Big returns are easily one of the coolest aspects of pro wrestling. With run-ins, awesome spots and surprise sneak attacks failing to produce any meaningful response from the audience — except when Becky Lynch is involved in those, of course — wrestling promotions have been forced to bank on big returns for loud pops. WWE are no exception.
While Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Ricochet, Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali all put on excellent matches, only Goldberg's return and The Undertaker's fighting John Cena garnered WWE what they crave for the most: mainstream media's attention. In other words, the works of NXT, WWE UK, 205 Live and SmackDown Live wrestlers are for the hardcore fans while the big-name arrivals and returns are tailor-made for casual fans and to bring back fans who've given up on the product. The following article looks at 10 big returns WWE can still pull the trigger on.
That said, not every big-name wrestler needs to make their return. WWE are better off without ever associating themselves with certain names. We’ll also list 10 former big names WWE should stay away from at all costs.
We have only included wrestlers who've had a full-blown run with WWE. Accordingly, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Kota Ibushi and Jushin Thunder Liger won't be making the list.
If you think a wrestler we haven't included belongs on this list, let us know.
20 Bring Back: Shawn Michaels
With Terry Funk, Ric Flair and Mick Foley all returning to the ring after 'retiring', Shawn Michaels promised that he'd stay true to his word. However, recent developments suggest otherwise.
With his now working closely with NXT, HBK has been said to be pondering an in-ring WWE return.
WWE must know that he's one of their last big returns they could make, so they must write him a big storyline that'd see him wrestle Seth Rollins, AJ Styles or even Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania or SummerSlam or Tommaso Ciampa or Johnny Gargano on an NXT TakeOver. WWE must pull the trigger on him before he becomes too old to deliver picture-perfect Sweet Chin Musics.
19 Avoid: Goldberg
Few wrestlers have had an excellent story arc. The Undertaker, for instance, should have hung his boots after losing his WrestleMania streak or after losing to Roman Reigns. Although he only wrestles occasionally, he seems to have lost the mystique that made him The Undertaker. Goldberg, on the other hand, has been an anomaly. WWE booked him so perfectly upon his WWE return, booking him to squash Kevin Owens and Brock Lesnar; his career would now make a fantastic DVD or a special on WWE Network. They should choose not to ruin one of the rare awesome stories WCW and WWE have combined to create.
18 Bring Back: Batista
WWE loves mainstream relevance like The Young Bucks like their merch money. WWE must, on paper, must be desperate to bring Batista, former World Heavyweight Champion but, if the recent reports are anything to go by, The Animal is keen on doing a program with his kayfabe mentor and Evolution partner Triple H and the IWC, who booed him upon his recent return, also want him back. However, for some reason, WWE isn't ready to capitalize on his Guardians of the Galaxy fame, at least as of now. When the effect of the returns of Kurt Angle and Goldberg wanes, however, WWE will definitely come calling for him.
17 Never Consider: Sunny
With WWE doing an all-female Royal Rumble match and PPV, Evolution, they've brought back numerous ex-wrestlers, including Molly Holly, Lita, Trish Stratus and Beth Phoenix to do cool spots.
Thanks to WWE's employing few women historically, there's a dearth of ex-female wrestlers they can call upon.
There's one former diva they must never turn to even if the entirety of their women's rosters is on the injury table: Sunny.
Sunny has tried to auction her Hall of Fame ring, spoke ill of numerous ex-wrestlers, and had legal problems. WWE, the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, should have no association with her whatsoever.
16 Bring Back: Wade Barrett
WWE never truly appreciated Wade Barrett while he was there. It initially looked as though he was destined for great things when WWE made him lead Nexus. Things started going downhill after his Nexus run came to an end, until he revived his career, performing as Bad News Barrett. It was short-lived as well, as he later resurfaced as a League of Nations member.
He, who now works as a key authority figure in many United Kingdom shows, has proven that he's capable of things WWE never trusted him with. Given Vince McMahon's recent launching of WWE UK, they must try to re-sign the World of Sport Wrestling star.
15 Avoid: ECW Originals
No entertainment industry regurgitates things like wrestling industry does. We continue to see WWE redo Montreal, something that happened in 1997. It's only natural that the company tries bringing back elements of their past fans liked. One element not just WWE, but numerous big promotions tries piggyback off at regular intervals is ECW Originals.
While Tommy Dreamer, Bubba Ray and Rhyno look capable of producing extreme moments, Sabu, The Sandman and Terry Funk all wrestle like they should have called it a day decades ago. WWE should distance themselves from ECW Originals to ensure they don't look desperate and tarnish what's left of ECW's legacy.
14 Bring Back: CM Punk
We know what you're thinking... CM Punk has turned into what The Ultimate Warrior and Bret Hart were during the '90s and '00s. Back then, though, WWE had stars like The Rock, Triple H and Steve Austin to rely on. While they have fantastic wrestlers, including AJ Styles, Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura, no one, perhaps with the exception of The Shield, commands as much star power as CM Punk does.
Vince McMahon should definitely at least try to bring the former WWE Champion back, as the UFC star’s coming back would bring a lot of those who've given up on wrestling back.
13 Avoid: Alberto Del Rio
One wrestler Vince McMahon should probably never consider bringing back but would love to re-sign is Alberto Del Rio. He, who now wrestles as Alberto El Patron, is one of few former WWE Heavyweight Champions to still wrestle actively outside of WWE.
Bringing him back, given his decorated WWE resume, has been on Vince's mind.
However, despite his size, fame, talent and marketability, WWE should never ponder signing him, as he brings with a lack of professionalism, lethargy and most of all, the WWE universe was always lukewarm on him. Unless he turns things around, WWE should only focus on making his compatriot Andrade Almas the star he could never become.
12 Bring Back: Rey Mysterio
We've waited for it enough. When Rey Mysterio made a surprise entrance at Royal Rumble and the Greatest Royal Rumble — and put on a heckuva show — many expected him to return full-time, but reported inability to arrive at a contract either party agrees with has kept him from becoming a regular on SmackDown Live or Raw. The two-time WWE Heavyweight Champion, however, has remained a busy man, wrestling for big promotions, including New Japan Pro Wrestling and AAA and on All In. Given the failures of Sin Cara, Kalisto, Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik to replace him, WWE must look to sign the 43-year-old legend sooner than later.
11 Avoid: The Great Khali
When WWE releases an old video of an ex-wrestler or a montage of his major moments, you know that that the chances of their returning to WWE instantly goes up. WWE recently released an YouTube video titled 'The Great Khali's five greatest moments' and WWE fans are having mixed feelings about it.
While his goofing around in a WWE ring makes for exciting television, his being turned into a full-time wrestler is something no wrestling fan who cares about their sanity would appreciate. Despite his still being a major draw in India, WWE must avoid bringing him back to ensure their segments don't become laughing stocks.
10 Bring Back: Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes left WWE after being treated like a joke for almost two years, and his success on the back of the release suggests he was criminally misused in WWE. He has since been in the main event of numerous big promotions, including NJPW, ROH Wrestling and NWA.
While it's rather easy to main-event shows when one has his second name, he's proved he belongs there, putting on high-quality matches and evolving into a top class character.
Additionally, his putting together All In, which sold over 10,000 tickets in minutes, attests to his all-round wrestling knowledge.
9 Avoid: Big Cass
There were a multitude of reasons that Big Cass was released this summer, and a large part was how he kept getting on everyone's bad side backstage. Cass himself has seemed pretty remorseful over how he acted and even went so far as to say he agreed with WWE letting him go: "To be honest with you, looking at it they made the right decision for me." Cass said.
Of course, this could just be Cass saying the right things, as he wouldn't want to burn any possible bridges in the future. But this is one WWE should avoid, unless Cass somehow becomes a big star on the indies and proves he can be useful to WWE.
8 Bring Back: Chris Jericho
We just discussed how WWE are overusing The Undertaker, the brand. However, there's one brand they can constantly rely on to boost ratings: Chris Jericho. Unlike The Undertaker, Y2J constantly reinvents himself. Given his recent WWE run as Kevin Owens' best friend and his current NJPW Intercontinental Championship run, he still has it. His intense NJPW matches are also proof that he can not just go in the ring but also put on excellent and even violent matches. He's got one big WWE run left in him, and WWE would be unwise not to recognize that.
7 Avoid: Hulk Hogan
If recent reports are to go by, WWE is looking to bring back Hulk Hogan in some capacity. While it's true that The Hulkster is more relevant than half the roster, WWE shouldn't be bringing him back. For starters, it would be bad PR to bring him back given the numerous controversies he's found himself involved in.
Even WWE stars like Titus O'Neill feel he shouldn't be brought back.
One must know that his recent record hasn't been stellar. Most things he's recently touched haven't succeeded, and WWE should be focusing on the future instead of relying on ex-wrestlers to sell tickets.
6 Bring Back: Jim Cornette
There's been a shortage of top-class managers in WWE today. For some reason, Vince McMahon is convinced paying a non-wrestling on-screen talent isn't a wise decision despite seeing Paul Heyman prove one of the best talents they have on their payroll. It's possible that they're against having more managers on their TV to ensure Brock Lesnar remains a special one, but they'd be stupid not to use one of the best speakers of all time, Jim Cornette.
He, who actively censures big-name wrestlers, will make the smarks boil if he holds a WWE microphone. If WWE is to go the safe route, they can make him manage The Revival, whose gimmick aligns with his.
5 Avoid: Brock Lesnar
It seems that as of now, Brock Lesnar is just focusing on his return to the MMA octagon while his WWE status is up in the air. He's in line to get a title shot in the UFC and at this point, the WWE has done all they could with him. Lesnar looked very disinterested in putting any effort into recent matches and the WWE should start moving away from part-timers, especially since Lesnar was being paid a ridiculous amount for limited action. WWE doesn't need him now, with Ronda Rousey bringing plenty of mainstream attention, and she's a full-timer.
4 Bring Back: Neville
WWE recently added Neville to their alumni page. The British wrestler hasn't tweeted since September 2017, so it's unknown if he'll join ROH Wrestling, NJPW or World of Sport Wrestling in his homeland of England.
One thing is for sure: he'll crush it on the indies.
Given his talent and ability to cut believable promos, WWE will come calling for him again in a few months' time and, hopefully, by then, he'd have established himself as a big-name wrestler as Cody Rhodes has done after leaving WWE. He'll want to be more than just The King of the Cruiserweights when they open talks with him, though.
3 Avoid: JBL
JBL left the WWE on his own accord about a year ago and it's been for the best. JBL's time as an announcer was past its expiration date and given his past, he wouldn't be the best guy to bring in as an NXT coach, as his style certainly wouldn't mesh with the current locker room. It's best for WWE to move forward without him, as their commentary teams don't need him and Bradshaw's strengths as a wrestler involved promos more than actual in-ring ability. JBL was probably right to leave WWE before WWE let him go themselves.
2 Bring Back: The Rock
The Rock has become so big that most people associate him with Hollywood than they do with WWE.
WWE did a decent storyline with John Cena a few years ago, and he's only appeared rarely on WWE television since.
However, if the money is right and WWE promises writing a good storyline, he won't mind getting back in the ring again. After all, he's a humble man who hasn't forgotten where he's come from. WWE will receive the license to print money if they do a Roman Reigns vs. The Rock angle, and Triple H and Vince McMahon must know that.
1 Avoid: Big Show
The WWE seems to keep feeling the need to hang onto stars that are well past their shelf life and relevance on WWE television. Even in recent months, we've seen the likes of Kane get ample television time and even pick up wins over younger stars. At this point, you have to wonder what else WWE possibly feels Big Show could do in the ring. Show is worth keeping around as a WWE ambassador but we're well past the time that Show should move on from his in-ring career. Knowing WWE though, we'll inevitably get one more return from Big Show.