FanPost

The Power of a Wrestling Return

Take a toy away from a child and that kid wants it more than anything else in the world. Give that toy back and, for a second, it's the happiest moment in that kid's life. Then it's back to the status quo of ignoring said toy and playing with one's feet or trying to stick a finger in a light socket.

Just like that little kid and its toy, we fans - including myself - can become jaded about the wrestlers we enjoy. It's easily done given that we see these people week in and week out. Those with enough patience and free time to watch all the programming WWE shovels out these days may see some wrestlers perform up to four or five times in a single week. That's more than some of us see our friends in a month - heck, a year! Nevermind the Network's back cataglogue that encourages even more overexposure.

Wrestlers ruin their bodies on a nightly basis so it's only natural for injuries to happen when they're working that many times a week. Our wrestling saviour, Daniel Bryan, has been busting his hump for over a decade. With his work rate it was only natural for his spine to collapse in on itself. It was all really bad timing, sure, but you can't blame the guy for taking time off to get preventative surgery. We don't need any more Dynamite Kid's in this world.

With news that Bryan may be gone until early 2015 due to weakness in his extremities there's not much WWE can do but push a much too familiar face until he comes back. They took a chance on the little guy and he succeeded but then got hurt. Send in the Superman. If you're like me, though, I'm anticipating that HUGE return pop with much glee!

Wrestling, for many, works in a cycle:

  • Debut
  • Work your way up
  • Get hurt
  • Rehab
  • Repeat
  • There are a few, like Chris Jericho, who leave on their own accord and return when the time is right, but for the most part injuries catalyze departures.

    Every year we all get excited for the return of The Undertaker. His returns aren't the same as Jericho's in that we have a general idea of when he's coming back because Wrestlemania season is barreling down on us. That doesn't mean we don't get just as excited. The Undertaker is a staple in the industry but he's older and much more fragile so it takes him a year to recover from each match due to injury. If he doesn't come back next year, though, it's OK. His body is destroyed and there are plenty of matches, moments and returns to remember him by. Imagine, though, if he took next year off and actually did one last run for Wrestlemania 32 at AT&T Stadium in his home state of Texas.

    Biggest. Pop. Ever!

    WWE knows they're going to get a reaction whenever someone returns. Even when Santino Marella returned last fall most people would've assumed nothing much would happen outside of kids getting a little excited but he came back in Toronto. For those not in the know, Santino is actually from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, which is just outside of Toronto. His authentic Italian accent probably tricked most of you, I know. Santino came storming out right after Zeb Colter berated the Canadian crowd about how weak they are compared to Americans. Satino was gone for a bit, found the perfect spot to come back and got a huge pop.

    Reactions to a return aren't always an indication for where a character is going. Marella got a nice one but went right back to Santino of old; a comedy schtick that's sort of funny sometimes but is generally ignored. Then there's Batista. Oh, Batista, how I'll miss you...as a heel.

    Upon his return Batista raised ratings for a week, though, I'd still argue it was a combination of his return and the reaction Daniel Bryan got at the end of the previous week's Raw when he broke away from The Wyatts that popped said rating. This time WWE didn't know what they had in a returning Batista. He left on such a high, or low from his character's point of view, playing a heel that to bring him back as anything else was short sited.

    Give him his big reaction then have him heel it up when he starts talking on the mic. Have him talk about how Hollywood is great and he's only back to help promote his next movie while being world champion. That's easy, beautiful heat and we're off to the races with a reestablished bad guy. In retrospect, if that had happened who knows where we'd be sitting now but it's always fun to retro-book.

    The wrestling return is one of the most exciting things in all of sports entertainment.

    Look to a few more examples like Triple H, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and, again this past Monday, Chris Jericho. I could name and link returns all day long but the reaction each one of them got upon their return was molten lava hot.

    You may have noticed a name come up a few times in this article. That belonging to grand champion of wrestling returns, Chris Jericho. Your opinion may differ, which means your opinion is wrong*, in this case. Jericho plays into all of our expectations through dodging, codes and worked leaks. Each return is spectacular and, amazingly, different. He went so far as to fly into a different city, drive to the arena and hide in a private trailer when returning for the Royal Rumble in 2013. This past Monday he and WWE double, triple, quadruple time swerved us with his return and, what should be, a brilliant run with The Wyatts. Thank you, grand champion, for another amazing return.

    WWE has a long history of not delivering. What happens after a return is generally not as exciting as that first moment. How could it be, though? A storyline takes time to make an impression, positive or negative, and there's exciting moments but there's nothing like that return. When the wrestler you know and love has spontaneously manifested themselves before your eyes after a long hiatus, of course you're jumping out of your seat. It's one of the most exhilarating experiences one can have watching wrestling.

    Absence really does make the heart grow fonder and boy can WWE book a return.

    Cagesiders, please sound off on your favourite return(s). And if you want to read more of my Fanposts click here.

    *Editor's Note: Your opinion isn't actually wrong. I get excited about the amount of effort Jericho puts into his returns so I got a little fiery with my language.

    PS. Swerve! You are actually wrong. Jericho is the best returner of all times, forever!

    The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.