In the world of professional wrestling, releases are one of the only constants. One can always count on new wrestlers coming in and older wrestlers leaving the industry, for better or worse. Furthermore, wrestlers come and go through the WWE more than probably any other company and at varying rates. Some wrestlers are signed per appearance, as Brock Lesnar’s latest contract shows. Other times, wrestlers sign multi-year contracts, like Kevin Owens’s latest 5-year contract.

However, not every wrestler gets lucky enough to sign a lucrative, per appearance deal or a long-term, stable contract. Some wrestlers come in and, for one reason or another, their time in the WWE is cut short. Even worse, they cannot always come back as quickly as they would like to, and releases are not always contingent on one particular person’s opinion.

In fact, most releases go through one of two people: Chairman of the WWE, Vince McMahon, and Chief Operating Officer, Triple H. As anyone who has ever watched NXT or watched 205 Live in the past year, Vince McMahon and Triple H have extremely different styles when it comes to running shows in the WWE. With two people so different in style of running a show, it only makes sense that they don’t always agree on wrestlers that should be released and wrestlers that should return. Triple H seems to love “indie darlings” and Vince loves big guys, whether they can wrestle or not. Here are some of the wrestlers not currently with the WWE that each of them wants back in the company.

20 Vince Wants: Mason Ryan

During Mason Ryan’s first run on the main roster, he was one of the wrestlers that was a part of The New Nexus, a stable that was losing steam but was still featured heavily in the main event due to CM Punk’s status in the main event. It is nearly unheard of for a wrestler with such a low level of experience to be featured so heavily in the main event, as Ryan had only begun his training five years earlier, yet this main event status was surely due to Ryan’s physique. Ryan currently works as a strongman for Cirque du Soleil, so he still has the muscle, and Vince would surely love to have Ryan back.

19 Triple H Wants: Juice Robinson

When Juice Robinson first worked for the WWE, it was a part of NXT, but it was before NXT had the reputation that it has now for producing five-star matches. He was used mostly as a jobber against people like Roman Reigns and The Ascension. When he was released from the WWE, he immediately went to work for NJPW, where he has made a pretty good name for himself. However, his small stature and uneventful run in NXT surely never caught the attention of Vince McMahon, but it is more than likely that his run in NJPW caught Triple H’s attention, as he is a former IWGP United States Champion.

18 Vince Wants: Cameron

As a Funkadactyl, Cameron was pretty popular for her dance moves and her looks. Her time with the WWE was short lived, however, as she was released from her contract in 2016 after a fairly mild singles run. However, we all know that the WWE have never shied away from hiring a woman just based solely on physical appearance, especially Vince McMahon. Additionally, during her time in the WWE, she launched her own initiative, a message that the WWE has also supported with their own B.A. Star initiative. It is highly likely that Vince McMahon wants Cameron back in the WWE, even if just as an ambassador.

17 Triple H Wants: Trent Barreta

Before becoming one half of Roppongi Vice, one of the most successful NJPW tag teams in recent memory, Trent Barreta was actually signed with WWE. Barreta seems to be best as a tag team wrestler, as his success with Roppongi Vice and The Best Friends shows. Even in the WWE, he was part of The Dude Busters with Caylen Croft. Due to this affinity for tag team wrestling, it is likely that Vince McMahon could care less about re-signing Barreta, but, with a middling tag division on both brands, Triple H is likely interested in bringing Barreta back into the company.

16 Vince Wants: Matt Striker

Matt Striker’s time in the WWE was spent mostly as a jobber on the main roster. However, once he was moved to a commentary role in 2008, Striker seemed to have found his niche. Since his release in 2013, Striker has been the most prolific commentator in wrestling, working for AAA, Lucha Underground, NJPW, and Defiant Wrestling, just to name a few.

With every brand now having a three-man commentary team and with the WWE constantly producing new programming, they could be looking to bring Striker back in as a commentator. In fact, NXT UK only has two commentators at this time, so this could be a perfect fit for Striker.

15 Triple H Wants: Austin Aries

It was pretty clear when Austin Aries left the WWE that he was unhappy with his placement on the card. He was treated like all other cruiserweights in the company and was relegated to losing matches to Neville every month on PPV. Aries proved after he left the company that he can be a top star, as he captured the Impact World Championship during his time with them. When he left the WWE, it was when the cruiserweights were treated poorly with Vince. However, now that Triple H has taken over 205 Live, Austin Aries may be interested in coming back.

14 Vince Wants: Chris Jericho

For a long time, Chris Jericho would say that he would not wrestle for another company in the U.S. because of his respect for Vince McMahon. However, in September of 2018, Jericho made an appearance at the All In show, seemingly doubling back on his previous comments, even though he did not wrestle at the event. He is also the current IWGP Intercontinental Champion, making him one of NJPW’s top stars. This fact surely gets under Vince McMahon’s skin, especially when considering how much money there is in a star like Jericho. As soon as his contract is up with NJPW, Vince will likely begin pursuing Jericho.

13 Triple H Wants: Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam is, undoubtedly, a future Hall of Famer. Whether he ever comes back to the WWE or not, he has done enough in his part in revitalizing ECW that his spot in WWE’s history is unable to be ignored. However, as one of the most experienced high-flyers in the business, Triple H surely has his mind set on bringing Rob Van Dam back. For a couple of years, everyone thought that Rey Mysterio’s return to the WWE would have him working on 205 Live, but he instead went to Smackdown. RVD is the perfect mid-card act to boost 205 Live’s ratings and be a superstar on a fairly underwhelming roster.

12 Vince Wants: Damien Sandow

Damien Sandow was the WWE’s biggest unintentional star in the past few years. As Damien Mizdow, his commitment to the role was one of the most consistently entertaining things on WWE television. Impact Wrestling saw his star power, as he won the Impact Grand Championship in 2016. After leaving Impact in 2017, Sandow, going by the name Aron Rex, said that he wanted to focus on his acting career. Rex has not appeared in any notable films or television, though, and, as the WWE loves their nostalgia acts, Damien Sandow would likely be a welcome addition that Vince McMahon has his eye on.

11 Triple H Wants: Rich Swann

When Rich Swann was released from the WWE, it was largely due to issues outside of WWE. A month after being released, Swann was in the clear and soon moved on to other promotions. During his short time with the WWE, Swann captured the cruiserweight championship, and his lighthearted, dancing character was a fan favorite in the division. Since Swann's troubles seem to be behind him and as Triple H is always looking to improve the 205 Live roster, as stated multiple times already, it is likely that Triple H would be more than happy to welcome Rich Swann back into his cruiserweight division.

10 Vince Wants: Big Cass

Big Cass’s hasty fall from grace was one of the biggest stories of 2018. However, once all of the stories about Big Cass’s behavior backstage came out, it was clear that he was not long for the company. His outspoken nature aside, he was apparently causing trouble on an international tour with the company and he disobeyed direct orders in a segment where he was booked to get heat on Daniel Bryan. However, Big Cass was, at one point, considered a future main eventer and, if he could have his behavioral issues fixed, he would likely be welcomed back by Vince McMahon, due to his size alone.

9 Triple H Wants: Batista

At SmackDown 1000, Batista seemed to confront Triple H, and backstage leaks were reporting that the match between the two former Evolution members was being planned for WrestleMania. However, now that Triple H has been sidelined indefinitely after his torn pectoral muscle from his match at Crown Jewel, there is a fear that the match with Batista will not happen. After James Gunn was removed from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise, a breaking point for many of the stars, including Batista, this may be a sign that Batista could come back to the WWE for at least a temporary full-time run.

8 Vince Wants: Cody Rhodes

Ever since leaving the WWE, Cody Rhodes has become the biggest name in the world of independent wrestling. Instead of just being another wrestler on the independent scene, Cody went out and made a name for himself, becoming Ring of Honor World Champion and having a headlining feud with in NJPW with Bullet Club leader Kenny Omega.

After the huge success of All In and the rumors about All Elite Wrestling, the WWE is undoubtedly heavily courting Cody Rhodes and trying to bring him back into the fold. Cody left because of creative differences, but Vince would likely be willing to give him some more creative control if he came back.

7 Triple H Wants: Mr. Kennedy

Mr. Kennedy was set for one of the biggest pushes in the WWE. As many fans now know, Mr. Kennedy was set to be revealed as Vince McMahon’s son during the storyline that saw Vince McMahon’s limo explode. Many real-life issues got in the way of this storyline, including the release of Mr. Kennedy when, supposedly, Randy Orton and John Cena got in Vince McMahon’s ear and suggested that Kennedy was an unsafe worker. However, while Vince may still remember that Mr. Kennedy is unsafe, Triple H likely does not have those same issues and would be more likely to bring Kennedy back.

6 Vince Wants: The Great Khali

While fans and critics alike may dispute the wrestling ability of The Great Khali, Khali is one of the most notable big men in the WWE’s history. In addition to that, Khali is also a big star in India, and probably the biggest wrestling figure in the country, and noted by Jinder Mahal in an episode of Chris Jericho’s podcast “Talk is Jericho”. With the WWE looking to expand into India over the next few years, and the failure of the Jinder Mahal experiment, it is likely that Vince McMahon wants to bring The Great Khali back into the company to assist with their influence in India.

5 Triple H Wants: Evan Bourne

Evan Bourne was in the WWE a few years too early. Going by the name Matt Sydal on the independent circuit, he was named the best flying wrestler in 2008 by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. If he were to have entered the WWE just a few years later, after his prime, he could have been a big star. Despite a lackluster WWE Championship match against Sheamus, Bourne never got close to a single’s title run. Bourne is still working as a high flyer, as Matt Sydal, currently for Impact Wrestling, but Triple H is more than likely interested in bringing Bourne in as a star for the 205 Live brand.

4 Vince Wants: Kenny Omega

Kenny Omega is the independent wrestling world’s worst kept secret. As the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Omega has been putting on 6 and 7 star matches with nemesis Kazuchika Okada in NJPW. However, a better kept secret is that Omega actually did work for WWE in 2005 and 2006, even under the Omega name, in Deep South Wrestling, a WWE developmental territory at the time. Since becoming the leader of the Bullet Club, Omega has gained international fame, even drawing the eye of the likes of John Cena. As a businessman, Vince McMahon knows how much money he could make on Kenny Omega, and likely wants to bring him back.

3 Triple H Wants: The Young Bucks

When it comes to surprising WWE alumni, other names that you might not expect to see are The Young Bucks. However, on two separate occasions, Matt and Nick Jackson wrestled as jobbers for the WWE in 2008 and 2011. The Bucks even had a tryout match in 2011 prior to their televised match as enhancement talent. Since becoming a part of Bullet Club, they have shown that they have a mind for business, as their lucrative merchandise deal with Hot Topic has shown. While Vince McMahon does not seem to be a fan of tag team wrestling, Triple H surely is and would definitely love to sign the Jackson brothers.

2 Vince Wants: CM Punk

CM Punk is the most famous wrestler that will likely never step back into a WWE ring again. When he walked out of the WWE 2014, he did not look back. However, he was quite outspoken about his beef with Triple H, so, if anyone could bring him back into the company, it would be Vince. This is not to say that Punk would ever agree to return as he seems dedicated to his MMA career, and other endeavors, but Vince would jump at the opportunity to re-sign the voice of the voiceless. This may be a Bret Hart/Ultimate Warrior type of long-term absence though.

1 Triple H Wants: Neville

Even before the creation of 205 Live and the revival of the WWE’s cruiserweight division, Neville was one of the company’s most reliable hands, even winning breakout star of the year in 2015 and carrying Stephen Amell into a serviceable tag team match. His dislike for the WWE is pretty well-known by this point, as he walked out on the WWE and they initially froze his contract. However, it is unknown who The Man that Gravity Forgot has a grudge against, if anyone. That being said, Triple H would likely love to have back the biggest star in 205 Live’s history.