Without returns and departures, wrestling won’t be as entertaining as it’s now. Surprise returns are a major reason why Royal Rumble matches are as popular as they are. When Edge and John Cena returned at Royal Rumble ahead of their expected return date, the arena erupted. We have also seen huge pops when Lita, Steve Austin, The Rock, Diesel and Bret Hart have returned at various points.

WWE recently brought back Goldberg to put the Universal Championship on him; his matches with Kevin Owens and Brock Lesnar proved few of the most watched matches in recent times. Kurt Angle’s return to the ring and Shawn Michaels’ match at Crown Jewel got the casual fans talking.

WWE, thanks to their employing hundreds of wrestlers at any point, always have a big pool of former wrestlers they can bring back for nostalgia pops or even full-blown runs. The following article looks at seven ex-WWE wrestlers Vince McMahon must be keen on resigning.

In order to make room for the returning wrestlers, WWE must release a few. We’ll also be looking at seven of his current employees who must be atop the list of wrestlers he’ll currently be looking to release. Finally, we've seen that Vince still has it in terms of being able to swerve fans. After all, nobody saw the Becky Lynch heel turn coming a few months ago (and how successful she would be in that role), and the Daniel Bryan title win/heel turn this month was also out of left field. We can expect a few more surprises along the way in the coming months.

21 Return: John Morrison

With AJ Styles holding the WWE Championship title for over one year, it's safe to assume being a big deal in Impact Wrestling is a big deal. John Morrison has been a big deal not just in Impact Wrestling but also in Lucha Underground and Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. He has even held the top titles at all three promotions at various points. Given his popularity and his list of accolades both in WWE and outside of it, one reckons Vince McMahon must already be pondering bringing him back to WWE, where he can be a solid upper mid-carder for years to come.

20 Release: Sin Cara

With Rey Mysterio now returning and the Lucha House Party wrestlers being promoted to the main roster, Raw, WWE now has far too many luchadors on the main roster now. While Kalisto, Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik have worn luchador masks for a long time now, Sin Cara has only been a luchador by accident. In fact, the wrestler who now plays Sin Cara on screen even played the impostor Sin Cara at one point. To put things into perspective, it's like Luke Gallows replacing Glenn Jacobs as Kane. Vince McMahon will either repackage Sin Cara or release him outrightly.

19 Storyline: Becky Lynch/Ronda Rousey Double Turn

Becky Lynch is the best thing going in WWE right now, as she's absolutely been on fire since her heel turn. Unfortunately, she sustained a concussion and facial fracture at the worst possible time, just six days before Survivor Series, where she was scheduled to face Ronda Rousey. This might turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as the Becky/Ronda match could now take place at WrestleMania, replacing the originally planned Charlotte vs. Rousey match. From what we saw of Becky and Ronda going into Survivor Series, it's likely that Becky will get cheered more in her feud with Ronda, whenever it resumes. This could lead to the patented double turn, in which we see Rousey go heel, and Becky go babyface.

18 Return: Batista

Needless to say, Vince McMahon loves mainstream attractions. He's had numerous stars like Hugh Jackman, Arnold Schwarzenegger and even Snooki go over his wrestlers just to gain the attention of the mainstream press and audience. Few mainstream attractions can put on a good wrestling match, and one of them is former World Heavyweight Champion Batista. He, real name Dave Bautista, has had immense success in Hollywood, even playing a prominent role in the recent hit Guardians of the Galaxy. Much to Vince's joy, the wrestler-actor himself has expressed interest in returning to WWE. He must be waiting for the right moment to unleash The Animal.

17 Release: Apollo Crews

Apollo Crews is a talented heavyweight who moves and works like a cruiserweight. Much to his ill-luck, in 2018, every heavyweight has mastered cruiserweight moves. He's charismatic but not as charismatic as Finn Balor. He can talk but he can't talk as well as Dean Ambrose. He can have great matches, but his matches have never been good as those of Seth Rollins or AJ Styles. He's mediocre in most ways and, with WWE's current roster oozing talent, he's failed to make an impact. With Elias, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre all reportedly impressing Vince McMahon in recent times, perhaps, he'll look to release the Titus Worldwide wrestler to help him hone his craft elsewhere.

16 Storyline: Shane McMahon Heel Turn

Shane McMahon has hinted at going full on heel in recent weeks. After all, issuing an ultimatum to the SmackDown stars competing in the World Cup tournament was quite a heelish thing to do. Swooping in and winning the World Cup at Crown Jewel also was met with groans from fans. With a newly heel Daniel Bryan now entrenched as WWE Champion, it's very possible we could see Shane go heel as well, and form an alliance of sorts with Bryan, who of course served as general manager under Shane on SmackDown for nearly two years. It'd be an interesting dynamic to see Shane and Bryan both play heels..

15 Return: Wade Barrett

It's unknown how big of a role Vince McMahon plays in NXT UK but, by all accounts, everything that we see on television goes through him. If that's really the case, he must now be thinking about bringing Wade Barrett back. The British wrestler hasn't wrestled much since leaving WWE, but has been heavily involved in the British indie scene. His performing for Defiant Wrestling and World of Sport legitimizes the British indie scene, and that's one of the last things he wants to see happen. Perhaps, it will be difficult to lure him to NXT UK now that he's recently debuted for Lucha Underground, but he must already know everybody has a price.

14 Release: No Way Jose

Vince McMahon has proved time and again he knows better than an internet fan. One needs to look no further than Elias and Braun Strowman for proof, as the two NXT busts are now among the two most over wrestlers not just in WWE but in the sports entertainment business in general. No Way Jose could have followed in the footsteps of them had WWE handled him better, but Vinnie Mac doesn't see what he saw in the wrestlers he's pushed in recent times. No Way Jose, after proving a solid undercard act in NXT, has been demoted to Main Event now. It's only a matter of time before he releases him.

13 Storyline: The New Day’s Solo Run

It's now well established that Vince McMahon loves The New Day. No wrestling faction gets to remain together and win as many titles as The New Day have won without the backing of the promoter. However, one plea that The New Day wrestlers have made have gone unaddressed for a long time now: singles push for Kofi Kingston. Both Big E and Xavier Woods have both been clamouring for a singles push for the veteran wrestler, but WWE don't seem invested in him for some reason. That said, it's only a matter of time before one or all of The New Day wrestlers receive singles push of their own.

12 Return: Shawn Michaels

Triple H, Kane and The Undertaker have all been more active than Shawn Michaels, but the Heartbreak Kid looked the best wrestler in the ring at Crown Jewel. The Hall of Fame wrestler said after the event that he doesn't see himself returning to the ring, but if the price is right, we'll definitely see him lacing up his wrestling boots again. Vince McMahon himself must know that his returning to the ring could elevate the status of AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan or whoever he gets in the ring with, so he must be already be trying to convince the DX wrestler to return on a part-time deal.

11 Release: Zack Ryder

If The New Day's rise are anything to go by, Vince McMahon likes smart people who can get over on their own. Zack Ryder, however, has been quite unlucky. He managed to get over with the WWE fans by using the internet effectively, and he did that well before The Young Bucks, did that. It looked as though he'll finally earn his run as a top mid-card wrestler when he won the Intercontinental Championship title at WrestleMania, but his push ended prematurely when WWE had him lose the title not long afterwards. He has only been sparingly used since, with his The Hype Bros shtick failing. The Chairman must already be considering releasing him for a more popular wrestler.

10 Storyline: Stable Wars Featuring The Undisputed Era

WWE, indeed, is better than NJPW on various front, but the Japanese promotion are well ahead of WWE on certain aspects. Stable wars is one of them. NJPW's Bullet Club, Los Ingobernables de Japon, Choas and Suzuki-Gun have all proven key factors why NJPW World has been earning subscribers at a steady rate. It'll only be a matter of time before WWE catches up and, if recent changes in the tag-team division is anything to go by, Vince McMahon is already sowing the seeds for a full-blown stable war, with The Undisputed Era at the forefront of it. With Sanity, The New Day, The Bar and British Strong Style already receiving rave reviews, he must be eager to pull the trigger.

9 Return: Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio had a promising start to his Impact Wrestling career, with the company then looking ready to build the promotion around him. However, he proved unprofessional again, no-showing a lot of events and getting into trouble off the ring, forcing the company to cut ties with him. Del Rio's seemingly continued to burn bridges with the WWE since his release. Vince McMahon, despite all these incidents, has always liked Alberto Del Rio as a performer, and must be looking to bring him back to the company. If he manages to be a bit more serious, The Chairman will still let him have a good WWE run.

8 Release: The Colons

The Colons have been the most unfortunate wrestlers, alongside Hideo Itami and Finn Balor. While the latter two have been denied the opportunity they've rightfully deserved because of injury concerns, The Colons find themselves at the bottom of the kayfabe card thanks to their failing to get over. Vince McMahon has already afforded them a lot of repackages, and they've failed each time. Perhaps, he'll try and invigorate their careers by aligning ex-employee Carlito Colon with them, but if that fails, he probably won't mind releasing them, finally admitting defeat in his attempts to legitimize them as a solid tag team.

7 Storyline: Bo Dallas Joining A Reunited The Wyatt Family

The B-Team hasn't been featured prominently on WWE television since losing their Raw Tag Team Championship. When WWE keeps their stars away from the screens, it can mean only one thing: repackaging. While Curtis Axel has been repackaged already in the past, Bo Dallas has been Bo Dallas for a long time now, and Vince McMahon must know he can be more than just Bo Dallas. Luckily for him, the former NXT Champion has a more successful brother who's also a tag team specialist. With a longer beard and weirder costume, he can become the newest member of The Wyatt Family.

6 Return: The Rock

It's now well-established that Vince McMahon likes his money, and one ex-WWE Hollywood guy has been making more money than most actors not just in Hollywood but in show business in general: The Rock. Unlike The Rock of the mid 2000s, Dwayne Johnson now is open to wrestling for WWE again if the timing, storyline and stage is right. The Rock has already wrestled John Cena twice, but he still hasn't wrestled Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Braun Strowman or even Elias. A match against The Great One at WrestleMania won't just elevate them greatly, for it'll also generate WWE millions.

5 Release: Tye Dillinger

A few years ago, Tye Dillinger could have been the Dolph Ziggler of WWE. Now, though, WWE already has a Dolph Ziggler on the roster. That has made him the Tye Dillinger of the roster. An immensely talented athlete who also looks the part, he has been forced to be on the fringes thanks to the company now employing more talented wrestlers than it's ever done at any point. While he's of little use to Vince McMahon right now, a few years on the independent circuit can make him a superstar; Vince McMahon must already be aware of the win-win situation.

4 Storyline: The Four Horsewomen vs. The Four Horsewomen

At Evolution, WWE made The Four Horsewomen of MMA an on-screen thing, after teasing a Four Horsewomen of WWE vs. Four Horsewomen of MMA last year. Indeed, that promo was cringeworthy, but if they pull it off right, they can not just make truckloads of money but also legitimize women's wrestling further. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair have had differences, as did Bayley and Sasha Banks in the past; however, they also respect each other's path they've taken to be where they're at right now, so when they find a common enemy, they'll definitely set their differences aside to stand up for each other. In Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, they already have a storyline common enemy.

3 Return: Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes has set a new standard of how to be successful away from the WWE. He left the company on his own volition and wanted to prove that he could be a big star in the business. He's done just that, and he's even shown skills as a promoter, as he sold out his show All In a few months ago. The WWE has been said to be making a big push in 2019 to sign some of the top names in the business, including members of The Elite. Cody is undoubtedly on top of Vince's mind, but the only question is whether Cody would ever want to give WWE another shot.

2 Release: Kane

Among the wrestlers in D-Generation X vs. The Brother of Destruction match at Crown Jewel, Kane has been the most active wrestler, with Triple H a close second. However, given how Kane performed, one would have thought he hasn't had a match in years. An excellent wrestler in his prime, he has only been tarnishing his legacy in recent years. It's especially weird to see Kane continue to wrestle, considering the new career he's started by serving Knox County. It's about time he called time on his wrestling career to focus solely on his new career, as he hasn't been able to do justice to the former.