With the Royal Rumble in the past and the Elimination Chamber coming up around the corner, it won’t be long before WWE WrestleMania 42 takes place in Las Vegas in what promises to be another entertaining and entirely unpredictable two-night affair.
Adding to the excitement and intrigue around the Show of Shows is the possibility of twists and turns during the weekend itself or immediately afterwards on the episodes of Raw and SmackDown, which are usually the best of the year after ‘Mania concludes.
The biggest possible twists could be created by returning WWE legends and current superstars, either those returning from injury or returning to the company after stints with a certain rival wrestling promotion.
With WrestleMania 42 less than two months away, let’s take a look at the 10 biggest possible returns to WWE after the conclusion of the Show of Shows in the City of Sin (not to be confused with Avenged Sevenfold’s City of Evil).
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Although Stone Cold Steve Austin did return to WrestleMania last year by riding around in his ATV to a bunch of cheers, his last memorable WrestleMania moment was also the last time he was in a WWE ring.
Austin and Kevin Owens, the only current wrestler to get the blessing to use The Stunner, had an excellent feud and match at the Show of Shows, which was the Attitude Era legend’s first match in the company in nearly 20 years.
It may not have been a five-star instant classic, but Austin proved that he can still get the job done in the ring while putting on a match with storytelling and entertainment value well above the “par” set by the current main roster.
To boot, Austin, in his home state of Texas, made another appearance on Night Two, delivering Stunners to fan least-favorites Austin Theory and Vince McMahon, soaking up mor adulation from the Lone Star State faithful.
This year, there are rumors that Austin could return again this year for something more. He is already confirmed for an appearance at WWE World, thus fueling more speculation that he could have a match or a segment.
Imagine Austin returning fully after the Show of Shows for one last run or feud, perhaps with one of WWE’s top heels like Drew McIntyre and Gunther, who are in the process of legacy-building.
The Rock
The Rock has a lot of unfinished business with WWE judging by how last year’s WrestleMania ended. He tried to buy out Cody Rhodes’s soul, but he instead John Cena to perform the heel turn heard ’round the world during his retirement tour, viciously brutalizing Cody before taking the title from the American Nightmare at the Show of Shows that year…with more help from Travis Scott.
We inexplicably never heard from The Rock again, and although the WWE legend, as well as Scott, did plenty to sour a storyline that never seemed to have a real defined end point planned either – least of all for Cena – there’s a sense that the Brahma Bull could be back for more at WrestleMania 42.
Or maybe a reset after the Show of Shows could bring The Rock back in the fold to resume his high-octane feud with Cody…or, perhaps more compellingly, to work with a Cody now freshly turned heel on Rock’s family member Jacob Fatu – and ready to sell his soul to WWE’s former Corporate Champion.
The antics in the build-up to previous WrestleManias may have soured some members of the WWE fanbase on Rocky, but absence doth make the heart grow fonder. And how could WWE fans ever truly despise The Rock? He’s one great storyline away from universal praise.
Seth Rollins
The Architect of the Heist of the Century and, most recently, the Ruse of the Century, Seth Rollins was forced to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship he won from long-time nemesis CM Punk after legitimately injuring his shoulder at Crown Jewel in Perth in October, prematurely ending a title reign that figured to last into WrestleMania 42 at just around 80 total days.
WWE and Rollins have, once again, done an emphatically excellent job at keeping things on the hush-hush regarding his injury status, but there is a very real possibility Rollins could be ready to return any time now.
Fast-tracking his recovery is a bad idea, especially since Rollins is the company’s best workhorse wrestler and someone they need to stay healthy. Plus, with logical feud partner Bron Breakker out of commission after requiring surgery on a serious hernia, it makes sense for WWE to wait until after WrestleMania for the Architect’s triumphant return.
He will be a massive babyface when he gets back – and not just because fans will have missed him after all these months. Breakker and Paul Heyman turned on Rollins so cruelly on-screen, and Breakker’s beatdown was so savage that a healthy dose of comeuppance is in order.
Saraya
There are a number of high-profile WWE signings rumored to be in the pipeline, and one of the biggest gets would be AEW superstar Saraya, who wrestled for years in WWE as Paige, one of the most well-liked wrestlers in the company.
Paige did briefly return around late 2017, but she was forced to retire again after an injury near the end of the year in December at a house show. Her neck injuries had been well-documented to that point, and while that blow took her out of WWE, she was able to recover enough to wrestle again in the future…with AEW.
A one-time AEW Women’s World Champion, Saraya has been crucial in helping the talent in the division and in developing the brand’s Women’s Division as being arguably the world’s best at one point.
Now, Saraya seems poised to return to WWE under Triple H’s rule, and she will be out to prove that she is every bit as good as she was about a decade ago when she was one of the most important wrestlers in shaping the future of women’s wrestling.
If she does return after WrestleMania 42, a rivalry renewed with the legendary AJ Lee, who returned to WWE mere months ago, would be a dream, as would feuds with former “PCB” members Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch.
Kevin Owens
We haven’t seen Kevin Owens in a WWE ring since last year’s WrestleMania season, when he was initially supposed to battle Randy Orton at the Show of Shows but was replaced by Joe Hendry in an Open Challenge after he revealed he suffered a career-threatening neck injury that has put him on the shelf since.
Owens wrestled in two of the most brutal matches of 2025 to start the year. First, he and Cody Rhodes put on a scary Ladders Match at the Royal Rumble Pay Per View that was a legitimate show-stealer and deserves to not be forgotten in the annals of WWE history, even though it was a very uncomfortable watch.
That match set up one ostensibly last rivalry matchup between Owens and Sami Zayn in Toronto, Canada at the Elimination Chamber, as both best friends brawled throughout the arena in a fantastic Unsanctioned Match that, once again, showcased years of storytelling and nuance between these two lifelong wrestling rivals.
It’s anyone’s guess as to when Owens will return to WWE, if at all, but even if he can’t wrestle just yet, it would be wonderful to see Owens back on WWE television in some role. He is one of the most charismatic talkers in wrestling, by far, and he has been missed badly.
Chris Jericho
His former WrestleMania 30 rival, Chris Jericho has not been seen in a WWE ring since that very United States Championship match against Kevin Owens to end the best feud of that ‘Mania cycle – a story months in the making that featured one of the greatest segments in wrestling history, the Festival of Friendship.
Jericho left at that time due to creative issues with Vince McMahon and the company, which was understandable at the time, given WWE did not show the US Title feud sufficient respect, and they were also severely curtailing both Jericho’s ideas and the ideas of other wrestlers.
Well, Jericho went out and crushed it in NJPW before becoming the veteran fixture of AEW, setting the nascent wrestling promotion up for success as the inaugural World Champion without needing to win any subsequent titles.
There has been a lot of speculation regarding a Jericho return to WWE in 2026, and while he did not show up at the Royal Rumble as many had been speculating, it feels like it’s only a matter of time until Y2J is back in the company that suits him best.
Bianca Belair
WWE fans are waiting with baited breath for Bianca Belair to return from injury and face dominant SmackDown Women’s Champion Jade Cargill, and many were hoping for the EST of WWE to be ready for the Royal Rumble match as one of the favorites to win and face a world champion at the Show of Shows.
Instead, Belair was not cleared from breaking multiple fingers in her left hand during last year’s all-time WrestleMania classic with current tag champions Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky.
Still out and not one of the competitors at the Elimination Chamber this year, it feels like Belair won’t be competing at WrestleMania this year, which is a huge loss since she already has one of the greatest track records of ‘Mania classics in WWE history.
Belair will be back and better than ever, though, and there is no sense in rushing a tricky injury. After WWE pivot to a new direction for Cargill and SmackDown’s top prize, Belair will be ready to resume her feud with another one of WWE’s most imposing wrestlers.
John Cena
Obviously, John Cena just retired from in-ring competition, passing out in a poetic moment of peace as Gunther killed the biggest legend of them all – before going on to end Cena’s great rival AJ Styles’s career at the Royal Rumble just a month later.
So look, Cena isn’t going to be coming back to wrestle like the Undertaker or one of the many other wrestlers who ended their careers, only to return later (at least in Taker’s case, it was better he left with the Boneyard match, rather than that awful WrestleMania 30 encounter with Roman Reigns).
Cena shouldn’t go the cheap pop route by any means, but it is so hard to see someone like him leaving wrestling permanently. Like Batista, though, he does seem like someone who saw his wrestling story as a proper character arc and won’t want to ruin what he likely views as a perfect ending, regardless of what the average fan may have thought seeing him “give up” to Gunther.
No, but Cena could be back after WrestleMania 42 on Netflix to announce that he will have a different role in the company as an ambassador or in some sort of an advisory role backstage with sporadic on-screen appearances to continue his connection with both the artform and his audience.
Cena giving great advice to top wrestlers backstage and watching every single match from Gorilla whenever he is on the show has been well-documented, and there is no way he or WWE are going to let that wrestling knowledge go completely to waste.
Sheamus
It has been a while since we have all seen Sheamus on our screens, and that’s a real shame. Sheamus was an afterthought for a period of time, but as the years have gone on, the Celtic Warrior has, if anything, only gotten better and more popular.
His promos have been at their most entertaining they’ve been over the past few years, and it’s hard not to miss the light-hearted banter and the hard-hitting matches of the Brawling Brutes years.
Sheamus, though, has been out injured as well. He suffered a shoulder injury recently in November and had to be taken out of the Last Time Is Now tournament for the opportunity to face Cena in his retirement match (not that Sheamus would have won over Gunther, of course).
Updates on Sheamus have been sparse, so it’s anyone’s guess as to when he will return to WWE television. But he is a great candidate to make it back after WrestleMania 42 to a wave of cheers. He has already been missed.
Naomi
Like Bianca Belair, Naomi was involved in a brilliant storyline with Jade Cargill last year that led to Cargill returning at Elimination Chamber to attack Naomi, who was the one who originally attacked Cargill in the fabled Whodunnit storyline. Naomi turned heel for the first time in nearly 10 years then had a non-title women’s singles match with Cargill at WrestleMania for the first time in nearly 20.
The Florida native would go on to win the Money in the Bank contract and cash in for the title at Evolution after losing a No Holds Barred match to Cargill (with Bianca as the special guest referee). But a month later in August, Naomi would have to end her reign due to her pregnancy.
Naomi probably won’t be back to in-ring competition until late in 2026 or even 2027, and it’s really up to her when she is comfortable returning. But it is possible she returns after WrestleMania 42 to make a cameo appearance, though it is more likely for her to return several months after the Show of Shows.
Joe helped manage the pro wrestling site Daily DDT from 2017 to 2019. He has appeared in many wrestling podcasts and has had his work featured by mainstream media sites and professional wrestlers themselves. Joe also covers soccer, writing about Tottenham for Hotspur HQ, Real Madrid for A Trip to Cibeles, and general world football for The Trivela Effect.