Angle, Goldberg, and Flair

The WWE seems to be in somewhat of a transition phase, as Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, and others have begun to make their mark on sports entertainment, but recent interviews fuel speculation that some stars could return to the company.

Kurt Angle is currently sidelined with an MCL injury that required surgery and there are rumors that he might not be resigned to TNA, considering the length of time he will need to recover and that TNA seems to be cutting costs anywhere possible. Angle's health and if he should still compete  has been a topic of debate since his departure from the WWE, but after a stint in rehab last year, it seemed as though Angle was doing better with his heath. Despite Angle's lengthy list of injuries, including a broken neck during his competition at the Olympics, he hasn't really had any extended time on the shelf until the most recent injury. You have to wonder, should Angle return to the ring at this point in his career? Obviously, Angle's health is more important than wrestling and hopefully, he makes the decision about his career based on what does the right thing for his health. There was some discussion about a possible return to the WWE, but considering his rocky departure from the promotion in 2006 and his subsequent problems, I doubt the company would resign him because of the potential health risks. That being said, it would be great to see Angle conclude his career in the WWE and despite his problems in recent years somewhat over shadowing his career, it should be noted that he accomplished more in just a few years than most competitors during an entire career. Angle recently returned to TNA in a mic role, which gives him a spot on TV while he's injured so it appears as though he will resign with the company when his current deal expires.

Former WCW and WWE World Heavyweight champion, Bill Goldberg become the subject of discussion after his recent appearance on the Jim Ross podcast when he said he had some preliminarily negotiations about a potential return to the company.  Some have linked the rather sudden talk of a WWE deal to the rumors of Sting and that might be the case, but I don't think Goldberg is trying to steal Sting's thunder. However, I think Goldberg would be more willing to discuss a WWE deal, simply because if Sting is willing to sign, after years of hesitation towards WWE, it could assure Goldberg that he will get a better deal after his rocky run in the company over a decade ago. Speaking of Goldberg's initial run in the company, it was rather lack luster for a variety of reasons, but he isn't really to blame for most of them. During Goldberg's major run in WCW that made him a star, he was booked to disguise his limited in ring ability and for key matches, he was booked with competitors that could make him look good in the ring or the matches were usually only about 5-8 minutes, which makes sense because it showcased Goldberg without exposing his lack of in ring ability. That's not a jab at Goldberg either because the presentation of the character in WCW was was what made him successful and considering that he only wrestled for a few years, it's a credit to his intensity that it made him the top star for WCW during the company's peak. However, when Goldberg was World Heavyweight champion in the WWE, he was booked as if he was going to carry competitors to good matches, which is something he never did in his career. Ultimately, the WWE didn't really highlight what made Goldberg a star while he wrestled for the company, but it could have been just a different philosophy for the WWE. Either way, it's somewhat understandable that Goldberg was soured on his WWE run and it would be interesting to see what angles he would be booked for if he resigned for the promotion. Will Goldberg actually return to the WWE? I doubt it, mostly because aside from a Ryback feud, what is there for Goldberg to do? A John Cena match could be an option, but with the shift toward a younger audience, how many of those fans actually watched Goldberg during the peak of his career? As I mentioned, Goldberg has name value, but does that really translate to star power for the current wrestling market?

Ric Flair made an appearance on Raw and hyped the WWE title match at Battle Ground, but there are rumors he could return to TV on a regular basis as a manager for his daughter, Charlotte. It certainly makes sense and it would be good to see Flair on the show, considering how obvious it is that he wants to be involved in the sports, despite his WWE retirement in 2008. It's tough for me to say this, but I actually think it would be better for Flair to be signed to a WWE deal again to protect him from the pitfalls after the spotlight fades, which seem to be a recurring situation for him since his retirement. Specifically, his financial problems that caused him to be the subject of a lawsuit on two different occasions from the merchandise company Highspots.com and ROH, both for Flair breaching his contract. That along with the infamous story that he was unable to pay his bar table while in TNA and it's disappointing that arguably the greatest pro wrestler of all time had such problems after his WWE departure. However, Flair's financial decisions are his own so ultimately, he's responsible for them. Some of the incidents surrounding Flair the past few years have somewhat tarnished his legacy, but a return to the WWE will maintain his status as a legend.

WWE Returns

It has certainly been an interesting few days for the WWE, as we saw a new WWE champion crowned, a few surprise returns, and an indication of the direction of the company, which could provide some intriguing TV in the next week months. John Cena won the title at MITB, which caused some of the usual criticism of Cena and the WWE booking style, but those that criticize doesn't seem to look at the grand scheme of things. Daniel Bryan, who was the most over performer going into the WWE's biggest show of the year, is injured indefinitely and the WWE stock price has tumbled the past few months so it makes sense that John Cena is the champion, Why? John Cena draws money and that's the bottom line for a publicly traded company, especially after the lack luster numbers reported for network subscriptions. Cena is far and away the top merchandise seller for the WWE and on top of that, he's a work horse for the promotion. Opinions on the Cena character can vary, but nobody can doubt his work ethic. Did Cena really need the title? I don't think so and the WWE might be better served if they put some fresh talent in the main event scene, but it's understandable that the WWE put the title on their most marketable star.

The Miz returned to the company after he filmed another movie and it seems as though it will influence his character, as he was somewhat repackaged with a Hollywood gimmick. The Miz, depending on perspective, could be considered a success story, as he was in the main event of Wrestlemania 27, but it's considered one of the lesser Wrestlemania events of the past few years. The Miz is a average at best in ring performer, but he generates a lot of heat from the crowd. However, there's a difference between heel heat and "change the channel heat" so to speak. Despite the criticism of Triple H, he gets the heel heat to help get an angle over with the crowd and it can help draw money for the storyline. The Miz, even as Wrestlemania main event heel, didn't really get the feud with Cena over and he was more of just an addition to help start the Cena/Rock feud. Considering that nobody thought The Miz would be a main event level performer, he did well for being an average talent, but he went from the main event of Wrestlemania 27 to less a prominent spot at the event the following year. Will the new gimmick rejuvenate his career? I doubt it because the initial presentation seems somewhat lame, but depending on what The Miz does storyline wise, it can be a decent gimmick.

Speaking of which, it appeared as though The Miz was set to start a Chris Jericho feud when Jericho made his surprise return to the company, but Bray Wyatt attacked Jericho during the segment. It was great TV because it was an unpredictable swerve, which is something the WWE needs more of, as it gives the show more of an "anything can happen" atmosphere. There's a lot of buzz around a potential Jericho/Wyatt feud and hopefully Jericho is back for a significant amount of time, as there could be some great mic work as well as matches, which could elevate Wyatt. I've said it before and I will say it again, Jericho is such a solid performer because when he returns, he can adapt to the current WWE product and he always makes his opponents look good in the ring. Don't get me wrong, I think Bray Wyatt has elevated his career during the past few months so it's not as though he needs Jericho to cover for him in the ring, but it certainly helps to work with such a great performer, especially if the WWE plans to showcase Wyatt further up the card in the future. Will Jericho put Wyatt over? Probably, but it doesn't do anything to damage his status, as Jericho doesn't have anything left to prove and he can still go in the ring so Wyatt will probably be a bigger star after the feud.

AJ Lee also made a surprise return and defeated Paige to win the Divas title again. In retrospect, Paige's sudden victory the night after Wrestlemania might have been just to let AJ drop the title before she took time off, but the scenario on Raw might actually benefit Paige. The British diva initially received a reaction with the surprising title win, but her character is somewhat bland and the crowd reaction has dwindled recently so a heel turn could freshen up her character. It will be interesting to see a possible AJ/Paige feud because AJ has good mic work and it could help Paige evolve as a competitor, instead of being a flash in the pan so to speak and being sent to NXT. That's the major risk when a competitor wins a title on their debut, if they start at a major spot, there's not really anywhere else for them to go so Paige's character development will be important during the next few weeks if she's going to remain on Raw. It should also be mentioned that the time off actually freshens things up for AJ as well and judging from the crowd reaction, she might not be a heel after the return to the company.