On the one hand, there's hardly a chance that Richie would return to a Bon Jovi that does NOT sell all that well anymore and would barely tour. On the other hand, Jon focusing on just studio work would allow him to work with his voice (i.e. not wreck it on tour, have all the time in the world to get a good vocal take in his home studio), and, you know, maybe bring in the two co-writers that made the band's greatest hits so special... if it's just a studio project, a certain former band member being "unreliable" is hardly a factor anymore.

I dunno. I dig 2020, and Blood in the Water is a great song, but everything is clouded by "how good would this be with a young JBJ vocal take" and "how good would this be with Richie doing backing vocals and the solo".