WWE: 13 Former Stars We'd Love to See Back in the Ring

Kevin Nash made a shocking appearance at SummerSlam, which was followed up by an appearance on RAW Monday night. During his appearance, Nash said that he was sent a text message to come to the ring and take out whoever won the match between John Cena and CM Punk. Punk, who won to become the Undisputed WWE Champion, was attacked by Nash and given a jackknife powerbomb, allowing Alberto Del Rio to cash in Money in the Bank and become the new WWE Champion.

During the segment on RAW between Nash and Punk, a future fight between the two was alluded to. Nash was seen in the 40-man Royal Rumble in January as Diesel. Nash is now 52 years old, but could possibly be on his way back into a ring to face Punk in the future.

Nash has received a lot of positive reactions from the Los Angeles crowd at SummerSlam and the San Diego crowd at RAW. This brought on the ideas of who else the fans would like to see return to a WWE ring. Not all of them are possible, but here is a list of returning superstars in a perfect world.

Kurt Angle

The current TNA World Champion is one of the bet wrestlers of our generation. Angle came from an amateur background to winning a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics and into the World Wrestling Federation. There were seldom accomplishments that he didn't achieve in WWE.

One such credential is a spot in the Hall of Fame. He is now five years removed from his WWE stint, but Angle deserves the honor from the place where he got his start and did so much, including winning six world championships.

Despite turning 43 in December, Angle still has more than enough skill to get the job done and have one more run in WWE, should they choose to bring him back. Whether Angle would ever leave TNA is one thing, but with the financial and creative areas of the company being brought into question, it isn't the craziest notion to have.

Batista

Batista is also a six-time world champion in WWE, but is not in a rival wrestling promotion. Batista isn't actually doing any wrestling now. He was trying to fight in MMA, but his deal with Strikeforce fell through when the company was being sold.

Batista has been critical of how WWE treated him and has never been a fan of TNA. Now 42 years old and substantially scrawnier, Batista could still return as WWE has spoken highly of him on DVDs, such as the 50 greatest superstars of all-time, as well as mentioning him on WWE programming since he has left the company.

Shelton Benjamin

Benjamin is an emerging star in Ring of Honor after failing to become one in WWE. Despite a lot of athletic ability and having a lot of unforgettable moments on the WWE roster, Benjamin just could never have his charisma match that ability. He never stuck out in a gimmick and, despite owning the mid-card with multiple title wins, he could never translate that to the main event.

Now 36, fans of WWE wouldn't mind seeing Benjamin get one more crack at it in his old stomping grounds. Money in the Bank ladder matches just haven't been the same without him.

Elijah Burke

His gimmick in TNA, "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero, is better than anything WWE ever gave him. However, not a lot of opportunities have been given to Burke in TNA either. For every one blip of a push for him, there seems to be a few other moments in which Dinero is not a priority by TNA's creative team. Every step forward is met with at least two steps back.

Burke is still just 33, so a return to WWE isn't fully out of the question. He can do something similar to what Christian did a few years ago. Christian went to TNA in order to gain notoriety as a singles star and earned it. He returned to WWE with that experience and confidence, which has led to two world title reigns. In Burke's case, he now has the gimmick he has needed all along. It will be up to him to possibly move on and return to WWE with a similar gimmick to The Pope.

Edge

I know that he is retired and can't do anything. Hell, he couldn't even partake in anything in the No Holds Barred match at SummerSlam. It still doesn't take away from the fans' desire to see him wrestle again. Clueless fans chant for one more match, but it isn't going to actually happen. Fans would get over not seeing such a match if it meant avoiding the sight of Edge confined to a wheelchair.

Still, it is nice to dream as a fan. Edge always gave such great matches that it is hard to imagine, even almost six months later, that there won't be any more from him. The massive pops for his occasional appearances suggest that he might be suited for an on-air role, should he choose to do so. His mic skills have always been on par with the possibility, so it wouldn't be fully far-fetched.

Mick Foley

We've heard the rumors. We've thought about the possibilities. We've even imagined commentary without Booker T. It would be much better to see a guy like Mick Foley in that seat instead. The hardcore legend has reportedly reached out and may be close to signing back with WWE. We can see some final Rock N' Sock moments. Foley can come in and stir the pot more with The Rock facing John Cena at next year's WrestleMania.

Foley can still get in the ring if he has to, but I would like to see him become a commentator again and get inducted into the Hall of Fame before WrestleMania 30, likely to be in New York City.

Goldberg

Goldberg has also been a topic of discussion in recent months with his possible WWE return. I don't know how well he fits in, but Goldberg is certainly a Hall of Fame-caliber talent for what he brought to WCW. His legend precedes him and Goldberg would make a great candidate for a dream match at some point. Goldberg's demise out of WWE was hard to match for some of us and he could use a better way to be written out of the business.

JBL

JBL can do it all, people. He can probably still wrestle like nobody else can. JBL's color commentary was a joy to listen to on Smackdown episodes. I could even see the former WWE champion as a manager in the future. The stocks aren't doing too well and the business is calling. Will JBL come back, at least for a short time? Man, let's hope so.

Chris Jericho

I toss and turn at night because Chris Jericho is not in WWE right now. I know that his band is doing incredibly well and that his appearance on Dancing With The Stars is opening new doors for him. I have also seen him post pictures of his family on his Twitter account. With all that said, Jericho should get notified that WWE could use some saving one more time.

Jericho expressed that he wouldn't come back unless he could find a new type of persona to be and a place for himself to fit into the storylines. Jericho is too busy right now to come back, but many fans would like to see him written off in a better way than he was. I know that Jericho doesn't care how he gets fired or written off television, but wrestling fans are eager to see one of the premier performers of the last decade ride off into the sunset on a high note.

Mr. Kennedy

He has gotten more opportunities in TNA as Mr. Anderson than he ever got in WWE as Mr. Kennedy, but Ken Anderson deserves better than he got in WWE. He never blossomed the way he intended to and setbacks, like his imfamous near-injury of Randy Orton, cost him his job and reputation with the company. As long as Orton is a major player in WWE, Anderson doesn't exist to WWE.

Although, Kennedy and Orton's past is well-known and could make for a nice real-life feud that becomes a storyline in WWE. TNA doesn't seem to know what they want to do with three-quarters of their roster, Anderson included, and Anderson can skedaddle when he can and try to get back into WWE. People would love it.

Brock Lesnar

The Next Big Thing swore off wrestling a few years ago in order to try and make it in the NFL. That move blew up in his face, but it didn't stop him from trying to do other things. Lesnar trained in MMA and became a champion in UFC. From that point on, the mouths of wrestling fans were salivating. Lesnar could be the crossover that Shamrock was back in the late 1990s.

Moving back over to reality, Lesnar is probably never going to go back to professional wrestling. However, it is noted that Lesnar has been mentioned in past weeks and WWE has apparently agreed with Lesnar in somewhat back in the graces of WWE, reportedly signing on to have his likeness show up on the upcoming WWE '12 video game.

Chris Masters

Masters was recently released from his second try with WWE. Many people don't get a third try. Masters probably deserves that chance. Ever since his release, there has been a massive backlash from fans about his departure. CM Punk's mention of him on television after his release was good for a huge pop by fans. Certainly, there is enough popularity for Masters that he could be okay wherever he may go.

Recently, Masters "crashed" the festivities of SummerSlam and had a mini mob around him on the streets of Los Angeles. There were many fans angry that he was out of work and Masters showed more charisma in that one video than WWE would have you believe that he is capable of. This isn't the last that we have heard of Chris Masters. I just have that funny feeling.

Umaga

This is, unfortunately, the only truly impossible one. As with anything else, people want what they can't have, which includes seeing Umaga again. Umaga was released in June 2009 after refusing to enter rehab for his second Wellness Policy violation. After appearing on the Hulkamania tour, there were rumblings that Umaga might be on his way back to WWE anyway. This all came to a big halt when Umaga died shockingly in December 2009 at the age of 36.

We can never see Umaga in the ring again, which was one of the better Samoan-based gimmicks WWE has ever put forth. Umaga was so versatile in the ring and very fast for a big guy. He is still very much missed to this day.

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