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It is interesting to note that when superstars leave to retire or walk out of the WWE their value is noticed and the fans tend to appreciate them more when they return. As the old saying goes "Nobody can miss you unless you go away for some time".
The WWE universe has a loud voice and Vince is always attentive to who the fans want to see. The Ultimate Warrior, Goldberg and Kurt Angle are some of the most recent returns that we least expected to see but we did. Vince went overboard to bring these legends back proving that with the WWE you should never say never.
Here are 5 returns that the WWE universe would be elated to see in 2018.
5: Batista
Batista is a six-time world champion, winning WWE's World Heavyweight Championship four times and the WWE Championship twice. He won two Royal Rumble matches, in 2005 and 2014 and went on to headline Wrestlemanias 21 and 30 respectively.
"The Animal" returned as a face in 2014 to confront WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton on the January 20 Raw. He won the Royal Rumble and headlined Wrestlemania 30 in a triple threat match with Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan in a match that saw Bryan win the world title. Batista made his last televised appearance that same year on the June 2 episode of Raw when he quit after Triple H denied him a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Even though his last run did not turn out as he had expected, Batista is still beloved by the fans following his illustrious career. To the WWE universe, he is "The Animal" and they would be thrilled to see a "Batista bomb" at least one more time.
4: Sting
Sting held a total of 15 championships in a career spanning more than three decades. It is in WCW and TNA where he made the most impact subsequently being regarded as the Franchise player. It is worth noting that Sting headlined the highest grossing pay-per-view in the history of WCW at Starrcade in December 1997. He also performed in the main event of the last episode of Nitro upon acquisition of WCW by WWF.
Sting made his first televised WWE appearance at the main event of the 2014 Survivor Series by attacking Triple H and costing Team Authority the match. He made his Raw debut on January 19, 2015, during the main event costing Authority members Big Show, Kane and Seth Rollins their handicap match against John Cena. This would culminate in a match with Triple H at Wrestlemania 31 which he lost.
Sting's last match was against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions in 2015 where he suffered a legit neck injury. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the following year. His career did not end the way it should have and so Sting needs to return to the squared circle one more time.Sting has on a number of occasions stated that he wishes to have a match with The Undertaker and is on record calling this his "unfinished business". A confrontation with the "Dead Man" at the 25th anniversary of Raw would be a moment for ages and the fans would be on their feet the entire time.
3: The Rock
The Rock is one of the most influential superstars of all time and the first third-generation wrestler in the company's history. He has won the WWE championship on eight different occasions and has headlined Wrestlemania on five occasions. He is also among'st the best talkers ever and has the immense ability to control the crowd each time he holds the microphone. Hulk Hogan called The Rock "the biggest superstar in this business".
The Rock's last televised WWE appearance was at Wrestlemania 32 where he announced the WrestleMania attendance record before being interrupted by The Wyatt Family. He defeated Wyatt Family member Erick Rowan in an impromptu match following a "Rock bottom" and pinned him in just six seconds. With new superstars coming up, The Rock should return for a short feud in 2018 and put any upcoming star over. The WWE universe will definitely welcome "The Great One" with a standing ovation. It would be nostalgic to see The Rock drop the People's elbow on a lying body one more time.
2: Hulk Hogan
Hogan is considered by many as the greatest wrestler of all time. He is regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s. He was a box office draw for both WWE and WCW and headlined Wrestlemania and Starrcade on multiple occasions. Hogan is a twelve-time World champion and the first man to ever win consecutive Royal Rumbles.
Hogan's last televised WWE appearance was at Wrestlemania 31 where he reunited with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to reform the nWo, appearing in Sting's corner in his match against Triple H. The WWE terminated their contract with Hulk Hogan on July 24, 2015, following an anti-black rant made by Hogan on his controversial leaked sex tape. He apologized for the remarks and is now in good terms with the company.
A Hulk Hogan return would be huge though as his son Nick told TMZ, he may not stay on the road all the time. He would therefore not likely take the Commissioner role but rather make a special appearance and perhaps perform his signature "leg drop" move. This return would be huge and the fans would enjoy every second of it.
1: CM Punk
CM Punk had a 434-day reign as WWE champion in what has been termed as the longest championship reign of the modern-era. He is also the first two-time Money in the Bank winner. Punk was immensely popular and his popularity sky-rocketed after he won the WWE championship from John Cena at the 2011 Money in the Bank pay-per-view event in his hometown of Chicago.
Punk's final WWE television appearance was at the 2014 Royal Rumble event in which he was drawn entry number one. He was the iron man of the match after lasting 49 minutes and 11 seconds only to be eliminated by Kane who was no longer in the match. The following night on Raw Punk did not show up despite being advertised for the event. Punk had legitimately walked out after telling Vince McMahon and Triple H that he was "going home". He is on record saying he would never return to wrestling. He cited a lot of frustrations including his health as the main reasons for walking out. However, Vince apologized to Punk for the manner of his termination and said he was open to working with Punk again.
Vince has mended fences with wrestlers who he had disagreements with in the past and Punk is, therefore, no special case. 2018 would be the perfect year for Punk to make his big return. What better way to return than being a special entrant at the Royal Rumble for an opportunity to main event Wrestlemania. He has said in the past that his main goal in wrestling was to main event Wrestlemania, this could be a way of Vince calling a truce with him. The reaction from the WWE fans present would be deafening, to say the least
