Seeing an older veteran wrestler chase a World Championship can give us a goosebumps. It can always be fun to see a wrestler relive his glory days. In 2002, Hulk Hogan won back his loyal Hulkamaniacs, and after Wrestlemania 18, he decided to ditch the bad guy NWO persona. The red and yellow made a triumphant return, and at Backlash 2002, Hogan defeated Triple H for the Undisputed Championship. Shawn Michaels also managed to have his great moment of nostalgia at Survivor Series 2002. Michaels was able to win the World Heavyweight Championship in the Elimination Chamber match. Seeing HBK become World Champion again was something special, because Shawn had to battle back from a serious back injury, and seeing him wear World Championship gold again was one of those special moments.
Nostalgia runs in pro wrestling can be fun, but are there any left? Let's take a look at the list of active big name veteran wrestlers:
Hulk Hogan- A lot of us probably saw the little bickering session between Hogan and Sting after the World Title match at Lockdown. Sting obviously wanted a piece of Hogan, but The Hulkster told the World Champion it will happen "on his time." Seeing Hogan take down HHH at Backlash 2002 might have been something special, but that was years ago. Hogan's back is in terrible shape. It'll be hard for him to work a watchable match, and would you really want to see Hogan become champion again? There is a chance Hogan could turn face again, but we've already seen the "Return Of Hulkamania!" storyline before.
Bret Hart- Seeing Hart win the US Title from The Miz was kind of cool. Bret's shocking return to the WWE was still pretty fresh, so it wasn't hard to root for The Hit Man. Although, Hart is up there in age, and his body is in bad shape, so he's very limited to what he can do in the ring. We might enjoy seeing Hart pop up on WWE programming every now and then, but there's no way he's ever going to win another World Title.
Ric Flair- It's painful to watch Flair in the ring sometimes these days. It's a surprise he still has blood left in his body, because I can't count the number of times he's balded over the years. I would actually want Flair to stay out of the ring for good. At this point in his life, I think he's a lot better in a non wrestling role. Also, I would have a hard time getting excited for a Flair World Championship run.
Kevin Nash- Diesel received a huge pop at this year's Royal Rumble, but how much gas does Big Sexy have left in the tank? Sure, he can dye his hair black, and it might be cool to see him become Diesel again, but how long could Nash keep it up?
It's cool to see nostalgia fueled runs every now and then, but I think those days are gone for now. All of the active/part time veteran wrestlers have become old, and HBK decided to call it quits last year. When it comes to guys like Bret Hart and Kevin Nash, I think occasional and sporadic appearances are just fine, because small doses of nostalgia can be okay. I wouldn't want to see Flair or Hogan have another wrestling related nostalgia run, because they really don't need to win another World Title. It would just be overkill now. Both of them do a fine job in their non wrestling related roles, and there is no need for them to wrestle on a regular basis again.
What are your thoughts?
Nostalgia runs in pro wrestling can be fun, but are there any left? Let's take a look at the list of active big name veteran wrestlers:
Hulk Hogan- A lot of us probably saw the little bickering session between Hogan and Sting after the World Title match at Lockdown. Sting obviously wanted a piece of Hogan, but The Hulkster told the World Champion it will happen "on his time." Seeing Hogan take down HHH at Backlash 2002 might have been something special, but that was years ago. Hogan's back is in terrible shape. It'll be hard for him to work a watchable match, and would you really want to see Hogan become champion again? There is a chance Hogan could turn face again, but we've already seen the "Return Of Hulkamania!" storyline before.
Bret Hart- Seeing Hart win the US Title from The Miz was kind of cool. Bret's shocking return to the WWE was still pretty fresh, so it wasn't hard to root for The Hit Man. Although, Hart is up there in age, and his body is in bad shape, so he's very limited to what he can do in the ring. We might enjoy seeing Hart pop up on WWE programming every now and then, but there's no way he's ever going to win another World Title.
Ric Flair- It's painful to watch Flair in the ring sometimes these days. It's a surprise he still has blood left in his body, because I can't count the number of times he's balded over the years. I would actually want Flair to stay out of the ring for good. At this point in his life, I think he's a lot better in a non wrestling role. Also, I would have a hard time getting excited for a Flair World Championship run.
Kevin Nash- Diesel received a huge pop at this year's Royal Rumble, but how much gas does Big Sexy have left in the tank? Sure, he can dye his hair black, and it might be cool to see him become Diesel again, but how long could Nash keep it up?
It's cool to see nostalgia fueled runs every now and then, but I think those days are gone for now. All of the active/part time veteran wrestlers have become old, and HBK decided to call it quits last year. When it comes to guys like Bret Hart and Kevin Nash, I think occasional and sporadic appearances are just fine, because small doses of nostalgia can be okay. I wouldn't want to see Flair or Hogan have another wrestling related nostalgia run, because they really don't need to win another World Title. It would just be overkill now. Both of them do a fine job in their non wrestling related roles, and there is no need for them to wrestle on a regular basis again.
What are your thoughts?
