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Five Superstars Who Could Return To WWE In 2017

By Aaron Sass
Published on: 12:26 PST, Sep 5, 2016

Prior to the brand split in July, it had been reported that WWE was reaching out to a ton of former stars because they needed to fill both the Raw and SmackDown rosters with reliable, and recognizable names from the past. Since then, they’ve brought in guys like Jinder Mahal, Curt Hawkins, and Rhyno. So, it’s pretty safe to say that WWE fans have been quite underwhelmed with the names from the past that have been brought it.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, a lot of former stars were declining offers to rejoin WWE because the company was offering them far less money than they could have gotten elsewhere. On top of that, they weren’t going to be brought in to be main eventers, as they were just going to be used as enhancement talent.

Even though WWE wasn’t planning on bringing in any huge names following the brand split, there are still a ton of huge names out there who could come back in 2016, some of which are already affiliated with the company in some way.

  • The Undertaker

Following this past year’s WrestleMania, it was reported, by What Culture, that The Undertaker had told WWE chairman Vince McMahon that he had wrestled his last match. We haven’t seen “The Deadman” on WWE television since then, and if he decides to wrestle again, we probably won’t see him again until a few weeks before WrestleMania 33 takes place next spring.

After Undertaker was pulled from the European tour this past spring, there was a rumor that there was heat between “The Phenom” and WWE chairman Vince McMahon. But, nothing ever came out that confirmed that rumor, and it’s possible that The Undertaker, who is 51, is done with wrestling.

Of course, WWE fans will want to give “The Deadman” the sendoff that he deserves, which may convince him to come back for one more match next year.

  • Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy has spent the last couple of years in Impact Wrestling/TNA, but he’s made it quite clear that he wants to eventually leave TNA so he can finish his professional wrestling career in WWE.

Along with his brother Matt, Jeff has been the hottest superstar in TNA, and he would be quite a bit hotter if he were to return to WWE at some point next year as a singles star, or with Matt as the Hardy Boyz.

Jeff’s TNA contract expires in February of 2017, so there’s a chance that he could return to WWE just in time for WrestleMania 33.

  • Kurt Angle

A lot has changed in Kurt Angle’s life since he requested a release from WWE back in 2006. He’s cleaned up his life, and for the first time in a long time, it seems that the former Olympic gold medalist is in a good place.

Angle officially became a free agent at the beginning of this year, and he’s expressed his interest in returning to WWE, because, like Jeff Hardy, he wants to finish his career where it began. For a long time WWE wasn’t interested in bringing Angle back because of his well known issues, but, our “Olympic Hero” has said that he’s spoken with Triple H about a return, and that he could return to WWE at some point next year.

  • Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

The Rock has been a part of every WrestleMania since he returned to WWE in 2011. Of course, he’s only had significant matches at two of them, as he faced John Cena twice, once in 2012, and again in 2013.

There are a few reasons why The Rock hasn’t had a significant match at WrestleMania since 2013, but he’s been trying to work through those issues so he can return to the ring, and have a match that lasts longer than just a couple of seconds.

WWE has been pushing the idea of Triple H vs. The Rock since last year, and if “The People’s Champ” is able to work through the issues that are preventing his in-ring return, we could see that match take place at WrestleMania 33.

  • Goldberg

It’s been reported that Goldberg is in talks with WWE about a return, but so far, a deal hasn’t been made yet.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Goldberg was going to be a major part of the WWE 2K17 video game, which of course led fans to believe that he would be returning to WWE at some point. 2K, which is the company that produces WWE’s games, has taken advantage of all of the Goldberg return hype by pushing the idea of a match between the former WCW star and Brock Lesnar, with WWE’s blessing of course.

Goldberg made it clear during SummerSlam weekend that he wants to return to the ring, and he named Brock Lesnar and Undertaker as two guys that he wants to face upon his return.

[Image via WWE]

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