Vince McMahon has returned to power in WWE after being unanimously elected as Executive Chairman of the Board. His daughter and former co-CEO of the company, Stephanie McMahon, announced her resignation yesterday.
Triple H currently remains Chief Content Officer and has brought back several released superstars during his time at the helm of creative. Now that Vince has returned to the company, he may want to get back some familiar faces as WrestleMania 39 approaches.
Below are five WWE Superstars that Vince McMahon could bring back to the company.
#5. Vince McMahon could bring Goldberg back to WWE
.@Goldberg and @WWERomanReigns will engage in a battle of SPEARS as they go one-on-one for the #UniversalTitle in just 25 DAYS at #WrestleMania! pic.twitter.com/oUf14sviY2
— WWE India (@WWEIndia) March 12, 2020
Goldberg has not wrestled in WWE since his match against Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber in February 2022. The WCW legend has mainly been featured as a special attraction recently, and most of his matches have been for the title.
Vince McMahon may want to bring Goldberg back to the company to add another big name to WrestleMania 39's card. WWE's biggest show of the year is two nights now, so the more star power, the better.
Goldberg's contract reportedly expired at the end of last year, but the 56-year-old has not announced his retirement and is still in remarkable shape.
#4. Stone Cold Steve Austin
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon is the gift that keeps on giving!
— WWE on BT Sport (@btsportwwe) April 4, 2022
😂 😂 😂#WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/qZSjCV2CaE
Stone Cold Steve Austin showed up during both nights of WrestleMania 38 last year in Dallas and completely stole the show. The wrestling legend was scheduled for a KO Show segment in the main event of Night 1 with Kevin Owens. After Austin and Owens traded some words, a match broke out, and Stone Cold emerged victorious.
During Night 2 of WrestleMania 38, Pat McAfee picked up a victory over Austin Theory. The current United States Champion was Vince's protégé, and the 77-year-old hopped into the ring after the match. McMahon defeated McAfee in an impromptu match before The Rattlesnake made his way to the ring.
Stone Cold hit Vince McMahon with the worst Stunner of all time. VKM could bring Austin back because he proved he can still go in the ring and may want to attempt a redo on getting hit with a Stunner at WrestleMania 39.
#3. Lana
Perseverance is falling 19 times and succeeding the 20th.... #RoyalRumble #SDLIVE pic.twitter.com/dcZIVscJ0Q
— CJ Perry (@TheCJPerry) January 31, 2019
Lana spent several years with WWE before being released in June 2021. Since departing the company, she has appeared in several films under her real name, CJ Perry, and has launched a premium service for fans. However, Vince McMahon may be compelled to bring the 37-year-old back after she recently praised the company.
Speaking on "The Bailey Show," she revealed that she had earned more on her website than she did during her highest-paying WWE contract.
"If WWE were to call me tomorrow and be like, 'we want you back,' it's not about the money. I would shut the site down and go back because WWE is one of the greatest franchises in the world." [H/T: Wrestling Inc]
She then admitted that she would return to the promotion and close the site if the company called her tomorrow.
#2. Andrade El Idolo
BYE pic.twitter.com/eHhEpeBDpg
— “EL IDOLO” ANDRADE (@AndradeElIdolo) January 10, 2023
Andrade was released in March 2021 and joined All Elite Wrestling later that year. His time in AEW has been mostly forgettable, and he hasn't been seen on TV since he reportedly got into a brawl with former TNT Champion Sammy Guevara backstage.
The 33-year-old is married to current SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair. There doesn't seem to be much of a future in All Elite Wrestling for Andrade, and perhaps he will be released sometime down the line.
Vince McMahon could bring Andrade back and pair the former NXT Champion with The Queen on WWE television.
#1. CM Punk
#OnThisDayInWWE 10 years ago on #WWERaw: @TheRock and @CMPunk go head to head in a great, captivating 15 minute promo for their title match at Royal Rumble @bfg728 pic.twitter.com/z44qhPKN5K
— On This Day in WWE (@OTD_in_WWE) January 7, 2023
Disgruntled two-time former AEW Champion CM Punk may return to All Elite Wrestling, or he might become one of the biggest names in the free agent market.
CM Punk captured the AEW World Championship at All Out 2022 but got injured during the match. The former WWE Superstar went on a now-infamous rant that led to a brawl during the media scrum following All Out.
If CM Punk and All Elite Wrestling cannot work things out, a lot of money would be made if the 44-year-old were to return. Given Punk's dramatic past with the company, a return seems unlikely. Still, anything is possible if McMahon is trying to increase the value of the promotion before it is put up for sale.