Who from the '90s could return to WWE?

[Charismatic Enigma]

With the likely return of the Headbangers on Smackdown this week, and the possibility of Goldberg in the near future, it has got me to thinking, who's left?

Unfortunately with so many guys from the New Generation/Attitude Era/WCW dead or retired, I wonder who is still out there that could come back for an Old School Raw, Royal Rumble, or something?

Now I realize, a lot of this has to do with drawing power, and while it may be possible to bring back certain people, of course the question would be how many would fans remember, or care, but with that in mind, here a few that I think might be fun...let's hear yours!

Ken Shamrock. With UFC having so many ties to WWE, and Ken still being in great shape, it could be fun to see him back for a one off, maybe do an angle where h's helping someone to prepare for a match with Lesnar?

Essa Rios His name value would be practically nothing now (maybe he'd fit better in Lucha Underground) but from what I understand he still wrestles in Mexico, and I always thought he was cool back in the day. Maybe do a segment with Lita to reintroduce him?

Kurt Angle This has got to be everyone's obvious pick. I'd like to see him work one HUGE match at a WrestleMania and retire. Don't wear him out, or water it down. Give him a solid 3 month build with someone, and then have it pay off in a huge match. I don't really want to see him and Lesnar again necessarily, but if that's what it is, I'll take it.

Val Venis Don't know what kinda shape he's in now, or that WWE wants to associate with him being so wrapped up in marijuana, but he could be fun, and was certainly a memorable character.

Glacier He never worked in WWE, but don't even tell me for a second with the full entrance with the blue lasers, the snow, etc. in front of the right crowd (maybe a Summerslam/WM NXT show similar to how Liger was used) that it couldn't be a great moment. A lot of us that were 10-20 years old at the time he debuted, would mark out huge to see him one more time.

 

[therockiswwf]

Beyond Rock and Angle, I don't see any true value in bringing anyone back from the 90s. Angle doesn't have long term value so unless there is a specific plan, I don't see any value.

Goldberg looks old. So I say no on him.

Shamrock tested positive for steroids in his last fight (or sometime recently). So his shape would drop in WWE. He isn't good enough on the mic to be a manager.

Essa Rios never had value to begin with. Even during the AE. I'm not sure he even speaks English. He may have been on Raw/SD around 25 times (according to profightdb). No one would remember him.

Val Venis wouldn't work in today's environment. His gimmick is a pornstar. Sponsors would not be happy with that.

Glacier was an extreme bomb. His entrance cost thousands each time (reportedly $10,000 per entrance). The setup for his entrance and his costume was around $400,000. The crowd did not react to him positively. They either were silent, booed him or chanted boring.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

With the likely return of the Headbangers on Smackdown this week, and the possibility of Goldberg in the near future, it has got me to thinking, who's left?

Unfortunately with so many guys from the New Generation/Attitude Era/WCW dead or retired, I wonder who is still out there that could come back for an Old School Raw, Royal Rumble, or something?

Now I realize, a lot of this has to do with drawing power, and while it may be possible to bring back certain people, of course the question would be how many would fans remember, or care, but with that in mind, here a few that I think might be fun...let's hear yours!

Ken Shamrock. With UFC having so many ties to WWE, and Ken still being in great shape, it could be fun to see him back for a one off, maybe do an angle where h's helping someone to prepare for a match with Lesnar?

Essa Rios His name value would be practically nothing now (maybe he'd fit better in Lucha Underground) but from what I understand he still wrestles in Mexico, and I always thought he was cool back in the day. Maybe do a segment with Lita to reintroduce him?

Kurt Angle This has got to be everyone's obvious pick. I'd like to see him work one HUGE match at a WrestleMania and retire. Don't wear him out, or water it down. Give him a solid 3 month build with someone, and then have it pay off in a huge match. I don't really want to see him and Lesnar again necessarily, but if that's what it is, I'll take it.

Val Venis Don't know what kinda shape he's in now, or that WWE wants to associate with him being so wrapped up in marijuana, but he could be fun, and was certainly a memorable character.

Glacier He never worked in WWE, but don't even tell me for a second with the full entrance with the blue lasers, the snow, etc. in front of the right crowd (maybe a Summerslam/WM NXT show similar to how Liger was used) that it couldn't be a great moment. A lot of us that were 10-20 years old at the time he debuted, would mark out huge to see him one more time.

I could see Shamrock as some sort of "coach" helping someone take on Lesnar for WrestleMania, or something along those lines, but definitely not for a wrestler. I mean, he's 52 years old and has a documented history of using steroids, which is something WWE wants to avoid. Shamrock was never that big of a draw in WWE and he's become something of a running joke in mixed martial arts now, so I doubt there'll be much crossover appeal. He's fought 16 fights since returning to MMA in 2000, he's only won 4 of them and he tested positive for steroids for one of the fights he won.

As far as Essa Rios, the guy's nothing here in the states. Most fans probably wouldn't have any idea who he was and he was ultimately upstaged by Lita in the first place. He's only 37, but he's barely been seen in the US since the early 2000s. There's little to no nostalgia to connect with him and he's probably better off where he is.

Angle is one of the few who could potentially make a return and have an impact. Angle's biggest problem is that injuries have really caught up to him the past several years, so whether he was medically cleared by WWE to compete is up in the air. I'd be more interested in seeing Angle fill the role of "coach" or whatever than Ken Shamrock. People in pro wrestling still love Angle, much more so than Shamrock.

Val Venis' character, to me, was really a good example of some of the crap that came out of the Attitude Era. Many fans always talk about Austin, Rock, Taker, Jericho, Foley, Angle, Triple H & a few handfuls of others and seem to want to apply how great they were to the Attitude Era entirely. Val Venis was little more than a comedy mid-carder who wasn't a draw 20 years ago and isn't one now.

Glacier was....well...I mean Glacier was a helluva lot of hype without anything remotely resembling a payoff. Basically, it was a rip off of the Mortal Kombat character Sub Zero. I remember reading that the production costs of his entrance was somewhere in the range of about $500,000 and that his "armor" was somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 grand. Glacier's also in his early 50s and he's someone that belongs with guys like the Shockmaster for worst gimmicks.

Realistically speaking, the only guys from the 90s that WWE could bring back that could potentially have an impact would be the likes of the Hardy Boys, Goldberg, Kurt Angle, the Steiner Brothers and maybe a few more.

 

[Navi]

I can't think of anyone from the 90's who would work today with the exception of Angle, and even then I'm not so sure.

You are talking about bringing someone back from almost 20 years ago. Most fans today if you look at the crowd, won't even know who they are. If a wrestler retired in the 90's for whatever reason and they were in their thirties, they would be in their fifties now. Look how well that works for Ric Flair these days.

There should be enough talent available on the roster and in NXT for them to do a better job with, but creative can't seem to keep either get creative or keep up. That's where your problem lies, they don't have to bring wrestlers back, they have to make what they have now look so outstanding that we don't want wrestlers from 20 years ago.

 

[wrestler36]

I could see Hardcore Holly coming back as a manager or mentor type character, like Bob Backlund. I could see him paired up with someone like Sami, trying to teach him to have an 'edge' or a mean streak if he wants to get to the next level.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

I can't think of anyone from the 90's who would work today with the exception of Angle, and even then I'm not so sure.

You are talking about bringing someone back from almost 20 years ago. Most fans today if you look at the crowd, won't even know who they are. If a wrestler retired in the 90's for whatever reason and they were in their thirties, they would be in their fifties now. Look how well that works for Ric Flair these days.

There should be enough talent available on the roster and in NXT for them to do a better job with, but creative can't seem to keep either get creative or keep up. That's where your problem lies, they don't have to bring wrestlers back, they have to make what they have now look so outstanding that we don't want wrestlers from 20 years ago.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking to upstage the current talent, I'm not even looking at these for anything long term, I'm talking one time appearances or short programs.

When I was a kid, if I found a figure of an old wrestler I'd never heard of in some old store's clearance section, or if I saw an old guy on a tape I rented, it was a thrill for me to discover a new (old) character. With the network having so much archival footage, Mattel making classic figures, the Hall Of Fame, etc. I think WWE does more now to acknowledge their history than they ever did when most of us were kids.

Doing something like this isn't to create a new star, it would just be a little nod to old school fans, and give an old guy a few minutes to relive his youth and get a paycheck.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

I could see Hardcore Holly coming back as a manager or mentor type character, like Bob Backlund. I could see him paired up with someone like Sami, trying to teach him to have an 'edge' or a mean streak if he wants to get to the next level.

Holly would be a great pick! I do wonder though if his book, didn't torch the bridge with WWE? It was a great read, but so far it seems the only guys that were able to get away with keeping it that real and still be welcomed back were Warrior and Bret.

 

[CrunKSinatrA]

"The Cat" Ernst Miller would be a great choice. Maybe he can do a thing w/ Shelton Benjamin and Brodus Clay since they're all united by that "Somebody Call My Momma" song.

"Screaming" Norman Smiley was always a favorite of mine. I guess hardcore is not part of WWE's PG rating, but he can still wear the football gear in matches against the Wyatt Family or Ascension.

Do Edge and Christian count as 90s stars? B/c they could totally be managers and have stables spanning the main roster and NXT.

Is Ralphus still alive? Jericho should do a reunion podcast if he is.

 

[Kyphael]

Tommy Dreamer? Rob Van Dam? Sabu? Steve Blackman? Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head who are in shape, though not sure about Sabu but I heard he still wrestled in the indy's. He kind of sucked at WWE's style, though. Al Snow is in shape but he's in TNA.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Shamrock is a good choice to train Shane if he does face Brock, but more likely it'd be "Team Money" and they'd get Mayweather AND Goldberg in... if they go cheaper, I could see it being Steve Blackman as well as he has some real history with Shane and is still a legit badass. I could see Shane putting a team together of ex-UFC guys like Severn, Shamrock, GSP and the like, kind of like the old Razor Ramon/NFL team back in the day.

WWE has done the "bring veterans back" for some time, it was Tatanka and Hacksaw previously and more likely now is we will see 2000's guys like Carlito etc. the problem is so many of the 90's are now decease or aging horribly.

The one name that is interesting is in fact Shawn... Why is he suddenly back and moving to Florida? Could it be that now the kids are grown up his marriage is done for example? Shawn back in the biz could only be leading to that one match for many people...

One gimmick I think would be great to bring back right now is The Patriot, building off the Trump BS (maybe even bringing Donald back in after he loses the election) have him Masked in the old Patriot style, facing all the guys like Thwagger and Cena and have him unmask as someone from NXT or a returning name. They can pull the old "different guys under the mask till the final reveal of the leader" ala Anonymous "We are all patriots". It'd be a less PG "We The People" and riff on that Anonymous gimmick (might also piss them off though).

I hear the Headbangers are back, so that is interesting - One name I'd love to see back is Harry Smith in his DBS Jr. gimmick, with Balor and Nakamura now on the roster, that could be a great return and give the UK fans their hero since they wouldn't let Barrett be that guy.

 

[OYDK]

I still think Booker T could be effective in a short program against somebody they're trying to build as a mega-heel. Baron Corbin for instance. All he would really have to do would be call Booker out as a has-been and taunt him for losing his balls and becoming an analyst. We used to see this type of stuff a lot back in the day but other than Lawler taking on The Miz, I can't remember the last time this angle was run. People still love Booker, and shit, at least it would give Baron something actually interesting to do.

Don't know if people would even remember him, but I would personally love to see the Ultimo Dragon come in as a one off. Maybe as a surprise partner for Kalisto or something along those lines.

Also, Taz... just because I want to see him back in WWE again. Doesn't even need to wrestle, maybe a Rumble spot and an appearance now and again, but I think he'd be a good tool to be able to use here and there.

 

[Razz]

Of course I would love to see Angle have one last run and HOF induction.

Goldberg if he is going to do one more match or a short run I'm ok with that.

Shamrock would be interesting for a HOF induction and possible match, they could have done a lot more with him in his prime but he is pretty beaten down and aged now.

If Headbangers can return, I would love to see the Smoking Gunns reunite even if for one night heh. I believe Bart Gunn could still wrestle. They had a good three year run their. Enjoyed that gimmick even though it seemed out of place by 96 like many others.

Al Snow appearing on WWE would be cool since he hasn't been there a long time. Even if he is hired as an agent. He can still go too. Same with Bob Holly.

Warlord and Barbarian purely for nostalgia. Coming out as Powers of Pain would be cool too.

Tito Santana, Legend who doesn't appear that ofter. I always though they should have done something with Los Matadores and him.

Rick Martel. Deserves more recognition from WWE and Hall of Fame. Don't know if they had a fallout or something.

Ahmed Johnson was pretty over for about 2 years. But I know he hates WWE and Vice Versa. Plus he was in bad shape when last seen in WCW. Would love to see him mend his fences with them for appearances and such.

Sadly a lot of stars from that time are deceased too early that I would love to have seen return/appear on WWE programming and get a legends deal or do cameos like Crush, Bam Bam Bigelow, Macho Man, Mr Perfect, Davey Boy, Hawk etc..

 

[jpickens]

Most of the stars of that era are
Too stoved up with injuries and can't compete
Wrestle for other companies that treat them better
Too drugged out
Or simply hate the company or are attempting to sue them.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

I would love to see the Smoking Gunns reunite even if for one night heh. I believe Bart Gunn could still wrestle. They had a good three year run their. Enjoyed that gimmick even though it seemed out of place by 96 like many others.

Al Snow appearing on WWE would be cool since he hasn't been there a long time. Even if he is hired as an agent. He can still go too. Same with Bob Holly.

Warlord and Barbarian purely for nostalgia. Coming out as Powers of Pain would be cool too.

Tito Santana, Legend who doesn't appear that ofter. I always though they should have done something with Los Matadores and him.

Rick Martel. Deserves more recognition from WWE and Hall of Fame. Don't know if they had a fallout or something.

Ahmed Johnson was pretty over for about 2 years. But I know he hates WWE and Vice Versa. Plus he was in bad shape when last seen in WCW. Would love to see him mend his fences with them for appearances and such.

These are all solid picks, I'm especially surprised Santana and Martel haven't done more, and those guys are really more '80s, so they're even older. But they are both known as being clean and good workers, so I feel like they definitely deserve an appearance at some point. It would be hilarious to do a segment with "The Model" Rick Martel coming in to give Tyler Breeze modeling advice, and have Tyler be repulsed by him because he's old.

 

[TDFG]

Not sure what the whole deal is with The Headbangers, it's been that long since they've been associated with WWE that hardly anyone would remember them and even towards the end of their run nobody really cared about them.

The 90's is now, unfortunately a long time ago, as others have said, many of the guys are either deceased, retired, banged up or have problems with WWE.

 

[LegendKiller97]

I was always shocked Ken never returned back to the WWE. His time in the octagon is over.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

If I was to bring back one 90's star other than previously mentioned (Hardy's, Angle), it would be Taka Michinoku.

He was a star in the ill-fated light heavyweight division, and could help provide veteran leadership in the upstart Cruiserweight division.