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| Captured via Twitter... it's a wild Jericho! |
Matt Hardy: 100,000 to 1 - lol, yeah right
Bill Goldberg: 750 to 1 - Goldberg would've been a great get 10 years ago, and actually even then, his star power was fading. While it would be cool for the hardcore WCW holdovers, at this point, Goldberg in 2012 would be ultra-disappointing.
Brodus Clay: 500 to 1 - I really do think Big Brodus is going to debut tonight, he's not going to debut as the "It Begins" guy. It would be kinda convoluted to have him debut as the payoff to one series of vignettes after having a whole different series dedicated to him. It would be interesting and great trappings for a story, but I don't have faith that they'd actually have the foresight to pull it off.
Field: 250 to 1 - This includes everyone else not listed here, from folks from FCW like Antonio Cesaro and Seth Rollins, to indie mavens like Colt Cabana to other potential returnees like Paul London. There could be a curveball, but I doubt they'd do something this arcane within the home stretch to WrestleMania.
Brock Lesnar: 100 to 1 - This one is going to be the hot rumor going up and into tonight, and it's plausible on the shallow level. Lesnar ended his MMA career Friday after getting beat by Alistair Overeem. He's expressed interest in coming back to WWE. So he's coming back, right? Well, I think he might come back eventually, even by WrestleMania. However, I don't think he's the likely guy behind "It Begins". First, while he was planning on retiring from MMA for awhile, the scuttlebutt was that he'd only do it after he lost. There was always the chance he'd beat Overeem and continue on. So what would happen then? The build was being done regardless, and even if Vince McMahon and his crew allegedly fly by the seats of their pants, they don't do this kind of build hoping a guy gets beat and retires. Plus, there's the whole issue of negotiating his buyout from his no-compete. Seriously, he may be back in WWE, I hope he's back in WWE, but it probably won't be as the "It Begins" guy.
Dave Batista: 75 to 1 - Batista has also expressed interest in coming back (Lashley apparently wants back in too. Wow, what's with all these ex-MMA guys leaving to come back to wrestling? Hmmm...), and he left on a hot note. There are a few things working against him though. One, he's still not as big as he was when he left, so I'm not sure the interest would be there. Two, he's shot his mouth off pretty bad about the current product. Bridges in WWE never stay burnt, and while I think Batista coming back would be cool as shit, it seems too unlikely.
Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon as a package deal: 60 to 1 - The McMahon family is an egomaniacal clan. Of course, they'd do this whole thing just for a family feud. That being said, Shane seems to be a guy who's doing quite well for himself outside of the family umbrella. That being said, WWE is the family business, so there's a lure.
Steve Austin: 40 to 1 - Yes, the video oeuvre seems a bit too mystic and creepy for Austin's character. Still, if the rumors of the reveal coming during Punk/Ziggler tonight are true, then it makes the option of Stone Cold seem plausible. Of course, this is the Holy Grail of wrestling fans. Austin and Punk are natural rivals, and Stone Cold has said he wants to do at least one more match. Then again, would they have Austin's return match be the same event as Rocky's big main event? Doubtful.
Stephanie McMahon as an add-on for anyone else: 10 to 1 - One of the things about these videos has been the insistence of there being a woman by the returnee's side. For Taker, that's Michelle McCool. For Lesnar, that's Sable. For anyone else, it'd be kind of a toss-up. Steph has been working out and is in awesome shape. So if someone does come back without an obvious mate, Steph is there. I think there's a really good shot at this if the person coming back isn't someone with an obvious attache or if that attache isn't someone better, like, I don't know, LITA?
Chris Jericho: Even money - He's definitely been coming on a bit too strong with his denials on Twitter, and that's a huge sign that he's on his way back in some capacity. Both Jericho's debuts in WWF/E have come with grandiose anticipation. This would be par for the course. I don't know, it seems too obvious, yet at the same time too wishful.
Undertaker: 1 to 4 - It's the goddamn Undertaker. It's always the goddamn Undertaker. I mean, remember last year, when a small but vocal and influential contingent on the Internet convinced everyone it was Sting, and it was just for the goddamn Undertaker. I am going to vomit when this happens, but it just feels so inevitable.
