WWE WrestleMania 27: 10 Reasons Returning Old Superstars Help the WWE

About a month ago I wrote an article about Old School things that I miss this one is kind of a follow up. 

Some people say that bringing in old guys hurts the WWE, but I'm going to give you 10 reason for the opposite argument, bringing in old guys helps them.

Just in case, I'm referring to both guys who make sporadic appearances (Stone Cold, The Rock, JBL, etc.) and guys who are around but not all the time (The Undertaker, HHH and so on).

10) We Have Known Them for a Long Time

We like it when veterans show up because we've known them for most of their careers or most of our lives (or both).

This means that we know their history, and know almost everything about them.

Yes, this can now also be done easily for the newer guys by using the Internet, but it's not the same as knowing it because you've followed someone's career for years.

9) They Are Legends

These are the guys who helped  pro wrestling become what it is today, without them we would still be seeing a circus act.

Some of them even completely changed the industry, they are the reason we have a WrestleMania, they've devoted themselves to entertain us and they deserve our respect.

8) Rarity

Lately we've seen them in almost every episode of RAW and SmackDown, but it should be really a rarity to be able to have one of this legends on either show. 

Think about it for a moment, how many times did we see a returning legend in 2010? I'm guessing far less than what we've seen in the three months of 2011.

And that's how it should be, it's the rarity of their appearances what makes them even more special. If we continue to see them week in and week out, we won't be able to appreciate that.

7) They Can Do Other Things

As shown by Jerry Lawler over the years and Booker T recently, some former wrestlers make good commentators.

Some others make for good bookers, and most of them can also hold other positions within the company, as they know the wrestling business in and out.

6) Legitimacy

Wrestling veterans have one special thing that youngsters don't have, they are and seem legitimate, if someone wins a match against them it makes it more believable than if they win it against someone else.

Think about it this way: who seems as a more legitimate champion, a guy who beats Swagger for a title or one who beats HHH for the same title?

5) Expectation

Every time the WWE announces that someone is coming back, it makes for a huge expectation.

If they don't announce it, it creates even more expectation and a lot of speculation, as their 2/21/11 promo did, creating a lot of rumors about Sting joining the WWE.

4) Big Pops

WWE Roayl Rumble 2011, the two guys who received most cheers were Booker T and Diesel. 

WWE Elimination Chamber 2011, biggest pops go to Christian and Trish Stratus.

WWE Road to WM 2011, biggest reaction is to The Rock (1:19 in the video) and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

So the audience gets excited when guys come back, as returning wrestlers generate the biggest reactions, even if they appear for just a couple of minutes and don't wrestle (well, for 20+ minutes in this case).

3) Surprises

Wrestling fans love surprises, that's no secret.

We love it when someone we don't expect makes an appearance. If that someone used to be (or still is) a big name in the business it just adds to that. 

Even if it's just for one night, seeing someone return to the ring is always a great surprise.

2) Mic Skills

In recent times most guys have little or no mic skills at all, while most older guys have great ones.

I'm not against guys who are impressive on the ring, but if they can't talk, they won't make it to the top unless they're given a manager, something the WWE seems to be set completely against in recent times.

So when a veteran with great mic skills is given time to talk, youngsters should know their role, shut their mouths, sit their asses down and try and learn something for a change.

1) Pushing Guys over

Randy Orton and Chris Jericho, they are Main Eventers now, but they've got more things in common. Both raised to that level by beating Legends. 

Jericho was the first to win a match against The Rock and against Stone Cold Steve Austin on the same night, making him the unified WWE Champion.

Before he was the Viper, Orton was known as the Legend Killer, having won a fair amount of matches against WWE veterans.

Some may say that many guys are reluctant to go away from the spotlight and refuse to retire, even though they should have done it some time ago (Ric Flair, Hogan, etc.).

I'm not going to discuss that, but some other guys may go out of their way to push new talent (Kane has been doing it for some time).

It's thanks to those guys who want to help the new talent grow and pass the torch that guys like Orton or Jericho are Main Eventers.