Jefferson Lake
WWE Editor @jeffersonlake
WWE Raw Reunion: Five curious returns as the legends prepare to come back
Last Updated: 22/07/19 1:06pm
Raw stages its latest nostalgia-soaked parade of legends on Monday night with some of the biggest names in the business scheduled to appear.
Attitude Era great 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin is joined by 1980s pioneer Hulk Hogan and the man many feel was the greatest in-ring talent of all time, Ric Flair, at the top of the bill for the show, at 1am on Sky Sports Arena.
The evening is certain to provide plenty of warm and fuzzy nostalgia and it will be interesting to see how the stars of yesteryear interact with today's favourites.
But away from the big names, there are some interesting additions to the RSVP list, and we take a look at five fascinating returns…
Eric Bischoff
Bischoff is, of course back (and maybe better than ever) as the Executive Director of SmackDown but he will be on screen at Raw, and it will be interesting to see how WWE present that.
One option would be to just have Bischoff among the 'parade of legends' whose role is traditionally limited to a walk-out to the stage area and wave to the crowd.
But that would feel like a real waste for a man whose return has sparked widespread interest in WWE; even if his role going forward is not going to be an on-screen one, it would be good to have him interact with, say, Shane McMahon in a hint of a future power struggle.
Kevin Nash and Scott Hall
Interestingly, the WWE press release regarding the Raw Reunion is billing this pair as Diesel and Razor Ramon, which suggests they will be in their original mid-1990s WWF gimmicks rather than in the black and white of the nWo.
Hall was part of the huge group of legends which controversially handed a beating to The Revival at Raw 25, an angle which was widely criticised as being damaging to a pair of emerging talents.
Such a strategy this week is likely to be similarly problematic, unless it's time for Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson to have their revenge?
Sid
The man known as both Sid Vicious and Sid Justice during his in-ring prime (and, of course, just simply Sid) was often a polarising figure for those both in the crowd and in the backstage areas.
He has only appeared twice on WWE television since 1997, his brief tangles with Heath Slater in 2012 punctuating an incredible 22-year absence.
Sid was always more closely associated with World Championship Wrestling but had some runs right at the very top of WWE and was presented as every inch the unique monster. It will be intriguing to see what happens with him on Monday night.
Rikishi
Rikishi is the real-life father of The Usos, the twin former tag-team champions - in fact they inducted him into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2015.
The 425lb former Headshrinker Fatu could provide some ballast to his offspring in their ongoing feud with Raw tag champions The Revival.
In response, the 'old school' champions have plenty to choose from on the list of returning greats to even the odds - Ted DiBiase or Sgt Slaughter anyone?
Santino Marella
A competitor whose WWE run was limited entirely to comedy, Santino Marella is the perfect fit to take R-Truth's 24/7 championship from him.
Even if it is only for the duration of the episode, there is still plenty of fun to be had with Marella, who was always entertaining and made the best of whatever he was given to work with.
The inclusion of Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco, both former Hardcore champions, suggest something may be planned for the 24/7 division on Monday night.
