Projecting Best Timing and Booking for Potential WWE Superstar Returns

The WWE roster is in a continuous state of fluctuation, with Superstars like Chris Jericho coming and going. 

Seeing a big name step through the curtains for a surprise return always provides a welcome jolt of excitement. WWE has to find a way to then make full use of a guy like Jericho when he's back. Both Jericho and Rob Van Dam had underwhelming runs in their last go-rounds.

Finding them ideal rivals is key. Picking the right spot to bring them back is important as well.

The following is a look at when and how to best welcome back both veterans not currently on the roster, as well as Superstars on the books who have been warming WWE's bench for months.

Rob Van Dam

In 2013, Rob Van Dam seemed to be drinking from the fountain of youth. He was quick, energized and a part of a number of fun matches. His run in 2014 didn't have that same spark.

That's partly due to WWE's refusal to give him a real rival during that run.

He battled a smattering of opponents but didn't have much of a story to work with. It didn't help that WWE paired him with Cesaro so many times when they clearly lacked chemistry.

The company would be wise to book him against NXT's Adrian Neville instead.

When they met in June, it was like watching Van Dam battle his younger self. The action was fluid; their styles meshed.

After the next NXT Takeover special (where Neville could lose the NXT title), WWE would be wise to bring Neville to the main roster and convince Van Dam to sign another short-term deal. Coming back in December would also give Van Dam four months to rest up and rejuvenate.

Tangling with Van Dam at TLC and beyond would be an exciting way to begin Neville's career. As for Van Dam, he would get an opponent he works well with and a rival WWE will be invested in highlighting. 

There's a great story waiting to be told here of the young lion challenging the alpha male, the upstart looking to prove himself against a man who inspired him.

Christian

The last time we saw Christian wrestle was in March, when he suffered a concussion in the process of earning a victory on Raw.

Despite since being medically cleared, he hasn't returned to the ring. Dave Meltzer relayed on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Wrestle Zone) that some WWE officials believe that Christian is too fragile and that his wrestling days are done. If the company is set on having his career end, though, why not have it end in a more dramatic fashion?

There is no drama in a quiet retirement.

Instead, WWE should move his behind-the-scenes struggles in front of the camera. He should try to convince Triple H and Company that he's healthy enough to compete, only to be see his chance denied. "You're too old and too injured. You're done," they could tell him.

Eventually, Triple H could relent. He could give Christian one opportunity to show that he still has what it takes to be a WWE Superstar: He must win his match at SummerSlam or else will be forced to retire.

Triple H can choose Daniel Bryan (who will hopefully have recovered from injury at this point) as his opponent. The idea is that Bryan can serve as a benchmark. Fighting him is a challenge where Christian can show he can hang with the best.

It's sure to be a great match, with Bryan hesitant to put away a man he has no issues with, and speed and agility powering the action.

Booking it at SummerSlam would allow plenty of time for Bryan to heal. It's also a place where Christian has had a lot of biggest successes (the TLC match in 2000, dominating William Regal in 2009 and putting on a classic against Randy Orton in 2011).

That's something WWE can work into the story, giving fans hope that he can outlast Bryan and keep his career going.

The Rock

WWE planted strong hints for a possible WrestleMania match with Triple H with a backstage showdown on SmackDown. It also laid the groundwork for Rusev vs. The Rock when the former WWE champ confronted the Russian in a surprise appearance last month.

There is no mystery as to when The Rock would come back: It's WrestleMania or nothing.

That grand stage is the most fitting place to have his next match, a megastar in a mega event.

The question is who his opponent should be. One could easily make the argument for The Great One to face Triple H or Brock Lesnar. The issue there is that no one WWE can build around gets the rub of facing The Rock.

Rusev is the bolder, more forward-thinking choice. The bout would make The Bulgarian Brute's career and is something fans have yet to see.

The compromise between the unproven Rusev and established stars who are at the end of their careers is Randy Orton. Orton has been around forever but is just 34. He's likely to be wrestling for another six or seven years at least.

He could make good use of the momentum that comes with tangling with The Rock.

The right to face The Rock should be built up as an honor one earns. Rusev and Orton should battle it out to determine who gets that opportunity in a No. 1 contender's match of sorts.

Brad Maddox

Brad Maddox has been gone since May with very little said about it. Folks may disagree over his ceiling, but an athletic guy just over 30 with heartthrob looks has to be put to more use.

The stipulation recently added to the Team Cena vs. Team Authority match opens the door for him to step back onscreen.

If Triple H's squad loses, he and Stephanie McMahon are out of power. There is no set plan for who takes over, though. Enter Maddox.

Perhaps he can have an in with Vince McMahon or weasel his way into control somehow. Either way, popping up as the new head of WWE after Survivor Series would be a bit of poetic justice for Maddox. It was The Game and Company who thrust him into obscurity. 

Serving as an authority figure would allow him to wield his unusual comic timing and occasionally step into the ring. 

Chris Jericho

It looks as if we'll soon get just a brief look at Chris Jericho.

As WrestlingRumors.net notes, Jericho is advertised as part of the upcoming European tour including the Nov. 11 SmackDown in Liverpool, England. It's then back to the rock-star life, as his band Fozzy is booked for tour dates until March 15 of next year.

That's not exactly the kind of run Jericho fans were hoping for.

It all but assures that he won't compete at WrestleMania 31. His band is touring during prime WrestleMania build time.

The night after that marquee event is historically a spot where big names come back and major moments happen. Y2J should return while the crowd is buzzing from WrestleMania. And he should get the high-profile feud he wants, too.

Jericho said on the Cheap Heat podcast that he didn't want another "Fandango situation," meaning that he wasn't interested in, as he put it, "a sidetrack, kind-of-ancillary thing." 

Roman Reigns wouldn't be another Fandango. He's an emerging star who some believe may have the tools to be a top-tier guy. Clashing with him would be a fresh matchup, one that would help Reigns immensely.

Reigns is still a work in progress. Working with Jericho would give him a vet to lean on.

Jericho can return as a heel, upset (and a touch jealous) with how all these young Superstars are taking over. He can believe that he is still better than Reigns and all these men labeled as the future of the company.

He can then enter a series with the former Shield member to prove it.