While there are many names that come to mind when you think of wrestlers who officially retired from WWE and later made a comeback.
However, there are only a few who retired from WWE, returned again, and then left once more to join AEW.
Former WWE Champion Edge, Now Shines as a “Cope” In AEW
On WrestleMania 27, April 3, 2011, Edge walked into the WWE ring as World Heavyweight Champion, defending against Alberto Del Rio.
He won the title, the crowd cheered him up, but what nobody knew was that they were watching his last match. No sendoff, no warning, no announcement, just the last victory.
Eight days later, April 11, 2011, Edge stepped into Monday Night Raw with no gear, no trench coat, no fireworks. Just a mic in hand and a somber look.
He stepped into the ring and told the world that he had been fighting with spinal stenosis, a condition so severe that one wrong bump could paralyze him for life. Doctors had given him the verdict: Retire now… or risk never walking again.
With this shocking announcement, the WWE arena went silent. This was Edge, the man who spear-tackled Jeff Hardy midair at WrestleMania 17, the ultimate opportunist, the 11-time world champion. And here he was, thanking fans, laying down his championship belt, saying goodbye.
That night, he left not as a villain or a hero; fans cried, Edge cried, and WWE lost one of its most fearless stars. Months later, his best friend Christian won the Heavyweight title that Edge left in the Ring, making the crowd grow emotionally.
Nine years later, on January 26, 2020, the impossible happened. Edge’s music hit at the Royal Rumble, a moment of surprise, shock, and happiness for the WWE Fans.
Following the end of his contract in WWE in September 2023, he joined AEW the next month. Since then, he has been wrestling in AEW with the ring name of Cope, which seems to arise from his real name, Adam Copeland.
Daniel Bryan as Bryan Danielson in AEW
On February 8, 2016, Raw in Seattle, Daniel Bryan’s hometown. Fans were buzzing, thinking maybe the leader of the YES! Movement had some big comeback news.
After all, this was the underdog who beat Triple H, Batista, and Randy Orton in one night at WrestleMania 30, April 6, 2014, to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
On that Monday night, Raw Bryan walked to the ring, long hair, thick beard, but his eyes told the story before he spoke. Years of concussions and medical evaluations had led to one unshakable reality: he could no longer be cleared to wrestle without risking permanent brain damage.
For nearly 20 minutes, Bryan poured his heart out, recalling wrestling in front of thousands of people. He choked up. His wife, Briella, cried at ringside.
And then it happened, one final, arena-shaking “YES!” chant. 18,000 voices, in perfect unison, lifting their hero one last time. That night, Daniel Bryan did not leave as a champion; he left as a legend.
Later in 2018, Daniel returned to WWE, and then once again in September 2021, he left WWE to join AEW. So at the moment, Bryan is a semi-retired professional wrestler on All Elite Wrestling, where he performs on a part-time basis.
In addition to Bryan and Edge, Dean Ambrose, now known as Jon Moxley, and CM Punk also once left WWE and joined AEW. While CM Punk is once again back in WWE, Dean Ambrose seems to be happy in AEW.