A familiar entrance theme hitting without warning can sometimes generate a louder reaction than any match result. WWE has used surprise returns for decades, from The Rock walking back onto Raw to CM Punk appearing at Survivor Series nearly ten years after leaving the company.
Several former WWE stars are now working elsewhere, while others have stepped away from wrestling or ruled out another match. That makes some of these comebacks unlikely—but this is a dream list, not a report about planned appearances.
Here are 10 dream WWE returns that would instantly give fans new matches, reunions and stories.
10. Dustin Rhodes
Dustin Rhodes spent several periods in WWE, but most fans remember him as Goldust. The character debuted in 1995 and became one of the company’s strangest creations, allowing Rhodes to build an identity separate from his father, Dusty Rhodes.
His return would carry a different meaning today because Cody Rhodes is one of WWE’s leading names. WWE could reunite the brothers without making them wrestle each other again. Dustin has said he does not want another match against Cody after what they produced at AEW Double or Nothing in 2019.
A retirement storyline involving Cody, Dustin and the Rhodes family would give WWE something deeply personal. Dustin could return as himself instead of placing the Goldust paint back on his face. He remains connected to AEW and has indicated that he does not plan to return to WWE. That only makes a final appearance alongside Cody feel more like a dream than a genuine expectation. Dustin was also working toward an in-ring return after undergoing double-knee replacement surgery. He said in June 2026 that he was not yet cleared but was getting close.
9. The Hardy Boyz
Matt and Jeff Hardy have already made appearances on NXT through WWE’s working relationship with TNA. However, a full main-roster return would be an entirely different matter. The brothers could appear at the Royal Rumble before beginning one final run on Raw or SmackDown. WWE’s tag team division has several opponents they have never faced properly, while a Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match could connect the current generation with the era the Hardys helped define.
Matt and Jeff returning at WrestleMania 33 in 2017 remains one of the loudest surprise appearances in the event’s history. Recreating that response would be difficult, but the opening notes of their entrance theme would still bring an arena to its feet.
The Hardys returned to NXT while under contract with TNA and even captured the NXT Tag Team Championship in 2025. A full WWE comeback could allow them to finish their careers where millions of fans first discovered them.
8. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho has returned to WWE many times, often without any advance announcement. His last WWE match took place at the Greatest Royal Rumble on April 27, 2018, before he eventually became one of AEW’s original headliners. Jericho’s WWE comeback would not require a championship. His history provides enough material for one final program. He could confront Kevin Owens, revisit his unfinished friendship with Sami Zayn or face a wrestler who grew up watching him.
A Royal Rumble entrance would be the easiest way to bring him back. The countdown could reach zero, the arena could go dark and “Break the Walls Down” could play again for the first time in years. Jericho is not waiting for that call. He returned to AEW television in April 2026 and reportedly remains committed to the company under a new multi-year agreement. Jericho has continued discussing his future as part of AEW. Still, his WWE history feels unfinished without one last goodbye.
7. Christian Cage
Christian Cage returning to WWE would create several possibilities, especially if Adam Copeland ever came back for one final appearance. Christian left WWE as an active wrestler after injuries brought his in-ring career to a stop in 2014. He returned during the 2021 Royal Rumble before signing with AEW, where he rebuilt himself through a new heel character.
A WWE comeback would not need to be based only on nostalgia. Christian could arrive as the cold, manipulative character he developed outside the company and immediately target Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton or another established name.
WWE could also reunite Christian and Edge for one last match as a team. They won seven WWE Tag Team Championships together and helped shape the company’s ladder and TLC matches alongside The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz. Christian remains with AEW, so there is no indication that this return is being planned. Still, seeing him enter a WWE ring under his current character would feel completely different from another short nostalgia appearance.
6. Big E
Big E has remained part of WWE since suffering a broken neck during the March 11, 2022 episode of SmackDown. He has made television appearances and worked on WWE’s pre-show panels, but he has not returned to the ring. A surprise Royal Rumble comeback would create an emotional response before Big E even touched another wrestler. It could also lead to a proper New Day reunion after the group’s relationship changed during his absence.
The dream story would see Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods confronted by the man who once stood beside them. Big E would not need to choose a side immediately. Simply placing him in the same ring with Woods and Kingston would provide WWE with months of material.
However, this entry must remain pure fantasy unless Big E receives medical clearance and personally decides that wrestling is worth the risk. He has said he is content with the end of his in-ring career and is unwilling to gamble with his health. Big E has indicated that an in-ring comeback is no longer something he is pursuing. His health matters more than any storyline. If the situation ever changed safely, though, his return would be one of WWE’s most emotional scenes.
5. Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey returning to WWE would immediately bring attention to the women’s division, especially because her second run ended without a world championship farewell. Rousey made her WWE in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34 on April 8, 2018, before winning the Raw Women’s Championship at SummerSlam. She later competed against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in the first women’s WrestleMania main event in 2019.
After almost three years away, Rousey returned in the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble and won the match. Her second WWE run included two SmackDown Women’s Championship reigns and a Women’s Tag Team Championship run with Shayna Baszler.
Rousey’s final WWE match took place at SummerSlam on August 5, 2023, where Baszler defeated her in an MMA Rules Match. Rousey subsequently left WWE and spoke openly about her frustrations with the company. A dream return could begin with Rousey attacking Baszler and claiming their rivalry never received a proper ending. WWE could also book her against Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill or Stephanie Vaquer—opponents she never faced during her previous runs.
Rousey would not need to return as a regular full-time wrestler. A short run built around one personal rivalry and a WrestleMania match would be enough to make her comeback feel different from her 2022 return.
4. Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson left WWE in 2021 after his contract expired. His final match took place on the April 30 episode of SmackDown, where Roman Reigns defeated him and forced him to leave the brand.
Danielson later joined AEW and ended his full-time career after losing the AEW World Championship to Jon Moxley at WrestleDream on October 12, 2024. He has not completely ruled out wrestling again, but health problems and time with his family have changed his priorities.
A WWE return could begin by revisiting the way he left. Danielson could confront Reigns for taking away the final years of his WWE career or challenge Cody Rhodes in a match between two men whose exits helped change their careers. There are also matches with GUNTHER, CM Punk and Chad Gable. Danielson would not need a long championship run; a short schedule built around carefully selected opponents would be enough.
He currently has a consulting role with AEW and appears comfortable away from full-time competition. Danielson has spoken about his health and decision to step back. That makes a WWE comeback difficult, but the sound of “Flight of the Valkyries” would still produce a reaction few returns could match.
3. Edge
Edge already completed one return that seemed impossible. After retiring because of a neck condition in April 2011, he entered the 2020 Royal Rumble and competed in WWE for another three years. His second run included matches against Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Finn Bálor and AJ Styles.
Edge left WWE after defeating Sheamus on the August 18, 2023 episode of SmackDown. He then joined AEW under his real name, Adam Copeland. A second WWE comeback could give him the farewell he did not receive when his contract expired. He could reunite with Christian for one final tag team match or return for a Hall of Fame-style goodbye in Toronto. A match against Cody Rhodes would also carry an easy story. Edge could argue that WWE changed while he was away and that Cody now occupies the position he once held.
Copeland has said that he wants to retire in AEW and does not expect to return to WWE. He recently made his position clear while discussing where he plans to finish his career. For this reason, an Edge comeback belongs on a dream list rather than a predictions list.
2. Sasha Banks
Sasha Banks walked out of WWE alongside Naomi in May 2022 following a disagreement over the direction of the Women’s Tag Team Championship. She later began wrestling as Mercedes Moné, first appearing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling in January 2023 before joining AEW in March 2024.
A WWE return would immediately bring several unfinished relationships back into focus. Bayley and Banks created one of NXT’s most celebrated rivalries. Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Banks helped lead WWE’s women’s division through a different era. Bianca Belair defeated Banks in the WrestleMania 37 main event, but the two never received a lengthy follow-up program.
WWE could also book Banks against wrestlers who arrived after her departure, including Roxanne Perez and Giulia. A Royal Rumble return would allow her to stand across the ring from several opponents without announcing the first rivalry in advance.
Moné confirmed that discussions about a WWE return took place before she signed with AEW. Those talks did not result in an agreement, and she chose AEW. If her entrance music ever interrupted Bayley, Charlotte or Bianca, WWE would have a story before either woman spoke.
1. Dean Ambrose
No dream return would change WWE television faster than Jon Moxley walking through the crowd as Dean Ambrose—or returning under his current name. Ambrose left WWE when his contract expired in April 2019. He appeared at AEW Double or Nothing the following month and rebuilt himself as Jon Moxley, eventually becoming one of AEW’s most trusted wrestlers.
His WWE return would begin with one question: what does he think of Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins now? The Shield ended without receiving the final chapter its history deserved. Reigns became The Tribal Chief, Rollins rebuilt himself several times, and Ambrose became Moxley outside WWE. Bringing those three versions together would be far different from another Shield reunion built around their old entrance and tactical vests.
Moxley could reject both men, blame them for remaining in the company he left or target whichever one held a world championship. WWE could build the story without immediately reuniting The Shield.
A surprise appearance through the crowd would also allow WWE to avoid giving viewers the usual entrance cue. One camera finding Moxley among the fans would be enough. Moxley remains closely tied to AEW and has helped shape the company’s television direction. He has spoken about his efforts to reset AEW and develop its future. A WWE comeback appears unlikely, but that is what makes it the biggest dream return available.
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