5 former WWE in-ring stars who should return as a manager in 2021

In a recent interview, former WWE in-ring talent and current on-air personality Booker T was asked if he would be interested in returning as a manager shortly. The WWE legend claimed that he felt as though his in-ring (and ringside) career was over, and is now more interested in training the next generation of WWE Superstars and passing on his wrestling knowledge.

In WWE, there are multiple stars who were once in-ring talent could transition to a role as a manager in 2021. Adding an established WWE star as a manager to an up-and-coming star would be a great way to cement them as a big deal on either the RAW or SmackDown roster. Or it would be a means of changing up the character of an already well-known performer.

Here are five former in-ring WWE stars who could become managers in 2021.

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#5 Shane McMahon

Shane McMahon has been on WWE programming since 1988, starting as a referee aged eighteen. He became more prominent in WWE ten years later in 1998, as a part of The Corporation, and later became an in-ring talent.

In 2016, Shane McMahon became the commissioner of SmackDown Live and appointed Daniel Bryan as the General Manager of the brand. Shortly after this, McMahon also began competing in the ring again and faced AJ Styles at WrestleMania 33.

Following this, the star feuded with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for quite a while, before partnering with The Miz to win The WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships at the 2019 Royal Rumble. They later lost these titles at Elimination Chamber the same year, and McMahon turned on The Miz at Fastlane, setting up a WrestleMania match between the pair.

Shane McMahon managed to defeat The Miz in a Falls Count Anywhere Match at WrestleMania 35, and after this, he moved on to a brief rivalry with Roman Reigns, and then Kevin Owens.

By the time of SmackDown's 20th Anniversary, McMahon was "fired" after Kevin Owens defeated him in a ladder match.

Most recently, Shane McMahon appeared on RAW as the host of the short-lived RAW Underground. It would be great to see McMahon appear on either RAW or SmackDown in 2021 as a manager. The star has been an integral on-screen personality of WWE TV for most of his life and has the charisma and ability to build a new WWE star or boost the profile of an existing one.

#4 David Otunga

David Otunga has been signed to WWE since 2008. The performer was a part of both The Nexus and The New Nexus from the year 2010 and was a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion.

Before his work in WWE and as an actor, Otunga was a practicing lawyer following his graduation from Harvard Law School. Otunga's background in law was even later worked into his WWE persona, as he became a legal advisor for several years across SmackDown and RAW.

Since 2015, Otunga has stopped performing in the WWE ring but still takes on television roles. The star has appeared as a pre-show host and as a commentator, and since 2017 his appearances behind the commentary desk have been sporadic, but he is often seen as a pre-show panelist.

Due to the acting background of David Otunga, he would be a good choice for a role as a manager in WWE in 2021. Over the years, Otunga has shown that he has been an adaptable performer, and becoming a manager in WWE may well be the next step for him.

#3 Stephanie McMahon

Stephanie McMahon has been a huge part of WWE since a young age, being the daughter of Vince McMahon. She has had various roles within the company, including as a wrestler, and as a General Manager, and most notably appeared alongside her husband Triple H in the heel stable The Authority.

McMahon is now working as WWE's Chief Brand Officer and has made some sporadic television appearances, including in this year's Money in the Bank ladder match in a short segment with Dana Brooke, and most recently hosted the 2020 WWE Draft.

It would be great to see Stephanie McMahon return to manage a WWE superstar in 2021. Having McMahon as a manager could propel a talent to the top of the card in WWE. McMahon has proven over the years that she is a key part of WWE, and has shown excellent skills as a talker. She could help push new talent, or even turn around the career of a star already on the RAW or SmackDown roster.

#2 Paige

Paige retired from WWE in-ring activity at the age of just twenty-five, following a string of injuries. In the lead-up to her retirement, she was still part of Absolution with Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose, but acted more like their manager, accompanying them to the ring.

After announcing that she was to retire from in-ring competition, Paige was announced as the General Manager of SmackDown. It was a role that, although brief, was met with praise from WWE fans. She also had a brief stint as the manager of The Kabuki Warriors, before Asuka sprayed her with green mist when she turned heel.

Since then, Paige has been seen sporadically in various roles on WWE television, and was also a member of the WWE Backstage team, alongside Renee Paquette, Booker T, and CM Punk before the show was canceled.

Throughout her WWE career, Paige has been well known for her skills as a talker. Currently, Paige hasn't been seen much on WWE television, and spends a lot of time streaming on her Twitch channel. She's also been vocal in her support of the reecently-released Zelina Vega over WWE's third party issues. Paige's popularity online would easily translate into another role as a manager on television.

#1 Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe has not competed in a WWE ring since early 2020, when he suffered a concussion. He later endured another concussion filming an advert for WWE Monday Night RAW and has been a regular fixture on the commentary desk ever since.

Fans have praised the former NXT Champion's tenure on commentary. The star has been behind the desk on-and-off for just over a year, and it was announced in April that he would be serving as a replacement for Jerry Lawler.

Samoa Joe is a fantastic all-rounder in WWE, and could easily adapt to a managerial role. He is great on the microphone and could accompany either a heel or babyface star in the ring, as he has shown that he's previously suited either role equally well.

A few months ago, Samoa Joe revealed that his in-ring career is not yet over. Making the move to a manger would be a great way to bring the performer back to the action, transitioning him back into an in-ring performer, and even set up future fueds.