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Welcome back to another stacked edition of Sportskeeda's WWE News Roundup. With RAW's 30th anniversary episode just around the corner, the company recently confirmed the return of a Hall of Famer who hasn't been seen on TV since 2021.
Triple H also continues to be in the news as a veteran recalled how The Game actively tried to bury one of the greatest WWE stars of all time.
A former world champion's recent comments have also led some to believe that he might be suffering from potential brain damage. We ended the latest roundup with a high-ranking executive addressing the possibility of CM Punk's return.
On that note, let's take a look at the day's top stories:
#1. Hulk Hogan to appear on RAW 30
There is unsurprisingly a lot of hype surrounding the 30th-anniversary show of Monday Night RAW, scheduled for January 23. WWE's recent listing confirmed Hulk Hogan's return to the company as the Hulkster will be amongst the many legends in attendance during the highly-anticipated episode.
Hulk Hogan has not appeared for WWE since WrestleMania 37 in 2021 when he was the co-host of the mega show alongside Titus O'Neil.
The legendary superstar has been a controversial figure in the business as he was briefly banished from the promotion following multiple legal issues. Triple H and his team are leaving no stone unturned for the biggest RAW episode of 2023 so far, and getting Hogan back will further boost ticket sales.
In case you are wondering, here's the list of legends slated to show up on RAW 30:
- The Undertaker
- Shawn Michaels
- Road Dogg
- X-Pac
- Ric Flair
- Hulk Hogan
- Jerry "The King" Lawler
- Teddy Long
- Ron Simmons
- Kurt Angle
A former women's champion is also rumored to be at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Monday, and you can read more on that right here.
#2. Did Triple H try to bury The Rock in WWE?
Triple H was one of the most powerful individuals in WWE long before he became an executive. The Cerebral Assassin reportedly had a lot of backstage pull during his days as a top talent, and it looks like he even tried to stop his rivals from succeeding.
An old story recently resurfaced about how Triple H attempted to influence the outcome of The Rock's match against Bret Hart. The Hitman revealed on the 81 Podcast a couple of years ago that Triple H wanted him to go over Dwayne Johnson in an Intercontinental Championship match during the Attitude Era.
Hart, who was already an established main eventer at the time, refused to beat The Rock as he felt he didn't need the win.
The Canadian legend confirmed that Triple H genuinely hated The Rock when they were both battling for the same spot on the card.
"When I did the big interview about America, the next week's taping, I wrestled The Rock, and they wanted me to beat him," Hart said. "Triple H did. He wanted me to beat Dwayne and win the Intercontinental Title. I refused. 'What do I need the Intercontinental title for?' […] I remember Triple H was sick about it because he had a thing for Dwayne and wanted to ruin him. He hated him." [H/T: Fightful]
These days, Triple H and The Rock share a great relationship behind the scenes as they are both in different stages of their careers.
They could soon even reunite in WWE as there is a lot of chatter regarding Triple H's creative plans for Johnson's in-ring return at WrestleMania 39.
#3. Eric Bischoff comments on the spot that ended Bret Hart's career
More than 20 years have passed since Goldberg's infamous kick to Bret Hart allegedly resulted in long-term damage for the Hitman. Hart has still not forgiven the former Universal Champion for the seemingly botched kick and has rarely missed a chance to take shots at his former rival.
Bret Hart has claimed on many occasions that the spot was responsible for ending his in-ring career; however, Eric Bischoff seems to have a different theory regarding what actually happened.
While speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, the former WCW boss claimed that Bret Hart probably sustained a concussion from hitting his head on the floor and not from Goldberg's kick.
Bischoff found it odd that Hart continues to be hostile towards Goldberg despite the latter repeatedly apologizing over the years. The former SmackDown GM wondered whether the bump taken by Hart after the kick might have given the wrestler permanent brain damage, which is clouding his judgment.
"I'm thinking because I've watched the kick. I've watched that in slow motion, and I guess it… I'm no expert. I am not an expert and but I'm looking at that, and I'm thinking, "ah, maybe," but I'm looking at Bret bouncing his head off the concrete or ring post or whatever it was, and if I had to put my money, I would put it on that concussion occurring on that bump is much or more so than the kick to the head," Bischoff said.
Bischoff clarified that he meant no disrespect to Bret Hart as he was just trying to ascertain why the multi-time world champion hasn't gotten over his issues with Goldberg.
"I'm not saying that to be controversial. I'm not saying that to out of disrespect to Bret. I'm just pointing out what I think is something that is at least worthy of discussion if we're going to keep blaming Bill Goldberg for that concussion because I'm not sure if this was played in front of a jury, you could convince a jury that that was true," he added. [H/T RingsideNews]
Speaking of Goldberg, Kurt Angle recently explained why he doesn't see himself having great matches with the WCW icon, and you can check out more on that story here.
#4. Road Dogg on CM Punk's possible WWE return
CM Punk has maintained his distance from professional wrestling since the highly-publicized controversy at AEW All Out. While Punk has still not been officially released from AEW, many don't expect to see him back in Tony Khan's company due to the complicated backstage situation involving The Elite.
Several fans are also still determining whether Punk will ever return to wrestling, with speculation rife that WWE might not entertain doing business with the former world champion.
WWE Executive Road Dogg, however, isn't ruling out a potential CM Punk return as he feels the company will be open to all kinds of opportunities.
The tag team legend spoke positively about the chance of seeing CM Punk inside a WWE ring again. During a live session of the Oh...You Didn't Know podcast, Road Dogg even admitted that Punk was a "needle mover."
"Never say never with these guys," said Road Dogg. "They will give you a second chance. [WWE] will give you an opportunity if it's business savvy, and bringing him back might be. The reason it might be is because he's a needle mover." [H/T Wrestling Inc]
Do you see Triple H getting CM Punk back in the foreseeable future? Sound off in the comments section below.
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