Former Diva of the Year; Royal Rumble winner - 5 WWE Superstars who recently teased their return

WWE Superstars and Legends have come and gone throughout this great industry. We’ve seen it happen so many times over the decades of WWE’s existence.

Some of these wrestlers were fan favorites that people enjoyed seeing on their television screens, while others were shelved and released before they could get themselves over in the company.

However, there are several key stars that could return to WWE television either on a short-term, part-time, or full-time schedule.

Having these stars back on the main roster could bring some eyeballs back to WWE or draw interest in certain aspects of the men’s and women’s divisions.

With that said, let’s look at five WWE Superstars who recently teased their return.

#5. A former “Diva of the Year” has teased a return to the company

Current IMPACT Wrestling star Maria Kanellis has been with WWE for a couple of runs in the past. She won Diva of the Year at the 2009 Slammy Awards. Sadly, she never won a single Women’s Championship, but she did win the 24/7 Championship as part of a storyline.

She was released from the company in 2020 due to budget cuts alongside her husband, Mike Bennett.

Kanellis recently responded to a fan tweet asking if she would be interested in returning to the company for a third run now that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon are in charge. She replied:

“The wrestling world is wild right now. I always had a great working relationship with @TripleH and I know @RealMikeBennett liked his brief time in WWENXT. The right opportunity is always timing meets talent. If it’s the right time, then it’s the right time. WWE”

She is currently part of IMPACT as the manager/valet for the faction Honor No More.

#4. Former NXT World Champion could return for some unfinished business

Andrade could potentially be heading back to WWE in the future. He posted a tweet less than a week ago with a simple hourglass emoji. The meaning behind the tweet could be taken several ways, but most fans immediately feel that he’s counting down the remaining days of his AEW contract.

Andrade was a former US Champion and NXT Champion but was let go from the company due to budget cuts.

He is married to current WWE Superstar and former Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. If he were to return, an on-screen angle between the two would be ideal.

He again hinted with two more tweets, one with a countdown of "30 seconds" and another tweet that says, "Free El Idolo", further adding speculation that he's unhappy with the company.

Andrade is signed to AEW and is currently in charge of the Andrade Family Office faction.

#3. ECW Legend could return for one final run with the company

Rob Van Dam is an ECW legend and former world champion in multiple wrestling organizations. The 2021 WWE Hall of Fame inductee was interviewed by NBC Sports Boston as he spoke fondly about the organization and the option of returning there soon.

"That would be awesome, yeah. I feel like if they wanted me there, then I would be there. They would make it so that I would want to be there. So on the front, without having any, just being on the fence and not feeling hungry or either way, just whatever happens, like RVD is, I feel like that. I don’t know what they wanna do, what their plan is, what their agenda is for all their talent now. They seem like they want more normal-looking people that normal-looking people can relate to. I really don’t even know. It’s whatever, but you know I’m around, and I do have a legends deal with WWE." [H/T: Bleacher Report]

If RVD were to return to the company in some capacity, the dream matches he could have with the likes of Matt Riddle, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, etc. would be fantastic to see.

Mr. Monday Night has proven that he can still go in the ring and has a lot left in the tank to have one more run with the company before hanging up his boots.

#2. Former WWE Champion teases huge return at the Royal Rumble

Alberto Del Rio is a former United States and World Champion who has been out of the spotlight for a few years. Del Rio had some historic feuds with the likes of John Cena, Edge, Christian, and Rey Mysterio.

The former champion was recently interviewed by Sportskeeda Wrestling and spoke about the idea for a return to the organization at the 2023 Royal Rumble.

"We'll see amigo, this is one of the things I know they have, they have thrown my name out there. I know they have been talking about me and saying 'Hey, what if, what if, what if?' Well, let's please stop with what if and again, what people needs to be saying is 'Jesus Christ, look at this guy', he got s******, he got s****** by someone and he proved that those things that he was saying since day number one were real." (3:10 - 3:45)

You can check out the full interview in the video below:

Time will tell if we see him compete in the WWE ring. There’s no doubt that having Alberto Del Rio on the roster would be a good boost for the men’s division, as it's quite apparent that his love and passion for the wrestling industry has only grown stronger since we last saw him in the company.

#1. This former WWE Women’s Champion is ready to deliver some Stratusfaction

The former Women’s Champion and Hall of Famer has made sporadic appearances on RAW and SmackDown since her official retirement in 2007. Trish Stratus appeared a month ago on Monday Night RAW to confront Damage CTRL, planting seeds for an angle between her and Bayley down the road.

Trish was interviewed on the Ring the Belle podcast, where she spoke about her past experiences with the company and why she kept sporadically returning:

“I went back for the Royal Rumble, had a little taste. Then I went back for Evolution. Me and [Lita] tagging was perfect, we got to do our thing as partners because we love that and it was cool to come back in that capacity."

Trish also spoke about her SummerSlam (2019) match against Charlotte Flair:

"I wanted to see if I could go again and do a singles match. To get one of the best wrestlers of that time [Charlotte Flair] at that moment, perfect. I thought she was the best of her era. I’m the best of my era, some say. It would be something fans would like to see.” [H/T Wrestlezone]

Unfortunately, Stratus was sidelined with emergency surgery to have her appendix removed. She has recovered from the surgery and is doing fine.

She has been teasing on her Twitter page about a “secret project” and has tagged WWE in several pictures, which has drawn speculation that a full-time return with WWE could be imminent.