Unlike his first run in the WWE, the 2016 return of Goldberg has been a huge success. While fans old and new have loved seeing the former WCW champion back in the squared circle, the tremendous response has to be bad news for any current WWE roster stars hoping not to be pushed down the card thanks to a “part-timer.”
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Cashing in on nostalgia in wrestling is not a new phenomenon. From the many iterations of the NWO, to “old school” editions of Monday Night RAW, to the 700 attempts at having a “One Night Only” hardcore ECW style reunion, wrestling is always looking to bank on a formula that has worked in the past.
With so many former wrestlers being past their prime, or even worse, dead, who could still garner the kind of reaction Goldberg has gotten over the last few months? There are a few stipulations for being able to receive the Goldberg treatment. One, a wrestler would have to have been on top of the industry at some point in his career. A mid-carder who never held his company’s top prize is automatically disqualified. If they weren’t big enough in their prime, they certainly aren’t big enough now. Second, they have to be able to physically compete in the ring. Getting a quick pop from the crowd isn’t enough. The returning star has to look like he also has a chance at winning a big one.
Here are the only former WWE stars that could still get the Goldberg treatment.
5. The Hardy Boyz
While Jeff Hardy had, by far, the bigger singles career in the WWE -winning the WWE championship in 2007-it’s the completely unexpected reinvention of #BROKEN Matt Hardy in TNA that would give both of the former tag team champions a huge reaction if and when they ever found their way back into the WWE. Hardy has already taken plenty of Twitter shots at the Wyatt Family, so a feud with the WWE’s only other supernatural faction would not only make sense, but it would be amazingly ridiculous. The Hardys might not receive quite the same push as Goldberg, but a WWE #TotalDeletion would be must see TV.
4. Kurt Angle
I originally had Kurt Angle at number one on this list. Not only was the former Olympian one of my top 5 all-time favorite wrestlers, but he’s probably the one in the best shape to make another run to the top of the WWE. After spending 10 years in TNA, Kurt has recently been working the indys, including a great recent match with another former WWE star, Cody Rhodes. In the ring and on the mic, the former Olympic champion would receive a huge reaction if he made it back to the WWE. Angle deserves a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame and a return program with someone like the Bulgarian Brute, Rusev, would be the perfect final chapter for his career.
3. CM Punk
The return that currently seems the most improbable is that of former WWE champion and current UFC … um, participant? … CM Punk. Punk was severely critical of the WWE after leaving the organization in 2014. Not only did Punk feel like he deserved a higher spot on the roster (more ice cream bars?), but he accused WWE doctors of trying to hide his injuries in order to keep him in the ring.
But, in the world of wrestling, never say never. Plenty of wrestlers have come back across the WWE bridges they’ve burned to make a lot of money for the company. The fact that WWE crowds can still be heard randomly breaking out CM Punk chants is proof that if Punk ever gets tired of chasing his UFC dream, a Goldberg-esque return awaits him.
2. Shawn Michaels
I considered not even including this one. HBK has stayed true to his word of not wanting to tarnish the legacy of his retirement match with the Undertaker. But, with AJ Styles teasing a dream match with HBK at the upcoming Royal Rumble in Michaels’ home town of San Antonio, TX, fans everywhere are ramping up their excitement to see the Showstopper back in the WWE. Mr. Wrestlemania has vowed that his wrestling career is over, but the influx of new era talent like Styles, Rollins, Nakumura and Owens could be enough to lure the Heartbreak Kid back into the ring.
1. Stone Cold Steve Austin
The only tradition that rivals Wrestlemania is that of Jim Ross shooting down rumors of Stone Cold returning for Wrestlemania. Since Austin hung up his boots in 2003, fans everywhere have been clamoring to see the Texas Rattlesnake back in the ring. The rumors reached a fever pitch when CM Punk was at the top of his game. The two exchanged heated promos to spark interest in the release of the video game, WWE 13, but unfortunately it never led to an in-ring confrontation.
Rumors also swirled of Austin coming back for one final match at last year’s Wrestlemania in his home state of Texas, but sadly they never came to fruition. Austin has stayed in great shape and with his podcast having become a fixture on the WWE Network, Stone Cold has remained a big part of the WWE Universe.
No matter how many times JR or even Stone Cold himself shoots down an Austin return, we’ll keep pushing for the baddest S.O.B. in WWE history to have one final match in the WWE.
