During a periscope session, Alberto El Patron (Alberto Del Rio in WWE) went on a drunken tangent about his former employers, specifically Triple H. With the road back to WWE looking extremely long for El Patron, it got me thinking about a few other disgruntled former WWE wrestlers. Here’s a list of wrestlers that are no longer signed to WWE that eventually will be.
Former WWE Wrestlers That Will Return
CJ Parker
CJ Parker, aka Juice Robinson, is the surest thing on this list. After being signed to WWE’s developmental between 2011-2015, Parker asked for his release to explore the indies. The split was amicable, and Parker/Robinson hasn’t said a single bad thing about his former employers.
Parker turned up in New Japan Pro Wrestling in the fall of 2015, and his work has only gotten better. He’s currently involved in a feud with Tetsuya Naito, one of the company’s biggest stars, for the Intercontinental Championship, the second biggest title in the company. He might not win the white belt, and he might never win a big championship with the company, but he’s proven himself to be a pretty good hand.
Now flash back to WWE, where Tye Dillenger, someone who spent his own eternity in developmental, has just debuted on SmackDown Live! With the brand split, both shows could use as much talent as possible. Parker would probably have to go back to NXT for a spell, but there’s no reason to think that he won’t eventually find his way back to the WWE.
Hulk Hogan
Let’s get one thing straight. Hulk Hogan isn’t going to wrestle for WWE ever again. The Hulkster is 63 years old, and as controversial as he is, he’s still synonymous with pro wrestling. It seems highly unlikely that Hulkamania won’t run wild in WWE at least one more time.
Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley deserves another run in the WWE, right? I mean, when you look at everything he’s done for Impact Wrestling, he’s an obvious choice. Could you imagine Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar? Lashley has been the closest thing that TNA has had to a bonafide main eventer in a long time. He’s talked about wanting a fight with Lesnar, and as long as WWE can make the schedule work, this reunion is destined to happen.
Cody Rhodes
This is where things start getting controversial. Cody Rhodes didn’t have the prettiest break-up with WWE, and at this point, the wrestling federation is still preventing him from using his own last name. However, that doesn’t mean that a reunion is impossible.
Rhodes wants to prove himself on the indies, and he’s been doing that. He’s proven that he can be a draw, and he’s been working all over the place. The grandson of a plummer has worked for Impact, Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and almost everyone else worth their salt.
He’s gone out and proved that he can be more than just another midcard guy, and that if he were to return, he could be someone the WWE could put in a main event angle. As for whether the WWE would take him back? It’s hardly a question. Those family ties run too deep, and too far back for Vince McMahon to say no.
CM Punk
Admit it, when you clicked on this article, this was the name you had in mind. After all, CM Punk is this generation’s Bret Hart. We remember him fondly or fairly, but most fans would like to see him in a WWE ring again. This is a tough one, because they had one of the ugliest break-ups in history, and are currently embroiled in a hideous lawsuit. To say that this reunion is happening soon would be asinine.
But you look at the people that have burned their bridges and returned. Kurt Angle, Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, the Ultimate Warrior, and many more have spat the WWE’s name, only to return down the road. It might take twenty years, but I have a feeling that Punk will return some day.
Alright, I said it. Feel free to bury me in the comments and to tell me all about how Punk will never, ever come back.
