WWE: Batista and 12 Other Stars I'd Like to See Return

There have been reports going around that WWE wants to bring back some former superstars in an attempt to bring back the viewers they have lost over the years.  Kevin Nash seems to be the start of that.

To a certain degree, I think that’s a great idea. 

WWE fans of the past will get excited to see their favorite superstar make a return, even if it’s for one final run. 

At the same time, though, bringing back former stars takes away from the current crop of young, talented superstars.

WWE has a tendency to do that anyway, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.

These are 13 former superstars that I would like to see return.  Included will be a brief history of their time in WWE as well as what I think they would end up doing/be best suited.

Batista

Dave Batista made his WWE debut in May 2002 as Deacon Batista, the bodyguard of Reverend D-Von.  It wasn’t until the following year when Batista got his big break.

He was in the Evolution stable alongside veteran Triple H, the up-and-coming Randy Orton, and the legendary Ric Flair.

After eight years with the company, Batista left to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. In his eight-year tenure, Batista accumulated six World Titles and four Tag Team Titles.

With his MMA career going absolutely nowhere, could the Animal return to the WWE Universe one more time?

If so, I’d imagine he’d be thrust back into the main event picture. The main problems with a return are his injury-prone nature as well as the main event picture itself.

He’d end up facing the same exact people he did before he left. That wouldn’t be very exciting, but it would expand the main event scene since both Raw and SmackDown’s main event rosters are quite small.

Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar made his WWE debut in March 2002 as the new protégé of Paul Heyman.  He was quickly pushed to the top and defeated the likes of Rob Van Dam, Hulk Hogan, and The Rock for the WWE Championship.

Lesnar would leave the company in 2004 after a feud with Goldberg to pursue a career in football.  He would fail in his attempt at being an NFL star and ended up in New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2005, then the UFC in 2008.

In his two-year career with WWE, Lesnar won three World Titles.  Could “The Next Big Thing” become the big thing once again and come back to a WWE ring by the end of the year?  It’s certainly possible, but not until his UFC contract runs out.

If he were to come back, he would add some great depth to the roster.  Lesnar was, and probably still is, a great wrestler and the other wrestlers could benefit from his skill in the ring.  A feud with WWE’s superman John Cena could be huge and something WWE would be crazy not to try.

Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho made his debut in 1999 and made in immediate impact by interrupting The Rock.  Jericho has left the company multiple times to pursue a music career with his band Fozzy.  His most recent departure was last year.

Jericho is one of the most decorated superstars in the history of the WWE.  He has won 24 championships including the World, Intercontinental, Tag Team, European, and Hardcore Titles.

In terms of the Intercontinental Title, he held it a record nine times.  He has also won two Slammy Awards and multiple titles in ECW and WCW, two company’s WWE now owns.

Could we see the countdown clock start ticking?

Jericho is a superstar that everyone can agree on that they’d like to see come back.  He is a great wrestler and is one of the best superstars ever to pick up a microphone. 

Seeing him come back and have a feud with CM Punk would certainly be something to see...and could make WWE a lot of money.

Goldberg

Goldberg made his WWE debut in March 2003 and immediately speared The Rock.  He would end up leaving a year later after feuding with Brock Lesnar.

During his one-year tenure with the company, he held the World Title once and feuded mostly with Triple H and Evolution.

His time with WWE was quite forgettable, as he really didn’t do much.  Recently there have been reports of Goldberg wanting to get back into the ring.

While he wouldn’t really bring much depth to the roster in terms of wrestling ability, he could very well bring in ratings, which is something WWE wants.

Goldberg was never really a good wrestler; he just had that “it” factor that the fans wanted to see at the time.  Seeing him in the ring with behemoths like Mark Henry or Big Show could make for some interesting television.  A storyline with John Cena could also get fans talking.

Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley made his debut in September 2005.  His tenure was largely forgettable when he left in 2008 with the exception of being in the middle of the Vince McMahon/Donald Trump storyline.

His three-year stint with WWE gave him three titles, the ECW Title twice and the United States title once.

It would be nice to see him come back and get a second chance at superstardom.

Lashley was pretty good in the ring and it would be great to see him take on guys like CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, and John Morrison.

Lashley’s only downfall is his mic work, which was never his strong point.  He could really add some depth to the roster and could be the main event star WWE didn’t let him be the first time.

Lita

Lita showed up in WWE in 1999 as the manager of Essa Rios.  After breaking away from him, she managed the Hardy Boyz and wrestled more.

Towards the end of her time in WWE, she was involved in a high-profile story with Edge that included the controversial live sex celebration.

Before leaving in 2006, she accumulated four reigns as Women’s Champion and had memorable matches with the likes of Trish Stratus.

Lita has been making random appearances since she left, but could those lead to a full-time return?

I sure hope so.  Lita is a hell of a wrestler, she always was.  She could really add to the extremely lacking Diva’s Division.

She is someone the fans recognize and someone that the fans can get behind.  Seeing her feud with someone like Beth Phoenix could really rejuvenate the division.

Mick Foley

Mick Foley debuted in 1996 as the deranged Mankind.  In his 12-year tenure with the WWE, he also played Cactus Jack, Dude Love and himself.

The entire time he would accumulate three World Titles, one Hardcore Title, eight Tag Team titles, and one Slammy Award.

He was also the commissioner of the WWE during one of his retirements as well as a color commentator for SmackDown.

There has been a lot of talk of Foley returning to the WWE as well as having one final match at Wrestlemania 28.  I think it would be great to see the Hardcore Legend return, though not to the ring.

Foley has always been good on the mic and he would be best suited in some kind of on-air role where he talks.  He may end up being revealed as the Raw general manager, even though the gimmick hasn’t be used in weeks.

I’d like to see him come in as an authority figure to combat Triple H. 

Something like this: Triple H turns heel and starts to get out of control with his role as Chief Operating Officer so the board of directors brings in Mick Foley to oversee everything the Game does.

The New Age Outlaws

The Road Dogg Jesse James and Mr. Ass Billy Gunn starting teaming in 1997 and were partners up until James’ release in 2001.

While they did have singles careers during that time, they always ended up back together.  In their four years in WWE, they would win the Tag Team Titles five times as well as five singles titles between them.

There have been reports that Triple H wants to rebuild the tag division in WWE.  Bringing in the New Age Outlaws could be a step in the right direction.

It would help to have a veteran tag-team on the roster to help get newer teams over.

They would be immediately recognizable to older fans and their gimmick could very well get over with the current fan base that WWE has.  They would be best suited for a heel role, though.

Unfortunately, due to their past criticisms of Triple H, the chances of them coming back are slim to none.

Sable

Sable popped up in 1996 as the manager to Hunter Heart Helmsley but starting wrestling in 1997.

At the time, no one rivaled her in popularity in terms of women’s wrestling.  Some of the time she got bigger pops then the male stars.

She would win the Women’s Title once, the Slammy Award twice, and posed on the cover of Playboy before leaving in 1999.

She would make a surprise comeback in 2003 but left a year later.  The only highlight of her return was posing for Playboy with Torrie Wilson.

If Sable were to come back, she would be best suited as a manager to someone.  When she managed Marc Mero, she brought him to heights that he probably would have never been able to reach without her.

The art of the valet/manager is dead, but it needs revived.  Someone managed some of the greatest superstars of the past.  Sable would be a great way to start that back up.

Sid Vicious

Sid Vicious made his debut in 1991 but left a year later.  He would return in 1995 before leaving again in 1998 after capturing the World Title two times.

There were reports a few years back that WWE was looking at Sid for a return, but Sid said he wouldn’t be able to pass the Wellness Program.

I think it would be good to see him have one final run with the company, but only for a year.

Have him come in and help get the younger talent over.  There is some concern over his leg, though, as it snapped in two in his final appearance for WCW.  While it has had ample time to heal, something like that never fully heals.

Sid is a long shot, but he would be recognizable to older fans and would make for a great heel for the new fans to hate.

Stacy Keibler

Stacy Keibler debuted in 2001 after WWE bought WCW.  While mostly a manager, she did wrestle on occasion.

After staying with the company for five years, she would leave to pursue acting without ever winning a single title.

She was voted Babe of the Year in 2004.

She made a surprise return on Tough Enough this year, which fueled rumors of a return to the company.

If she were to come back, she too would be best suited as a manager to an up-and-coming star.

Stacy was never the greatest wrestler.  Most of her moves included her using her long legs in some way.

She was a good manager/valet, though.  Seeing her come back to that role could bring attention to whatever star she ends up representing.

Sunny

Sunny made her debut in 1995 and her beauty made her a sensation overnight.  She never wrestled, but she did manage multiple singles wrestlers as well as tag teams.

She would leave in 1998 after winning two Slammy Awards.

The “First Diva of WWE” was inducted recently into the WWE Hall of Fame.  Could that be a way to bring her back to television?

If so, hopefully just as a manager.

Sunny very rarely wrestled.  She was a great manager/valet, managing people in WWE, WCW and ECW.

Like Stacy and Sable, she too could very well help get a younger star over. 

Bringing back valets and managers is something WWE should consider, and bringing Sunny into that should be their first priority.

Conclusion

Well that’s it. As you may have noticed, I left out quite a few names.  I left out stars that were signed to another company such as Kurt Angle in TNA or Shelton Benjamin in ROH.

I also didn't add stars like Steve Austin who already make appearances for WWE when the company thinks they can bring in some ratings.

Would any of these superstars come back?  It’s hard to say. It would be great to see at least a few of them make returns.

Whether this strategy of bringing in old stars to bring back viewers will work or not, they could add more depth to the roster.  That’s something WWE needs as we see the same thing over and over again each week on Raw and SmackDown.

Did I leave out your favorite former star? Feel free to add some more superstars in the comments.