CHEAP HEAT: ANOTHER BIG COMEBACK IN THE WWE

by Matt Loede, Let's Wrestle

The storyline for the WWE as they hit their peak three months of the year leading to WrestleMania 24 could be the return to the ring of three major superstars. We've already seen the return of Chris Jericho and John Bradshaw Layfield, aka JBL, but now sources are indicating that another former star is ready to make his return in a BIG way. Reports say that Paul Wight, otherwise known as The Big Show, is on his way back to a WWE ring near you.

Wight walked away from the WWE back in December of 2006 after holding the ECW Title and dropping it in one of the worst WWE PPV's ever - December to Dismember to Bobby Lashley. The following week in what ended up being his final match in the company he was beaten in a one-on-one match by Lashley. It was after that he walked away from the final two years of a 10-year contract that he signed to come over from WCW to WWF (at the time) in 1998.

The 400+ pound Wight left the company in bad shape. He was not only burned out upstairs, but also had numerous health concerns in terms of his weight as well as body parts that were just banged up and never got a shot to heal. The word going around now is that he is ready to go from a health standpoint, and that he is more than refreshed to be able to get back in the ring and give it 100 percent.

What impact Wight will have remains to be seen. For the most part of his career he has been used in the role of the late, great Hall of Famer - Andre the Giant. To be honest though, Show could not hold a candle to Andre's career, and by now those comparisons should be long gone. Show is what he is - a big man that can move and that has skills in the ring. He is not Andre, nor will he ever be, and the moment the company realizes that, the better off he will be.

The first thought about Paul's return is that they can push him into what would be an interesting WrestleMania storyline with Hulk Hogan. It was thrown around last year in Detroit to re-create that Hogan-Andre WrestleMania III storyline that Wight would come back to fight his good friend, but he never did, and then when things fell apart with Hogan, the whole idea was scrapped. Now, one year later, that match very well could take place.

Hogan seems to be on the verge of a match, and for sometime it was thought to be against the lumbering Ox - The Great Khali. But given a choice, there is no question that Hogan would rather work with Wight, his long-time friend and a guy he has always had the back of. The two actually did wrestle in August in a match in Memphis that was supposed to be Hogan and Jerry Lawler, but the WWE didn't allow Lawler to do it, so they pulled Show in to do the job to Hogan.

So with the Royal Rumble now less than two weeks away, look for there to be a spot kept open, and it very well could go to the returning Wight. If it does not, I would expect to see him in a ring within a week or two of the event with a role in getting ready for a push towards a Mania 24 match.

* The push for Jeff Hardy has gotten so over with the fans, there are some sources saying backstage that he deserves to beat Randy Orton for the WWE Title at the Rumble and for him to advance to a WM main event match. One thought is for him to go up against Triple H at Mania, as the two have had an on-and-off storyline that resulted in a match at Armageddon where Hardy beat HHH for the right to the title match with Orton at the Rumble. Hardy is quickly becoming the biggest fan favorite in the company, and the decision makers are well aware of it.

* Candice Michelle, who was feuding with women's champ Beth Phoenix, should be back in the ring in the next few weeks after breaking her collarbone in a nasty fall during a RAW match two months ago. Michelle fell on her head and knocked herself out after being knocked off the top rope during a match with Phoenix on the show. She is expected to possibly be pushed towards a Mania rematch with Phoenix, who has been feuding with Mickie James.

* The company teased a feud this past week on a rather awful episode of ECW - that being C.M. Punk vs Edge. The "Rated R Superstar" did an interview segment with Punk on the show, and after they got into it, later in the night Punk lost to Chavo Guerrero with Edge helping him get the win. Look for Punk to make his way to SmackDown in 2008, and possibly by late Summer start a program with Edge.

* A couple of WWE superstars walked down the aisle recently, as first Ken Kennedy (Mr.Kennedy) got married over the weekend, and then reports and pics showed up online of former champion John Cena getting hitched to long-time girlfriend Liz at somepoint in the past few days. Congrats to both Kennedy and Cena!