The current mindset of WWE is to sign the best wrestlers in the world to continuously improve the product. WWE’s brand split of Raw and SmackDown having separate rosters makes it more important to have enough main roster talents for two programs. NXT thriving as a smaller touring brand is another place where WWE attempts to have another brand of top talent. Triple H is the Vice President of Talent behind the scenes. The team of Triple H is scouting the world for the best wrestlers of new and familiar faces to bring into the company.

Vince McMahon is still the person with the most power running the WWE landscape. Most of what goes down on the main roster shows come from the mind of McMahon. Both Triple H and McMahon have different approaches as to how the WWE product should be run. Vince reportedly believes in the larger than life characters while Triple H wants a more reality-based industry. We'll look at some other differences they have when it comes to picking talent. Wrestlers returning to WWE will be the subject along with who each man running WWE prefers. These are eight WWE returns Triple H wants to see after WrestleMania along with another eight returns that Vince wants.

16 Triple H wants: Cody Rhodes

The biggest name on the independent wrestling circuit right now very well may be Cody Rhodes. WWE let Rhodes out of his contract in 2016 after he grew frustrated playing the Stardust character. Cody joined the independent wrestling world looking to prove his worth outside of WWE. It has been a masterful move for Rhodes who now is making more money than ever before. ROH and New Japan each employ Rhodes as a top star, and he makes huge money in merchandising.

The success story of Cody is the kind that Triple H wants when bringing former stars back into the company. Drew McIntyre and EC3 having such successful runs outside of WWE provided the motive for Triple H to re-sign them. Rhodes has even more success than those two and would need a huge contract to return to WWE.

15 Vince wants: Bobby Lashley

The rumor mill is currently giving fans reason to believe Bobby Lashley will be back in WWE soon. Lashley was being pushed as a future WWE main eventer back in 2007, but his push ended up quickly after failing to live up to expectations. The time away from WWE has been good for Lashley. His past few years in Impact Wrestling have seen him finally live up to the potential.

Vince McMahon always believed Lashley could be a special performer and now he is finally there. Lashley is rumored to return to WWE shortly after WrestleMania 34 to enter a feud with Brock Lesnar. McMahon clearly would want this dream match of two giant humans with MMA backgrounds. Lashley clearly wants to come back and Vince is going to make it happen.

14 Triple H wants: Rey Mysterio

The surprise appearance of Rey Mysterio in the 2018 Royal Rumble created huge interest online. Mysterio proved he was a legitimate legend with 12 million views and counting for the Rumble appearance on YouTube. Triple H is reportedly currently in negotiations with Mysterio regarding a return to the company in 2018.

Time will tell if WWE is able to convince Rey to make his return to the company. Mysterio has stated he wants to end his career in WWE and seemed optimistic about getting a deal done soon. Triple H being the one to talk to Mysterio proves this is a big move for WWE and they want to make it work. Mysterio coming back after WrestleMania seems likely, especially with Triple H trying to get it done.

13 Vince wants: Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho shocked the wrestling world when going to New Japan for a dream match with Kenny Omega. The Wrestle Kingdom bout has been considered the best match of Jericho’s legendary career by many pundits and he set up an angle for another match if he returns to Japan. However, WWE may want to prevent those plans from happening as Jericho is just adding to the growth of NJPW.

Jericho claims he talked over his Omega match with Vince McMahon to give a heads up to his friend and former boss. McMahon was happy for Jericho and stated WWE would always be his home. If Jericho wants to continue wrestling, McMahon will try to make sure it happens in a WWE ring. Vince will be sending some offers to Jericho to try to convince him to come home rather than return to New Japan.

12 Triple H wants: Gail Kim

Gail Kim has recently retired from the wrestling ring after having a legendary career outside of WWE. Two stints in WWE saw her underutilized and it just provided inspiration to prove her worth. Impact Wrestling reaped the rewards of Kim’s talent by showcasing it on the national stage. Gail remained insistent about never wanting to return to WWE and retired last month after accomplishing everything she could.

While Kim does have a negative perception of WWE, she has nothing but praise for how Triple H views the division. Gail even admitted that Triple H used to offer words of encouragement for her during the tougher times in WWE. Triple H wants to make the women’s division stronger than ever and Kim having one credible run in WWE could be a genius move he pulls off this year.

11 Vince wants: Michelle McCool

One women’s wrestler that Vince McMahon is a fan of is Michelle McCool. The run of McCool saw her become the top heel in the women’s division for a few years in WWE. McCool’s huge push coincided with the timing of her relationship behind the scenes with The Undertaker. Everyone knows that McMahon and Undertaker have a close relationship. This extended towards McCool getting more opportunities than some of her peers.

McCool has recently expressed interest in having another big match to end her career on the right note. Charlotte Flair was the person she referenced as her dream opponent. McCool took part in the women’s Royal Rumble match and the Raw 25 special proving McMahon and WWE wants to do right by her. McCool coming back for another run could be something Vince tries to make happen.

10 Triple H wants: Wade Barrett

The departure of Wade Barrett saw him leave wrestling to become an actor. Barrett has yet to land any major roles and is hoping some of the smaller ones will lead to his acting career taking off. The WWE stint for Barrett saw him have some great moments as the leader of Nexus. Barrett was viewed as a future world champion but could never get to the top of the mountain.

Triple H was reportedly a supporter of Barrett behind the scenes. For those that remember, Triple H often even would go out of his way to do the Bad News Barrett imitation of expressing bad news during promos at the time. The current goal of Triple H is to bring in all the talent he believes can be difference makers. Barrett could get another run with stronger booking if Triple H takes the chance on him.

9 Vince wants: The Bella Twins

The women’s division is seeing the stars coming up from NXT making the big difference in creating change. Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss and Asuka all represent the NXT era of ladies creating their reputations in the smaller brand and using it to help usher in the new era on the main roster. Brie and Nikki Bella are two ladies from the prior era that want to be involved with the shift today.

Vince McMahon has always had a soft spot for the Bella Twins. Both ladies became the faces of the Total Divas brand when WWE wanted to go forward with the reality series. Nikki was close enough to Vince to allow John Cena to propose to her at WrestleMania 33. Brie and Nikki each have teased returns to the ring after their strong showing in the Royal Rumble match. Don’t be surprised if McMahon brings them back full time.

8 Triple H wants: Beth Phoenix

Another former WWE women’s wrestler to get back on the company’s radar is Beth Phoenix. The in-ring talent of Phoenix was way ahead of its time. Phoenix could have had killer matches if WWE employed more credible ladies and gave them more time during her era. Instead, Beth missed out on the women’s revolution after retiring at a young age to start the next chapter of her life.

WWE brought back Phoenix to enter the Royal Rumble match earlier this year as well as join the Mixed Match Challenge commentary team. Triple H reportedly has more influence on the Mixed Match Challenge production than Vince McMahon. Given the talent and unique skill set of Beth, Triple H could be angling for WWE to do more business with her during this boom period for women’s wrestling.

7 Vince wants: Carlito

The Colon family is respected by Vince McMahon as seen with a few factors in recent years. WWE inducted Carlos Colon into the Hall of Fame to show appreciation for all he did within the industry. Carlos’ two sons Carlito and Primo were hired at young ages by WWE and his nephew Epico was also brought into the company.

Many fans are surprised why Primo and Epico are still on the main roster after countless flops through the years with various gimmicks. McMahon has a lot of respect and love for the Colon family leading to them getting more opportunities. Carlito was reportedly on the short list of former talents McMahon considered bringing back for the brand split. It didn’t work out but Carlito coming back to rescue his brother and cousin from getting fired seems like a move Vince would want to pull off before it's too late.

6 Triple H wants: John Morrison

It is no secret that Triple H loves signing all the top talent on the independent wrestling market from all over the world. Unlike Vince McMahon, Triple H keeps tabs on the names making an impact on the free agent market. Former WWE star John Morrison is one of the top names outside of the company right now. Morrison has maintained having a strong wrestling career while working on his acting projects in his free time.

Both Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling have built around John as a face of the company. Whether you see him perform as Johnny Mundo or Johnny Impact, he has stepped up into a main event performer. Triple H is the one that has re-signed former stars to prove their worth elsewhere like Drew McIntyre. Morrison could be the next to re-join the company.

5 Vince wants: Kelly Kelly

We have talked about the women’s division a lot when it comes to the differences in philosophies between Triple H and Vince McMahon. The most obvious assessment is that Vince looks for the models while Triple H looks for the athletes. One former talent that falls under Vince’s ideal scenario of a women’s wrestler is Kelly Kelly.

The stunning model could not keep up with the current ladies of the ring, but her look makes her a huge star in McMahon’s world. WWE reportedly discussed a contract with Kelly Kelly last WrestleMania season, but nothing came of it. Kelly Kelly is a part of the WAGS reality series and has expressed interest in returning to WWE to add content for it. If someone signs Kelly Kelly to return to WWE, it would be Vince.

4 Triple H wants: Emma

Someone that personifies the things Triple H likes in a women’s wrestling talent is Emma. It is not a coincidence that Emma was one of the first women Triple H gave an opportunity to in NXT. Paige and Emma were the ladies given the opportunity to showcase their skills in long matches based on athletic competition.

The main roster run of Emma was a disaster thanks to the lack of confidence in any of her characters. WWE recently fired her last Autumn believing she’d never get where they wanted. Emma is already proving WWE wrong by becoming a big star on the independent circuit under her real name of Tenille Dashwood. Triple H gaining more power means she could have another shot in WWE sooner than later. Don’t expect Triple H to wait too long to bring back one of his favorites if her popularity keeps growing.

3 Vince wants: CM Punk

Most issues in WWE will see fans side with Triple H over Vince McMahon when it comes to behind the scenes speculation. One of the few wrestling stories where Vince has more optimism in the fan support is the handling of CM Punk. McMahon was surprisingly the person behind the scenes to have a decent relationship with Punk. The belief of Punk was that Triple H tried to sabotage his career. Their tension played a bigger role in Punk walking out.

McMahon has been able to convince most wrestlers that left WWE in controversy to return home. Ultimate Warrior, Bruno Sammartino and Kurt Angle each had Hall of Fame inductions. Angle is even having another run on the roster today. There’s no doubt McMahon wants to bring Punk back to the company if he is willing to do what’s best for business.

2 Triple H wants: Neville

The falling out between WWE and Neville is likely a story that Triple H wants to fix as soon as possible. Neville was the NXT Champion during the first big stage of growth. Triple H clearly had a lot of faith in Neville to have him win the NXT Championship on the first TakeOver special and hold the title for almost a year. Vince McMahon doesn’t have the same belief in Neville making his main roster run less impressive.

Neville went home after requesting his release due to being used poorly in the Cruiserweight division. WWE is reportedly trying to freeze him out by keeping him home until his contract expires. Triple H gaining more power in creative could change this. Neville returning to WWE television wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility if Triple H plans a way for him to come back with a bigger impact.

1 Vince wants: Batista

Batista has been flirting with a WWE return for quite some time now. The WWE legend is a box office star thanks to his role as Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Batista claims he has recently had talks with WWE about returning for one final run with the company. WWE wants to bring him in during the Spring, so they can take advantage of his buzz for the upcoming Avengers movie at the end of April.

Vince McMahon has always been an avid supporter of Batista. The physique of Batista is what McMahon wishes all his wrestlers possessed. Batista becoming a mainstream celebrity just adds even more reason for Vince to bring back his former star. The prior return of Batista in 2014 was such a disaster that he wants more guarantees about his booking this time around. Vince is the only one that can give Batista what he wants, and it will likely happen soon.