WWE Hoping Return of Two Big Stars Draws Interest
While nothing is going to take the focus off of the tragic end of three lives that took place a short time ago, in the ring, the WWE is banking on the return of two superstars to draw some interest late in the summer and into the fall. Those two stars - Rey Mystero Jr. and HHH are both just a short time away from officially making it back into the ring after suffering injuries that kept them on the shelf for sometime.
HHH suffered a severe quad injury back in January at New Year's Revolution in a tag match as he and Shawn Michaels took on Randy Orton and Edge. A lot has changed in the company since the injury for HHH, as at first the plan was a comeback program between he and Edge. Then of course with the major injury to the Undertaker, the company moved Edge to SmackDown to win the World Heavyweight title. Then Shawn Michaels finally had to take time off for his knee injury, so the comeback of DX is back on hold as well. For now, the natural program for HHH is Randy Orton, but sources say that is not going to happen right away either.
Orton's stock has been rising since the hotel trashing in London awhile ago, and if he is on best behavior, he is truly the top heel the company has on RAW. So putting him in a losing angle with HHH would take away the heat he has been building up for sometime. Orton will go over Dusty Rhodes at the Great American Bash, creating even more heat. From there, the likely push will finally be a title program with John Cena, and again the early word is that Orton could win the title, then move onto a late fall/early winter program with HHH. Some say that the HHH-Orton feud could end up being the main event at WrestleMania 24 in Orlando, with HHH winning the strap from Orton. Funny when you look back at the fact that Orton-HHH was for a long time the scheduled main event for WrestleMania 21, that is until Orton's stock plunged and Dave Batista took the top spot and the main event.
Two guys that I could see getting a program right off the bat with HHH would be either King Booker or Mr.Kennedy. You have to put HHH in there with someone that has some heat, and while both these guys have it, they are not in the top heel status like Orton. Booker is the obvious choice of even these two, as they continue to want to keep Kennedy somewhat strong for a future face push that will someday result in him being the WWE Champion. HHH's first match back should be a decent draw as one of the many big matches built for August's SummerSlam in New Jersey.
As for Mystero, we have been getting advance material from the WWE that has him listed on the show for Great American Bash. If that is in a wrestling role is not 100 percent certain, but I would assume they could use the interest to get him in a match that he could shine in and win. He too is coming back from a leg injury - a knee injury, that has kept him out for the past few months. The early word had him right away in a program with Edge for the World Heavyweight Title, but for now that has been put on the back burner as it would have put the company in a position where either Mystero was losing right away, or Edge would be looking weak with DQ losses.
The Edge-Mystero program is likely to be a showcase match for SummerSlam, but for now, just like with HHH, Mystero will get into a lesser program, building him up for the bigger program with Edge down the road. Mystero is not in a position to get the belt back, as his time as the World Heavyweight Champion has passed, despite the fact that ratings were higher with the belt around him. WWE has been happy with the job Edge has done, and the plan there is for him to keep the belt as he battles the likes of Kane, Mystero, and eventually upon his return - the Undertaker.
