn Michaels is one of the biggest names of all time, therefore him coming back after 18 months was a big deal. WWE decided to bring him back as a member of the nWo, which was something that audiences were surprised by, but it did get people talking.
HBK was put into the group in a bid to provide more interest to WWE's version of the faction, and while that didn't work, the return itself was a cool spot. Audiences enjoyed seeing him back and it certainly created an interesting angle.
9 Roddy Piper (2008)
The Royal Rumble always brings epic moments and fun surprises and the 2008 show was no exception to that. This included a brilliant moment where Roddy Piper came back to WWE and competed in the match, receiving a huge reaction.
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With this event taking place at Madison Square Garden, there was a lot of history involved in this appearance for him. Piper looked great and his inclusion was fun throughout this match, which led to a great moment in the Rumble.
8 Mick Foley (2004)
Speaking of great Royal Rumble surprises in the Ruthless Aggression era, Mick Foley provided one of those in 2004. He hit the ring with a real purpose for this moment as it was all about his storyline with Randy Orton at the time.
He immediately attacked the young Legend Killer and then eliminated himself and Orton to drive home that message. The segment was a great part of the match and the fans went wild for Foley as a surprise element within the match.
7 Edge (2004)
After being out of action for a year due to injury, Edge's surprise return in 2004 was a huge deal. He came back during the WWE Draft and he received an incredible reaction from the audience, showcasing how much the audience cared about him.
From this moment the Rated-R Superstar kicked on and reached a different level of popularity as a wrestler. It was a memorable situation from the Ruthless Aggression era from one of this period's top stars.
6 Chris Jericho (2007)
Some returns are total surprises while others are built up to gain anticipation, and the latter was the case for Chris Jericho. WWE hyped up a mystery man for weeks which got people talking, and it eventually led to Jericho appearing.
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This was excellently done with so much excitement surrounding it. When he popped out to confront the then-WWE Champion Randy Orton, there was an incredible response with the WWE Universe being happy to see him back.
5 The Undertaker (2005)
The Undertaker is somebody who has returned plenty of times throughout WWE history. One of his greatest took place in the Ruthless Aggression era during his storyline with Randy Orton, popping up at Survivor Series 2005 to a thunderous reaction.
Orton was over the top being an arrogant heel at the time after being a sole survivor. He was busy celebrating, believing that he was the top guy until Undertaker burst out of a burning coffin, which created an amazing visual.
4 Kane (2002)
Kane is someone who has been popular within wrestling, but his character is not one that played up to the audience like a typical babyface. However, when he returned in 2002, that is something that he did when he wiped out the Un-Americans.
They were threatening to burn the American flag when Kane made a return to the ring, taking them out alongside Goldust and Booker T. It was an epic moment that proved to be truly memorable in Raw's history and set up a huge reaction.
3 Matt Hardy (2005)
In 2005, Matt Hardy became one of the top babyfaces of the time due to real-life issues. Fans were upset with Edge and Lita due to the affair that they had. Matt was the victim in that and then he ended up being fired by WWE to add insult to injury.
However, fans were so behind him that they would demand his return to the company to the point where WWE gave in and hired Matt back. Because the audience was so behind him, his return was something that got a massive response.
2 John Cena (2008)
John Cena's return in 2008 at the Royal Rumble was an astonishing moment, mainly because nobody ever expected him to be there. His return from injury was months ahead of schedule and it led to one of the greatest pops in WWE history.
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This came right at the end of the Ruthless Aggression, but it provided an unforgettable moment and is one of the greatest nights of Cena's career. He returned and won the Rumble, which was a result that nobody saw coming.
1 Triple H (2002)
While John Cena's pop was great, few will ever be louder than when Triple H returned in 2002, right at the start of the Ruthless Aggression era. After a period on the shelf, The Game made his return at MSG, which created an insane response from the fans.
The crowd erupted for Triple H who was at the top of his game during this time. The audience was desperate to see him and it created one of the greatest moments, not just of this era, but in WWE's history.
