The WWE has promised major changes for 2019 and a big part of those changes is new debuting stars for the main roster from WWE NXT. However, that is just likely to be part of the changes. There are also a number of stars who have left the company or have been on the shelf with injuries throughout 2018 that will likely return in the new year as well.
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Some of the returning stars have already been announced while others have just been rumored and hinted at. At least one star is a long-shot to return but no one should ever count him out. With the WWE hoping for a big rebound year, here is a look at 10 wrestlers who will return to the WWE in 2019.
10. HULK HOGAN
Hulk Hogan made a special appearance at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia to act as the host of the show. It turns out that was not just a one-time deal. Hogan is reportedly signing a new deal to return to the WWE, although it is just the same legend's deal he was under before. After signing this deal, Hogan will make special appearances and occasionally appear on television for the WWE in 2019.
Hogan has been out of the WWE since controversial statements were released from a leaked tape and he has been working to get back in the good graces of the WWE since that time. Along with Hogan, the WWE also plans to renew the contracts of Booker T and Ric Flair to legend's deals as well.
9. ROMAN REIGNS
Roman Reigns shocked the WWE Universe when he came out and let everyone know that he had leukemia. Reigns had fought the disease and beat it before, but it had returned. This meant that he needed to leave the company to stay with his family and fight the disease once again.
It will be a tough uphill battle, but since he beat it once before, there is high hope that he will beat leukemia again. If Roman can overcome this major life obstacle, there is a great chance that he will return to the WWE again. However, this is not going to be an easy battle for the Big Dog and there is no rush for him to return.
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8. KEVIN OWENS
On the last live edition of Monday Night Raw before Christmas, a promo aired that let fans know that Kevin Owens was coming back soon. However, the word "soon" is a relative term. While fans may wonder if Owens will be back in time for the Royal Rumble since the announcement came in December, that is not going to happen.
Owens has been out since October due to needing to undergo knee surgery. The storyline saw Bobby Lashley take him out, but he had needed surgery for a while. The current timeline could see him back by the end of February, but since that is the middle of the Road to WrestleMania, the best bet is a return on the night after that big event.
7. CHRIS JERICHO
Chris Jericho likes to mess with the fans and tease things that will never happen. Most recently, he has teased signing with Impact Wrestling and is currently working for New Japan, holding a title there. He also has been rumored for the new promotion the Young Bucks are rumored to be starting.
While Jericho once said that he would never appear for anyone in the United States other than the WWE, he broke that promise in 2018. However, never say never when it comes to Jericho and the WWE. He can tease fans all he wants, but expect Jericho to return home to the WWE sometime in 2019.
6. SAMI ZAYN
Along with Kevin Owens, the WWE also announced that Sami Zayn would be returning soon to their programming. Zayn has been out for a very long time. His last match in the WWE was on June 17 and he had to leave to have surgery on his right rotator cuff. His WWE return was delayed when he needed surgery on his left rotator cuff a few weeks later.
Before the WWE announced that Zayn was coming back soon, he was back on Twitter to reveal that he saw his time off as a gift to give him perspective. His estimated return was supposed to be around April 2019, so expect both his and Kevin Owens returns to come together -- right after WrestleMania.
5. KENNY OMEGA
It is a long shot, especially with the Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes possibly starting a new promotion in 2019, but there is always a chance that the WWE offers Kenny Omega enough money to make his return to the company. It would be a return, as he wrestled for the WWE in their pre-NXT developmental territory in 2005 and 2006.
He would make the third leader of the Bullet Club to join the WWE, following Finn Balor and AJ Styles. At the moment, he is considered the best wrestler in the world not signed to the WWE and he wrestled Chris Jericho for New Japan in what was considered one of the best matches of 2018.
4. JOHN CENA
John Cena has already announced that he has a series of WWE matches lined up to end 2018. The first match for Cena since Super Show-Down in Austrailia will come on Dec. 26. He then has WWE appearances lined up through Jan. 14. Two of those scheduled dates are Jan. 7 in Orlando and Jan. 14 in Memphis -- both episodes of Monday Night Raw.
With that said, Cena revealed that he is not allowed to wrestle when shooting movies and every time he signs on to a new movie, that will take him away from the WWE. He had been shooting a movie in China with Jackie Chan for much of the last half of 2018, but expect him to make more than a handful of appearances throughout 2019 for the WWE.
3. THE ROCK
Before Roman Reigns announced his leukemia battle, the big WWE rumors indicated that the company was considering having him face his cousin The Rock at WrestleMania. That will not happen now, but there have been a ton of rumors that indicate Dwayne Johnson will be a big part of WrestleMania weekend this year.
There are major rumors that The Rock will headline the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame class. Also, the rumored reason the WWE moved it to Saturday night was to make it easier for Johnson to clear his schedule to accept his induction and then wrestle the next day at WrestleMania.
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2. BAUTISTA
When Bautista showed up as part of the Evolution reunion on SmackDown Live this year, he started what looked like a feud with Triple H. While it was just a promo, many expected that it would lead to Bautista vs. Triple H at WrestleMania so that he could end his career in a better way than when he quit and became a movie star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, when Triple H fell to an injury at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, it ruined any chance they had of carrying through with those plans. Despite that, Bautista still wants to come back and finish his career in a better way. Once Triple H is healed up, expect Bautista to return and have that final WWE run that he has been talking about.
1. SHAWN MICHAELS
Shawn Michaels shocked the WWE Universe when he came out of retirement to wrestle in a tag team match at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. He had been retired for eight years and had said he was never coming back. He stuck to his retirement while many others came and went.
However, Michaels said that it was a special request that convinced him to return and not money. With that said, he has been working as a trainer with the NXT developmental talent and it seemed an itch needed to be scratched. With that return match out of the way, Michaels is saying he is finished again, but most people expect him to return in 2019 -- this time for a dream match with someone like AJ Styles or Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania.