There's just a part of me that thinks since Rizzo is such a part of Steve, they wouldn't wanna recast him. Then again, Frankie Cordero ended up being Wembley so anything is possible. Also, Matt Vogel's son Jack assisted him with Kermit for this, as evidenced in the Muppet performer credits in this special.
Considering the bad blood between Steve and all the Muppet-related companies, there’s absolutely no reason to want to retire any of his characters out of respect to his departure.
Also, saying such a thing is just like saying they never should’ve recast Kermit because he was such a part of Jim.
Why bring him back for something like this if they aren't actively using him?
Exactly. I see things like this as a very good sign that Rizzo will appear on Muppets Now and with a new performer taking on the role to boot.
And considering how lousy Steve is when it comes to character development, I have no doubt that whoever takes over Rizzo will make him a better and more complex character than he ever was under Steve.
I think either Peter Linz or Frankie Cordero would be perfect to perform Rizzo.
Plus Rizzo is too popular and high profile a character to be retired anyway.