7 Wrestling legends who should make appearances on WWE RAW

WWE's flagship show, Monday Night RAW, could benefit from adding legends to its weekly lineups. Netflix will surely want to maximize its return on investment on RAW, and one way to boost ratings is to bring back beloved faces from the past. Wrestling fans worldwide love legendary figures from bygone eras, such as the years of Ruthless Aggression, the Golden Era, and the Attitude Era.

The Undertaker, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart, Triple H, and John Cena are six legends who appeared during RAW's debut on Netflix on January 6, 2025. That episode featured the first CM Punk match on WWE RAW since January 20, 2014. Punk defeated Seth Rollins in the main event of the first episode of the red brand on Netflix. That would be WWE's highest-rated episode of RAW on Netflix with 5.9 million global viewers. It was also the most watched RAW since 2018. However, there has been a drop-off of millions in overall views since then.

How will the red brand increase its ratings in the weeks to come? Perhaps the TKO-operated company should call a few more legends to help give them another boost in viewership domestically and globally.

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#7. WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg is prepping for a retirement match

The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion plans to have his retirement match in 2025, and many wrestling fans and journalists expect his final opponent to be "The Ring General" Gunther. Recently, there has been speculation about Goldberg potentially having his last match at July's Saturday Night Main Event.

Da Man recently revealed during an interview with My San Antonio that his final match will take place in the southern region of the United States in front of people he cares about the most. The next edition of Saturday Night's Main Event is scheduled for July 12, 2025, inside the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Goldberg is a former player of the Atlanta Falcons, leading to much speculation about the location of his final match being tied to the city he represented as an NFL player.

Goldberg kicked off his beef with Gunther at 2024's Bad Blood in Georgia. If he's looking to continue his feud with The Ring General in 2025, Da Man should make appearances on RAW in the lead-up to their heavily-hyped showdown. The former two-time WCW United States Champion's most recent WWE match was over three years ago at the Elimination Chamber premium live event, which featured Da Man losing to Roman Reigns in a failed attempt at becoming a three-time Universal Champion.

If the speculation proves correct, wrestling fans could see Gunther and Goldberg battle at Saturday Night's Main Event. Da Man can reinsert himself into a feud with The Ring General by appearing during or after Gunther's upcoming World Title rematch with Jey Uso on the June 9 episode of Monday Night RAW. Akin to Gunther's assault on Jimmy Uso, the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion could make his feud with Goldberg personal by targeting a family member.

The former NXT UK Champion could target Da Man's son, Gage Goldberg, mauling him in front of his father. Bill Goldberg plans on having his son walk him to the ring during his retirement match, which could indicate his son's involvement in the storyline.

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#6. Eight-time WWE Champion The Rock

Perhaps the greatest criticism of WrestleMania 41 was the absence of The Final Boss, who played a key role in the ending of the Elimination Chamber PLE involving John Cena's heel turn and the assault on Cody Rhodes. The Rock has taken a backseat on WWE programming after failing to convince The American Nightmare to give up his soul. His absence has led to a backlash from wrestling veterans and fans complaining that it has negatively impacted Cena's heel turn and hurt the main event of Night Two of this year's Show of Shows.

The Rock's presence at Elimination Chamber: Toronto seemingly placed him in a central role in a major onscreen storyline, yet since then, he has slunk back into the shadows and disappeared from the spotlight, allowing Triple H to lead the company's creative direction without The Final Boss in his way. However, if WWE wants to increase ratings for RAW and overall intrigue for the product, they should consider having The Rock return to make televised appearances. That way, Dwayne could reinsert himself into a major storyline involving Cena and Rhodes.

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#5. Former six-time WWE Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin

The Texas Rattlesnake is one of pro wrestling's greatest stars, and he can still draw serious intrigue to the sport in 2025. Featuring the top star of the Attitude Era on a future episode of RAW would be an obvious ratings grab for WWE, whose Monday night ratings have declined.

An advertised televised appearance featuring Stone Cold could predictably pop a decent number for Monday Night RAW. However, if Austin and the company are looking to make some serious money, they should consider one more match for The Bionic Redneck, potentially in Saudi Arabia or in his home state of Texas.

Steve Austin never battled John Cena in a one-on-one wrestling match, but if The Texas Rattlesnake were to square up against the current Undisputed WWE Champion, it would be a dream match for the ages. Austin vs. Cena could be billed as the biggest dream match of all time, and the crowd would predictably be electric the moment these two face off and start exchanging blows.

Multiple media outlets reported Logan Paul's claim that Austin rejected his one-million-dollar offer to appear as a PRIME bottle mascot at WrestleMania 41. Perhaps, there is much more money to be made featuring a one-on-one collision between The Maverick and a returning Stone Cold Steve Austin at next year's Show of Shows.

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#4. Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ron Simmons, also known as Faarooq from the APA

Ron Simmons made wrestling history in August 1992 when he became the first African American to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. However, for fans of the Attitude Era, he's perhaps best remembered as Faarooq alongside Bradshaw as part of The Acolytes, later changing their tag team name to the Acolytes Protection Agency, also referred to as The APA.

The APA was a pair of beer-drinking, cigar-smoking, card-carrying badasses who were hired guns to anyone looking for their services. The team disbanded in 2004, and Faarooq walked away from in-ring competition on SmackDown while his former partner would change his persona and become a WWE Champion. In 2006, he returned to RAW, using his real name, "Ron Simmons," and developed a gimmick where he'd appear in backstage segments saying "Damn!"

WWE RAW could benefit from the comedic timing of Ron Simmons' "Damn!" in 2025 just as they did during the Ruthless Aggression Era. Simmons could interrupt awkward moments featuring The Judgment Day, Alpha Academy, The New Day, American Made, and other superstars from the red brand.

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#3. Matt and #2. Jeff Hardy (The Hardy Boyz)

The New Day has accomplished nearly everything there is to achieve in tag team wrestling except for wrestling the legendary Hardys in a two-on-two bout. Both teams are two of the most decorated tandems in the history of professional wrestling, and it'd be a treat to see them collide at an event like 2025's SummerSlam.

In February 2022, during an episode of his podcast The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the former ECW Champion showed interest in a potential tag team showdown between The Hardy Boyz and the group that formerly preached the power of positivity. Matt called it "a match we would definitely like to have at some point in our careers." During Matt's initial Broken gimmick in TNA, he sought to "prove that [The Hardys] are the greatest tag team in all space and time." In 2025, perhaps we'll finally see a war to determine the true GOATs of tag team wrestling in World Wrestling Entertainment.

RAW's tag team division is a bit shallow and could use a boost by adding the iconic Hardy Boyz to its ranks. Though they did win the WWE RAW Tag Team Titles in 2017 and the World Tag Team Titles in 2007, The Hardys have never won the current iteration of the World Tag Team Championship (presently held by Kingston and Woods).

Xavier Woods has previously used social media to stoke tensions with The Hardy Boyz. On April 29, 2025, the 2021 King of the Ring winner shared a GIF of The Hardys as WWE World Tag Team Champions during the Ruthless Aggression Era. In that tweet, Woods wrote that "The Hardys are an INCREDIBLE tag team. I hope Jeff gets medication for whatever has made him shake like that all these years. We would delete these two faster than Matt could say it."

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#1. Former WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL)

In recent years, JBL appeared for various promotions, hitting his signature Clothesline From Hell on unsuspecting wrestlers. JBL gave out the Clotheline From Hell to GCW headliner Effy last August, and he did the same to Joe Hendry at TNA Bound For Glory 2024, which assisted Nic Nemeth in defeating Hendry. JBL would also hit Nic's brother, Ryan Nemeth, with a punch to the jaw at TNA's annual October pay-per-view.

JBL made his official TNA debut at August 2024's Emergence with a surprise appearance, whispering into Nemeth's ear following The Showoff's 60-minute Iron Man victory over "The Walking Weapon" Josh Alexander. Bradshaw single-handedly laid out Brian Myers and Eddie Edwards of The System at September 2024's TNA Victory Road, punching Edwards in the face before giving both men a Clothesline From Hell. JBL's assistance would help Nemeth retain the TNA World Championship in his main event match with Moose.

In January 2025, Bradshaw prevented Frankie Kazarian from inserting himself into the TNA World Title match at the Genesis pay-per-view, once more using the Clothesline From Hell. He would also punch Ryan Nemeth in the face, laying out The Showoff's brother again. A day after that, JBL made a one-off appearance on an episode of RAW, appearing in a backstage segment with Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston of The New Day.

JBL insulted Woods and Kingston, describing them as inferior in size and charisma compared to their former friend, Big E. Perhaps the World Tag Team Champions have unfinished business with a WWE legend who disrespected them. The New Day could get even more heat by seeking revenge against the beloved JBL, beating down the in-ring veteran as retribution for his insulting words.

The former APA member was also critical of El Grande Americano, whom he believed was taking Chad Gable's job at WrestleMania. There are plenty of amusing directions for a potential storyline involving Gable, Grande, and JBL. Nothing is confirmed regarding the true identity of El Grande Americano in WWE, so what if JBL becomes curious about his immigration status and takes action much as he did on SmackDown in 2004?

Alternatively, JBL could help Chad win matches, assisting him in victory, similar to Bradshaw's role with the former Dolph Ziggler in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The former 17-time WWE Hardcore Champion praised the 2012 Olympian earlier this year. Bradshaw has appeared for AAA in the past, perhaps he'll make his presence known at Worlds Collide during Gable's scheduled match with El Hijo del Vikingo.