Brock Lesnar and the 7 Most Memorable WWE Returns in the Last 5 Years

The most recent episode of WWE Monday Night Raw was just as memorable as the epic WrestleMania 28 pay-per-view that preceded it.

Just 24 hours after being pinned by The Rock, John Cena requested that his WrestleMania opponent join him in the ring for a formal congratulations. Instead, former WWE and UFC champion Brock Lesnar answered Cena's invitation.

Lesnar made his way to the ring, taking in the cheers from the Miami fans. He extended his hand to Cena, seemingly offering him a handshake, only to lift him up and hit him with the F5.

Lesnar's return has proved to be one of the most memorable returns in recent memory.

There have been, however, many other memorable returns in the past five years. Let's take a look at some of the best.

Daniel Bryan Returns from a Brief Hiatus

In June 2010, the Nexus debuted on Monday Night Raw. They interrupted the main-event match between CM Punk and John Cena, decimating both competitors. They then set their sights on the ring crew and tore apart anything they could get their hands on.

Unfortunately, Daniel Bryan ended up getting fired for choking ring announcer Justin Roberts with his necktie.

At SummerSlam 2010, Bryan returned as the seventh member of Team Cena. He played a vital part in Team Cena defeating the Nexus in the seven-on-seven elimination tag team match.

Royal Rumble 2011: Two Legends Return

The 2011 Royal Rumble included 40 entrants.

It's only natural that the biggest Rumble match in history would feature the return of two of the biggest names in professional wrestling: Booker T and Kevin Nash.

Booker T was the 21st entrant in the match. The intro of his entrance music garnered one of the biggest pops of the night.

Kevin Nash, who made his return as Diesel, also got quite an admiral pop when he entered at No. 32. Big Daddy Cool made quite the impact until he was eliminated by Wade Barrett.

Other legends, such as Road Dogg, made cameos in this match, but Booker and Nash were the only ones who had recurring roles after their returns.

Christian's Extreme Return

ECW Champion Jack Swagger took to the ring one February night to call out Hornswoggle.

Instead, the All-American American got the returning Christian.

Captain Charisma's return is especially memorable, in my opinion, because of how unexpected it was. No one was entirely sure when he would return to WWE after leaving TNA and no one expected that he'd return to ECW.

The Second Coming of Y2J

In November 2007, Chris Jericho returned after a two-year hiatus. A cryptic promo had been airing for weeks, hinting at the return of Jericho.

Y2J made his presence felt instantly when he interrupted WWE Champion Randy Orton during his celebration. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. crowd loved the verbal onslaught Jericho gave the "Legend Killer."

The End of the World as We Know It

In true Y2J fashion, Jericho returned yet again after weeks of cryptic promos. Only this time, there was a much more mysterious quality to the Jan. 2, 2012 promos that gave his return a sort of ominous feeling.

Jericho, donning an extravagant light-up jacket, made his way to the ring. His over-enthusiasm was permeable throughout the arena.

After about 10 minutes of playing to the crowd, Jericho left without saying a word.

Leave it to Y2J to make a memorable return without saying or doing anything.

Finally, the Rock Has Come Home

The Most Electrifying Person in Sports Entertainment returned to the WWE as the guest host of WrestleMania 27. He cut an epic promo in which he stated that he has "come home." 

The Rock has provided the WWE Universe with many memorable moments since then, but his return is in a league of its own. To borrow a cliche, the atmosphere was nothing short of electric.

The Next Big Thing

It may have been all over the dirtsheets and the Miami fans may have been chanting "We Want Lesnar" all night long, but Brock Lesnar's return on this past episode of Monday Night Raw was a moment we won't soon forget.

Simply seeing Lesnar on WWE television for the first time in eight years was phenomenal. His F5 on John Cena was absolutely epic.

What's next for Brock Lesnar? Does "The Next Big Thing" continue to attack Cena or was Cena just the first stop on his path of destruction?

I don't know, but I'm anxiously awaiting to find out!

Thanks for reading. As always, I appreciate any feedback on my writing. Feel free to spark a conversation with me regarding what was discussed in this column by commenting or reaching out to me on Twitter @MikePW247. Also, be sure to tune in to This Very Ring every Sunday night at 11 p.m. ET to listen to myself and Stan Grubb discuss all things pro wrestling.