WWE, or even pro-wrestling in general, keeps playing on nostalgia to inject the fans with a timely reminder of why they should tune into the product.
And it’s quite an effective ploy too, considering that fans like nothing more than to be transported back to their days of marking out to just characters and how badass they were – without it being tainted by the knowledge that the whole shtick is scripted or an understanding of what actually goes on behind the scenes.
As such, Vince McMahon is a master of whipping retired legends back into programming from time to time, no matter how briefly, just to create a ‘Holy Sh*t” moment for the fans. He did it with Hulk Hogan and the Rock, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels, Rock and Cena and most recently, with Goldberg and Lesnar.
Whatever “era” of programming we find ourselves immersed in, it’s quite apparent that the nostalgia act always sells – if booked correctly.
Legends have returned to much pomp and fanfare before, only to end up scurrying away with the ignominy of their tails tucked between their legs, their legacies forever sullied by an ill-advised stint that shouldn’t have come to pass in the first place. Hogan against Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash against CM Punk, Batista against Daniel Bryan...I can keep going.
But even so, fans never stop clamouring for that one last match, that one final hurrah, that one ultimate stand against Father Time; for their favourite Superstars of yesteryear to wind back the clock and revel in the spotlight once again.
It is based on that fantastical premise that I pen this article.
Here then, are 5 WWE legends and the one match that they should absolutely jump off their rocking chairs and come bounding back for.
#1 The Rock vs. Roman Reigns
Cousins, Samoans and both rejected by the audience initially for not being believable enough as clean-cut babyfaces. Unfortunately, there end the similarities between The Rock and Roman Reigns.
One is a master entertainer on the microphone, while the other stumbles and stutters through any promo that's long enough to be considered one. One organically won over the fans with his charisma while the other just can’t seem to catch a break with them despite checking all of Vinne Mac’s proverbial boxes. One turned heel just at the right juncture in his career to fuel his meteoric rise, while the other’s rocket-propelled ascent has earned him the ire of the fans, despite being a babyface.
With a tantalising dynamic between the two – rich in its contrasts and yet given to a multitude of possibilities – ripe for the taking, all that remains is for the WWE to pull the trigger on a Roman Reigns heel turn to kickstart the storyline.
The Rock can do double time on the microphone to support Reigns and let’s face it, a blood feud between family members is insanely marketable. And if Roman Reigns character needs anything desperately today, it’s a dose of marketability.
#2 Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
This one borrows from how un-alike Daniel Bryan and the Miz actually are. One made his way through the unforgiving grind of the ‘bingo halls’ and truly sparked off a revolution – hand in glove with the fans – to finally earn a main event berth at WrestleMania. The other wedged his way into the spotlight after getting picked up from a reality show.
In an industry that is notoriously draconian when it comes to the concept of paying dues, the Miz – on paper at least – is everything that the fans love to hate. Arrogant, unapologetic for his success and entirely undeserving of the spotlight that he’s enjoyed. Daniel Bryan on the other hand, confirms every sepia-tinged, romantic filter that fans hold before their eyes when they dream up the perfect babyface.
It certainly helps that the two have constantly been at each other’s throats ever since the brand split too. The Miz’s no holds barred approach when it comes to mic work can provide an edge to the build-up while Bryan's superior ring dexterity can help polish off the storyline by putting on a heck of a match.
Book it, Vince.
#3 CM Punk vs. Triple H
In some senses, CM Punk has evolved into a symbol – an anti-authority iconoclast whose run-ins with the powers-that-be extended far beyond the script and boiled over from the well of frustration that he'd accumulated towards the WWE.
Being fans, that must be thoroughly relatable.
It’s been over 3 years since CM Punk walked out on the company and still, arenas chant for him when they feel the need to show the WWE the product that’s being shoved down their throats isn’t quite to their liking.
And who better to welcome him back (never say never, right?) than the man who really, really doesn’t like him. The King of Kings, the Burier of Careers, the Boss’ son-in-law and heir-apparent to the WWE, Triple H.
It’s one thing to see Seth Rollins and Triple H go at it hammer and tongs – full well knowing that they’re thick as thieves behind the scenes – but it was quite another taking in the bristling, tempestuous vibe that something was going to give when Phil Brooks confronted Paul Levesque.
It was riveting television that drew inspiration from roots that were deeply entrenched in realism, resonating with the audience like nothing else had during the otherwise impotent PG era. It was also left agonisingly incomplete when Punk decided that he had had enough of the toxic work environment and parted ways with the WWE.
There is a reason why WWE fans immortalised Punk’s run just before he left the company as the ‘Summer of Punk’, and it also had to do with how he just refused to compromise with his ideals and play ball.
But perhaps now, it’s time to fill in the blanks.
Also read: 10 top-tier names that could still sign with WWE in 2017
#4 Shawn Michaels vs. AJ Styles
This one hardly requires any selling from my end as the WWE itself seems to be doing a bang-up job of it. A fanmade poster that AJ put out on social media had the embers of speculation well and truly stoked, and the WWE capitalised on the hype, having the two sit opposite each other in an episode of Table for Three to discuss it further.
In the ensuing tete-a-tete, we realised that AJ was all for it while Shawn – an exception in the sense that he’s stayed retired after hanging up his boots – admitted that the match nurdled his interest sufficiently for him to toy with the idea when Vince broached it.
It was the furthest that the Heart Break Kid had gone to admitting that he’d gotten the itch to wrestle again, and if the WWE’s track record in bringing back legends to perform in the past few years is anything to go by, I'd even stick out my neck and say that this is the most likely dream match on this list to actually get booked.
Dave Meltzer, I’d get those stars ready if I were you.
#5 Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe
Kurt Angle’s return to WWE programming has led many to believe that a match involving the Olympic hero is a matter of when and not if.
The fact that he still seems to be in tremendous shape and was wrestling pretty actively in the independent circuits prior to his Hall of Fame induction has only served to embellish the conjecture further.
The most suggestive aspect in all of this, however, is that the pieces of the puzzle for an organic storyline are already present. All that is remaining is for the WWE to stitch them together.
His current designation as the Sheriff of Raw puts him directly at odds with the Authority, but when they do return, one suspects that Triple H would rather put over younger talent than rehash his rivalry of lore against Angle.
The Authority’s hired gun, on the other hand, should have no such reservations.
Samoa Joe and Angle share quite a spicy backstory, having feuded against one another extensively in their TNA days. Both of them are top-of-the-line workers, rivalling each other in unbridled intensity and ring generalship.
The fact that both their styles’ are heavily derived from submission grappling also lends a touch of aestheticism to the storytelling.
Caught in the middle of a lukewarm feud with Seth Rollins – in which he isn’t even the antagonist-in-chief – Samoa Joe’s main roster run is in acute need of legs to stand on. How deliciously ironic that it could find exactly that, trapped in Kurt Angle’s patented Ankle Lock.
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