This article is more than 6 years old.

WWE has made a habit out of bringing back former stars, and that trend will continue after WrestleMania 34.

Credit: WWE.com

Just in recent years, household names like Goldberg and the Hardy Boyz made their triumphant returns to the company that helped make them a star. Goldberg’s return worked wonders for WWE as the WCW icon proved to be a strong draw for the company, while the Hardys picked up right where they left off nearly a decade earlier as two of the most popular stars in all of pro wrestling. Other notable names who recently came back home include Shelton Benjamin, Drew McIntyre and Ethan Carter III.

All of the success these former stars have had both in and out of WWE has created a new philosophy for the company, one in which the door never seems to be completely closed for any former star, no matter how unlikely their returns might seem. Although most of the WrestleMania card is already set and there will not be much room for more stars to return in time for WWE’s biggest pay-per-view of the year, reports are circulating that indicate WWE could find itself with an influx of former stars after its flagship show.

Here are five major stars who are poised to return to WWE once WrestleMania 34 is in the books.

Bobby Lashley

Credit: ImpactWrestling.com

Though there has been no official confirmation from WWE or Bobby Lashley, the latest indication is that the former WWE and Impact Wrestling star is WWE bound.

According to Brad Shepard of BodySlam.net, Lashley “has agreed to terms with WWE” to return to the company. Last appearing for WWE in 2008, Lashley made quite the name for himself outside of WWE as one of the biggest stars in Impact Wrestling and a successful MMA fighter for Bellator. Lashley improved leaps and bounds during his time in Impact, and with that company releasing or not re-signing many of its top names as a cost-cutting measure, he became one of the most coveted free agents in pro wrestling.

According to the Wrestling Observer (h/t WrestlingInc), Lashley had discussions with New Japan Pro-Wrestling about a potential deal, but the belief is that he’s headed to WWE and could appear “at any moment” but has been discussed for a post-WrestleMania feud with Brock Lesnar. That would be a natural first rivalry for Lashley, who is arguably the only star in pro wrestling who can match “The Beast” in terms of size, skill and athletic background, and the speculation is that, especially if Lesnar leaves WWE, Lashley could essentially step in to fill his role.

Though Lashley never won the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship while in WWE, he did play a key role at WrestleMania 23 as Donald Trump’s representative in the “Battle of the Billionaires.” To this day, that PPV is the second most purchased event in WWE history, so perhaps WWE will indeed have a sizable draw in Lashley, who is now a very well-rounded talent that is capable of consistently main eventing for the biggest pro wrestling company in the world.

Hulk Hogan

Credit: WWE.com

Amidst rumors that Hulk Hogan could return for Raw 25 earlier this year, WWE issued the following statement to The Washington Post (h/t WrestlingInc): ”At this time, WWE remains committed to its decision,” referring to the decision not to utilize Hogan since he was fired by the company in 2015 after audiotapes surfaced of a racist rant by Hogan.

Notice how WWE phrased that? “At this time” is the key phrase here because it indicates that the company’s stance on Hogan could easily change in the future. In fact, there have been many signs that exactly that will happen while Hogan himself has even said that “I know Triple H would love to see me back. Indeed, the Wrestling Observer (h/t WrestlingInc) also reported last November that WWE was discussing a possible return for “The Hulkster.”

But even well before that, WWE had been paving the way for Hogan to come back. It wasn’t long after he was fired in 2015 that WWE added Hogan-related content back to the WWE Network, seemingly as a way of testing the waters in terms of fan reaction to the use of Hogan. Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com recently reported that “it’s just a matter of when a return happens” while Jim Ross has said that he “will be shocked” if Hogan doesn’t return at some point this year.

Will it be for a match? Probably not because there are doubts that Hogan’s body could handle that. But WWE is known for using former stars in ambassadorial roles, and Hogan, arguably the biggest name in pro wrestling history, is a prime candidate to work in such as a role should he return. No matter how unlikely that may seem, WWE has, in recent years, shown a tendency to forgive and forget when it comes to bringing back controversial figures, and just this week, the company recently released this statement to PWInsider.com about Hogan’s potential return as the site reported WWE was discussing bringing him back:

We have had discussions with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan) about how he can help others learn from his mistakes, however, he is not under any contract with WWE

If names like Goldberg, Bret Hart and Ultimate Warrior can return to WWE, then the company could certainly welcome back Hogan, even if it may hurt the company’s public image.

Batista

Credit: WWE.com

The door is open for a blockbuster return for Batista, and it appears to be a matter of when, not if, he comes back.

In late 2017, Batista told WWE announcer Jim Ross on The Ross Report (h/t USA Today) the following when asked about a potential WWE return:

The short answer to that is ‘yes, I would love to go back.’ But the reason I have not gone back is because I don’t want to do a one-off. I want to go and I want to wrestle, man. I want to do some house shows and I want to be a part of the program.

The one-off thing, the cheap pop thing, it doesn’t do anything for me. So now it’s a matter of scheduling if I could go back…I stay in touch, and I’ve talked to Vince recently, and he knows what I want. I’ve made it very clear that I wanted to go back and run a program with Hunter (Triple H). I’ve been very public about it. That’s the thing that would get me back.

In what is certainly a stark contrast to most other established veterans, Batista is more than willing to return to WWE as a full-timer who works both TV tapings and live events. Though Batista’s last WWE run, which ended in 2014, didn’t go quite as smoothly as WWE planned, things have changed substantially since then as he’s made quite the name for himself in Hollywood and would presumably bring more mainstream media attention with him this time around.

We all know WWE loves that, and with rumors abuzz that Lesnar could be gone soon and John Cena is reportedly set to take another lengthy hiatus after WrestleMania, WWE could be short on part-timers. Batista, who was a main character in the blockbuster hit Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (which amassed nearly $900 million at the box office worldwide), is a much bigger star than he was in 2014, which makes it all the more likely that WWE will want to capitalize on his fame and bring him back at some point.

Especially with Batista appearing to be more than willing to return, you have to wonder: Why wouldn’t WWE make it happen? After all, Batista reportedly rejected a 2018 Hall of Fame induction because he wants one last WWE run before being inducted.

Rey Mysterio

Credit: WWE.com

There has been a lot of confusion about Rey Mysterio and his status with WWE.

Although Mysterio has let it be known he’s open to a WWE return, a recent injury to his biceps may have delayed his potential comeback, which many still believe is inevitable. Mysterio was at one point rumored to be signing a WWE deal in order to face Cena at WrestleMania 34, but with WWE moving full steam ahead with Cena vs. The Undertaker, Mysterio vs. Cena is obviously out the window, at least for the time being.

Still, the raucous reaction Mysterio received in the 2018 Royal Rumble match opened the floodgates for discussions on a potential WWE return, and there appears to be just one hangup to a deal getting done. According to the Wrestling Observer (h/t WrestlingInc), Mysterio wants to work a part-time schedule, but WWE wants him back under a full-time deal. However, given how much buzz Mysterio’s Royal Rumble return created, it’s a safe bet that WWE could be willing to bend to Mysterio’s desire or at least meet somewhere in the middle in order to bring him back.

Mysterio, of course, would be a great addition to either Raw or SmackDown and potentially could be the saving grace of 205 Live, which is on the upswing again after falling off badly in 2017. Mysterio was recently pulled from an upcoming show for NJPW due to injury, but that also suggests he and WWE are extremely close to working out a new deal for him to return.

However, it does seem highly unlikely the deal will be as lucrative as the one Mysterio was reportedly pursuing late last year.

Chris Jericho

Credit: WWE.com

WWE recently announced its “Greatest Royal Rumble” will take place in Saudi Arabia next month, and the company is all in for the historic 50-man battle royal.

Already announced for the show are names like Triple H, John Cena and AJ Styles, and according to PWInsider (h/t SEScoops), Chris Jericho is also expected to be added to the event:

PWinsider.com is reporting that after the WWE contacted him to appear at the event, all signs point to him working the show. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on if this will be a one night return or the beginning of another run for him under the WWE banner.

Jericho is currently one of the most buzzworthy names in all of pro wrestling after his recent feud with Kenny Omega in NJPW that was a huge hit for the company. Jericho vs. Omega at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 12 event was seen as the main reason why the show was NJPW’s most financially successful event in 20 years as it featured a huge increase in both the number of NJPWWorld subscribers (more than 20,000) and attendees at the event (an increase of nearly 9,000).

That has made Jericho, at nearly 50 years old, one of the hottest free agents on the market, and with Y2J recently indicating that he’s done with NJPW for the time being, WWE is obviously interested in bringing him back for another appearance and perhaps another lengthy run. Jericho is known for signing short-term deals with WWE that allow him to come and go as he pleases, and his expected appearance at the Greatest Royal Rumble event could pave the way for him to do that again.

WWE could benefit greatly from the presence of the incredibly selfless Jericho, who has a great reputation as someone who is not afraid to put over other stars for the betterment of the company. Although Jericho does typically have a number of other projects outside the landscape of pro wrestling, look for WWE to make things work in order to bring back Y2J for more than just a one-off appearance.

Blake Oestriecher is an elementary school teacher by day and a sports writer by night. He’s a contributor to the Forbes @SportsMoneyBlog, where he primarily covers WWE. You can follow him on Twitter @BOestriecher.