4. Ken Shamrock
When Ken Shamrock left MMA in 1996 to be a professional wrestler in the WWE, he was still one of the top fighters in the game. When he returned in 2000 that was no longer the case.
Including his record in Pancrase, Shamrock’s record was 23W-5L-2D before leaving the sport. Outside of Pancrase his only UFC losses were to Royce Gracie at UFC 1, and to Dan Severn at UFC 9. When he returned in 2000 however, the sport had completely passed him by.
Shamrock’s record since returning is 5W-12L. Not exactly the thing of legends. But when Shamrock was dominating in MMA, the sport was not as financially rewarding as it was when he returned. It’s hard to blame him for making a comeback, it’s just that it went terribly.
