Which Former Star's Raw Return Would Make the Biggest Impact?

[ryan86]

There were several picks going through my head from HBK, Batista, Jericho, or even The Rock on a full-time basis.

There is one choice that stands out that would legitimately, in WM season, take Raw back to the 3.8 - 4.0 range and give it a ton of main-stream attention..

Now I know there are a lot of critics who say "Not even The Rock could do that". Well The Rock isnt a legit UFC 2 time heavyweight champ. And Brock was the UFC's biggest draw for a lot of PPV's. And he has very sucessfull ties with the WWE as a former top draw and heavyweight champ.

If he came back, if only for 3 months for the WM season, I think he could play the most sucessfull heel the WWE has seen since HHH. Their is so many avenues and possibilities that it's hard to find which might be the most sucessfull. Any of them would bring huge success.

I can garuntee you 3 thousand extra tickets would be sold per event with the heat surrounding this guy, along with 2-3 hundred thousand extra PPV buys.

Lesnar-Taker would outshine Rock-Cena

 

[brochester8]

In my mind I want to say Jericho because it'd change the main event scene around. Ofcourse the same with Batista but I don't see that happening. I really don't seek Rock or HBK coming back other than occasional appearances.

However, if not them I'd go with Ryback/Skip Shefield because were all expecting a big impact. I think if done right they could give him a dominant gimmick, something similiar to Lesnar and have him win the title pretty quick.

 

[Nickster12909]

EDGE

He could fued with christian, would be a great, maybe next year from Survivor series to WM, they would have an epic match at TLC, would be a great time filler at WM

 

[Masson26]

Lesnar would make a big impact, but its crazy to say anyone but The Rock would make the biggest Impact. Not only is he the biggest star in the history of the wrestling business, but hes one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. Also Kids love The Rock, and kids dont give a shit about Brock Lesnar, which makes a huge difference in ratings. Lesnar would bring back alot of smart mark fans (but lets be real, all those smart marks who claim they have stopped watching are lying through there teeth), but The Rock would bring back people from all areas.

Also Lesnar vs Taker could rival Rock vs Cena in match quality, but in star power, its not even a competition.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Brock Lesnar returning would probably garner a lot of outside media attention and I'm sure WWE could pop a huge rating for one or two episodes of Raw if Lesnar returned. People would tune in just out of sheer curiosity if nothing else, just to see what Lesnar was up to and what part he'd be playing. Vince McMahon wants huge buys for WrestleMania and out of all the guys that've been listed so far, along with The Rock, Brock Lesnar is the one with the best shot of helping to deliver.

HBK is great but we've been exposed to him quite a bit already. It'd be great to see him of course, but he's not gonna be pulling in huge ratings or jack up ppv buys.

Batista does little more right now than trash the WWE. He blames Cena for ending "hardcore, edgy wrestling" in his words, even though he'd sign with WWE again in a heartbeat if they were willing to give him the moon & stars. This is mostly assumption on my part, but Batista's problem isn't so much with WWE's PG rating as it is with his concern over losing his spot. Batista wasn't complaining about PG when he was main eventing WrestleManias and wrestling for World Championships. When you look at guys who have come up in WWE the past few years and/or currently on the rise like Sheamus, CM Punk The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan & Cody Rhodes; I could see why Batista might be nervous about that when you look at how much more talented those guys are than he's ever been. Take away Batista's looks and he doesn't really have all that much going for him. I don't think Batista would generate all that much interest quite frankly.

The Rock will never return to WWE on a full time basis. He's done everything worth doing already, he's making more money as an actor, his working conditions are safer and his career is back on the fast track once again.

Jericho coming back would be great. I'd love to see a program between him & CM Punk quite honestly, but I don't know how much interest it'd generate in the long run. Jericho is a fantastic all around pro wrestler, but he's never been a mega draw.

 

[IHW]

Any one would make some kind of impact on Raw.

Rock was back.... barley nudged the numbers.
HBK was there..... numbers were the same.
Nash returned.... numbers are the same.
Taker, Batista, or Jericho never really changed the numbers.

Sure, each guy has his set of fans that will pay just because he is in action. But that wouldn't change he numbers.

What the WWE needs is a guy who has been all over the media. Someone the fans and non-wrestling fans know about.

Sure, Jericho did Dancing with the Stars, Downfall, and has Fozzy. So he would be my second pick to give a little boost.

But i have to go with Brock Lesner. He has been out there for everyone to see or hear about. So if you want to have a big impact, Bring Brock to Raw.

 

[Jeff Hardy Rulez]

I know a lot of people will be against this, but I would love to see Jeff Hardy and maybe Matt return to WWE when they both get themselves sorted. There are many reasons this would be good for WWE but also a few reasons why it won't be a good thing

Good Points
Great fan base - No matter what The Hardys have done in the past, they have always had a fantastic following.
Increase in viewers - There's no doubt that since they left, especially Jeff in 2009 they have lost viewers.

The bad point is obvious with both their previous records with drugs, it may put WWE off.

 

[ComeonWWE]

Quite simply I think it depends on the writers right now. Quite frankly they suck! Personally they need to bring in some Heat! I know that it is not an option but they need Shane McMahon to fight for control of the company. They could really write some fantastic script for this, and I would volunteer to help, since they have no clue what the fan base really wants. He could come in with his group ready to take on Johnny Ace. That group could be great (Jericho, Edge in an non-wrestling role, HBK, Taker, Stone Cold, Sunny) Triple H would be the middle with no idea where to go. Stephanie could be GREAT with this, and there could be matches to fight for the company. Quite frankly WWE was it's best when Vince was getting the shit handed to him on a weekly basis. We saw a glimmer of possibilities this summer with CM Punk, but that has fizzled. American needs the big guy to fall, Occupy WWE, but not what they were trying to swing with the "Walk Out". It has to be Vince against someone, and my pick would be Shane. Every American out there would love to be given the opportunity to tell their boss to screw off, and all the fans would love and have proven they love to see Vince get his, Stone Cold became who he was because of the fans total dislike of their boss. We need this again. Ratings would increase with storylines. Stars come and go, but if the writers can not capitalize on scripts, NO ONE PERSON will be able to bring the ratings. A show is not followed by the stars, but by the ability to peak interest. How many TV stars have left and the show goes on, or a Proven star gets a new show and it gets cancelled. It's all about taking someone who has the ability and giving the supporting players the proper writing.

 

[justinept]

Brock Lesnar wouldn't budge the numbers nearly as much as people think. Not to say I wouldn't like to see him return, but most UFC fans don't respect the WWE product and have absolutely no use for it. To them, UFC is real fighting and WWE is pretend fighting. None of them would follow Brock Lesnar if he went back to the WWE.

So Brock's "star" does nothing but give the WWE some outside media attention. It doesn't really raise the buy-rates or the ratings.

As for The Rock. Someone suggested that The Rock returned and the numbers barely nudged. Check out the buy-rate for WrestleMania. When they release the buy-rate for Survivor Series, then check that out too. Neither ppv card was even remotely worth purchasing if not for the participation of The Rock.

 

[mdj2010]

Brock Lesnar wouldn't budge the numbers nearly as much as people think. Not to say I wouldn't like to see him return, but most UFC fans don't respect the WWE product and have absolutely no use for it. To them, UFC is real fighting and WWE is pretend fighting. None of them would follow Brock Lesnar if he went back to the WWE.

So Brock's "star" does nothing but give the WWE some outside media attention. It doesn't really raise the buy-rates or the ratings.

As for The Rock. Someone suggested that The Rock returned and the numbers barely nudged. Check out the buy-rate for WrestleMania. When they release the buy-rate for Survivor Series, then check that out too. Neither ppv card was even remotely worth purchasing if not for the participation of The Rock.

I do get your point here, but struggle to agree with it. I am a fan of professional wrestling and MMA and see them as different forms of entertainment altogether.

As far as Brock not improving buy-rates; the guy has been the biggest PPV draw of the past few years and would, as you note, create a lot of outside media interest. This always has the effect of inproving buy-rates. It is exactly what was achieved when the brought Tyson in and I believe would have a similar result with Lesnar today.

It is for this reason that I would consider a Lesnar return the biggest that could happen right now. The likes of HBK and Jericho are almost too recently gone. The return of both would do very little to improve buy-rates, although would certainly improve the quality of any PPV.

Lesnar has been gone for a good while and grown as a character and an athlete, in that time. Taking him from UFC would be a huge talking point and would certainly change the dynamics of the WWE for the better.

 

[CenaSux4Life78]

Who would make the biggest impact? Easy.....GILLBERG!!!!! No.....not really. I am just going to assume this is in regards to the 2012 promos. I am still holding that its Vince. It is just in time for the road to WM28 to kick off, and it could add an extra element to the Rock/Cena match. I see a heel turn for Cena, if only for a little while. He officially loses his mind after Vince returns, and gives Cena that pep talk only Vince can give. Cena joins up with Larengitus, and The Rock stands by Vince. Thus leading to WM28 for control over the WWE.

 

[King of the Words]

I would say Steve Austin's return to Raw would make the biggest impact. I could see him having a feud with punk up til Mania, and having a match for the WWE title. The only thing is that I don't think the Rock would be happy about this. He wants this to be HIS Wrestlemania and all eyes on him. If Austin returns for a feud with punk, it could lower the appeal of the Rock against Cena. So that would be my only hang up about Austin returning now. But, if next years Mania is in Texas I could definetly see Austin and Punk having a Main Event match on that card.

 

[TeamExtream97]

I think they should bring back two. Chirs jerciho. And...... Lita, Chirs jericho eould just dominate they sucker wreslers. bring back the hold days to me . And LITA beacuse the diva divsion sucks they should bring back someone who had the title and the fans would go crazy !! and i miss her that would be aswoome those will be more ratings . JUST SAYING !!!!!! Go lita !!!1

 

[dotty_84]

I honestly don't think any ex wrestler could pick up the ratings for even more than 2 episodes of Raw.

The only time WWE will get rating increase is having better storylines and have that consistant through the card. Also maybe not tying down wrestlers with a shoddy moveset. Well so i think, i don't even think that would help anymore with UFC and other MMA programming Wrestling has lost some of it's numbers forever i think.

I'd like to think i am wrong, but i don't think i am.

I never seen WWE with Brock so that woul dbe enjoyable for me.

 

[ryan86]

I think everyone here has put in some great points and each could be valid in their own respect.

Some are thinking in terms of pure wrestling. Others are thinking in terms of nastalgia. A few people have even mentioned bringing back certain "lower lever" stars for storyline entertainment.

Those are all great reasons to want a certain "star" to make their return to raw, but their is only one man that brings all of that togather, and adds in a 4th and 5th element (main stream attention ad legitimacy) and that is Brock Lesnar.

Think outside of just wrestling and personal nastalgia. Lesnar brings in the base, the casuals, and maybe a couple hundred thousand people who will watch RAW or Buy WM just because of his involvment. The same people that usualy would not give the WWE a second look.

I never spend my money on a UFC PPV but when Brock was on the card, I did.

Same in reverse for a lot of "outside" WWE people.

 

[dotty_84]

Brock could legitimately bring back the number but! only if the UFC fans came and watched WWE and stayed there...could i see that happening? no way. Lets face it since UFC took off WWE has even cut back on chokehold and sub missions which were part of the wrestling staple in most matches, intensity has gone, it's like WWE gave up on all that passion when they seen it for real in UFC.

You need to suspend belief to watch wrestling and the way WWE goes around these days it's cookie cutting crap compared to maybe a few years ago and this isn't due to the attitude that's nothing, WWE didn't just stop the attitude, they stopped much more the aura has gone.

 

[Meatsim009]

Hulk Hogan for sure we all know that Hogan = ratings. Just ask TNA.

Jokes aside, I'm not sure there is a magic bullet that will ever get ratings back to 3.0-4.0 over night. (Actually, it would be interesting to do a historical search whether there was ever a massive spike in viewership, and then stayed around that level for a few months or so).

A serious answer....hmmm....I would agree that Lesnar could probably spike numbers a little if promoted right, but imo it will never happen.

 

[Tattooed Jesus]

Stone Cold Steve Austin having one last run, for at least a couple months, would probably bring about the most boost any single star could. I still doubt that even SCSA would bring the ratings up out of the 3.2 range that they have been hanging around lately though. As shown by the last months worth of ratings numbers, people are just loosing interest in wrestling. The opening segment of RAW is drawing the highest ratings and then the numbers steadily decline from there. Even the episodes recently and from the summer with The Rock didn't get much higher than 3.7 I think, so I don't think any one superstar or group of superstars are going to be able solve the ratings problem. Wrestling as a whole needs a complete overhaul, something to really shake things up. With WWE being the only true big game in town though I don't see anything changing anytime soon.

 

[iguana_bob]

Quite simply I think it depends on the writers right now. Quite frankly they suck! Personally they need to bring in some Heat! I know that it is not an option but they need Shane McMahon to fight for control of the company. They could really write some fantastic script for this, and I would volunteer to help, since they have no clue what the fan base really wants. He could come in with his group ready to take on Johnny Ace. That group could be great (Jericho, Edge in an non-wrestling role, HBK, Taker, Stone Cold, Sunny) Triple H would be the middle with no idea where to go. Stephanie could be GREAT with this, and there could be matches to fight for the company. Quite frankly WWE was it's best when Vince was getting the shit handed to him on a weekly basis. We saw a glimmer of possibilities this summer with CM Punk, but that has fizzled. American needs the big guy to fall, Occupy WWE, but not what they were trying to swing with the "Walk Out". It has to be Vince against someone, and my pick would be Shane. Every American out there would love to be given the opportunity to tell their boss to screw off, and all the fans would love and have proven they love to see Vince get his, Stone Cold became who he was because of the fans total dislike of their boss. We need this again. Ratings would increase with storylines. Stars come and go, but if the writers can not capitalize on scripts, NO ONE PERSON will be able to bring the ratings. A show is not followed by the stars, but by the ability to peak interest. How many TV stars have left and the show goes on, or a Proven star gets a new show and it gets cancelled. It's all about taking someone who has the ability and giving the supporting players the proper writing.

I completly agree........change the writing create a good angle and you dont need anyone come back to save the company. I like the idea of the takeover, it has never been done well. Great thoughts here

 

[CyberPunk]

Quite simply I think it depends on the writers right now. Quite frankly they suck! Personally they need to bring in some Heat! I know that it is not an option but they need Shane McMahon to fight for control of the company. They could really write some fantastic script for this, and I would volunteer to help, since they have no clue what the fan base really wants. He could come in with his group ready to take on Johnny Ace. That group could be great (Jericho, Edge in an non-wrestling role, HBK, Taker, Stone Cold, Sunny) Triple H would be the middle with no idea where to go. Stephanie could be GREAT with this, and there could be matches to fight for the company. Quite frankly WWE was it's best when Vince was getting the shit handed to him on a weekly basis. We saw a glimmer of possibilities this summer with CM Punk, but that has fizzled. American needs the big guy to fall, Occupy WWE, but not what they were trying to swing with the "Walk Out". It has to be Vince against someone, and my pick would be Shane. Every American out there would love to be given the opportunity to tell their boss to screw off, and all the fans would love and have proven they love to see Vince get his, Stone Cold became who he was because of the fans total dislike of their boss. We need this again. Ratings would increase with storylines. Stars come and go, but if the writers can not capitalize on scripts, NO ONE PERSON will be able to bring the ratings. A show is not followed by the stars, but by the ability to peak interest. How many TV stars have left and the show goes on, or a Proven star gets a new show and it gets cancelled. It's all about taking someone who has the ability and giving the supporting players the proper writing.

Great idea!!! One person cannot bring much change. You need the writers to step up. You want people tuning in, you should give them a reason to tune in. One hot angle won't do it. The whole story would. Having said that, this is a good idea. Shane accompanied by some big former stars. Add some new blood who can do the wrestling part of the story on weekly basis (which will get them over as well, someone like Zack ryder). This will catch a lot of media attention. Even add Brock to Shane camp and then may be, just may be you can see some hot action over a period of time, both in terms of content and ratings.

 

[CKguy217]

EDGE

He could fued with christian, would be a great, maybe next year from Survivor series to WM, they would have an epic match at TLC, would be a great time filler at WM

Sorry, but Edge isn't coming back...at least to wrestle. He's got serious back/neck issues that one bad bump could paralyze or kill him. Too risky.

 

[Sheamus' Suntan]

Here is my prob with WWE; the target audience. Ive said this in posts before and I will now. The target audience has shifted which in turn has CHANGED the amount of viewers. We now have young kids and females being introduced to the product of WWE rather than teenagers.

I followed WWE from when I was about 12 and loved it. For me, Jericho, Lesnar, and a million other guys would make me rewatch for a bit. I think just about anyone on this forum would, but...realistically speaking, the kids today probably dont appreciate who these greats were and it WOULDNT improve ratings further than what they are for more than a show or 2. If the Rock and Stone Cold couldnt improve rates MASSIVELY...who can?

Lesnar was a beast, yes. But he isn't a hollywood film actor, he's a gritty cage fighter and as said before...UFC fans dont want to watch WWE because being honest, UFC is more real. We watch it cus we like storylines more than anything. WWE is a male centric soap opera.

So...one star wouldn't change a thing. A load of stars wouldnt change a thing. This is just the evolution of the sport...like Boxing. Boxing had its heights, its slowing down now, still going...but its been overtaken. Itll happen to UFC when the "new hot thing" comes out in 20 years or so.

 

[Chess]

The immortal one, the guy with the 24 inch pythons and a fantastic tonsure haircut. HULK HOGAN!

No matter how much we bitch about it he is still the biggest star in pro wrestling and would get pops everywhere. Have him return, take out John laryngitis and become the new GM or whatever they are calling him now. Hogan is the man to increase the numbers to epic proportions, just look what he has done for TNA.

 

[ChiefAlot]

Masson26. I dont think many little kids love the Rock. His movies and he as a wrestler are 2 way different personallities. His return was lame. Only that he wasnt there most of the time and a few of his rants went on too long Via Satalite. I think Ivan Putski would have a big impact. J/K. This one is tough But if he could finally get his shit together Scott Hall would be an amazing come back.

 

[studly_113]

How about Goldberg? He may or may not bring back some of the old WCW viewers.