5 Failed Return Runs by Popular WWE Superstars
Working for WWE is a dream for every professional wrestler in this world. However, it is not easy to keep WWE interested as every professional wrestler has to work his/her ass off to impress the WWE officials enough to lengthen their run with the company.
While there are some, like The Undertaker, Triple H, Kane, John Cena and Randy Orton, who have stayed with the company ever since their first appearance, others have not been as lucky. Others had to spend time fighting on independent circuits and other promotions for some time before finally catching to eye of their former employer again.
When Bobby Lashley made his return to WWE after a highly successful run with Impact Wrestling, everyone was expecting him to straight away walk into the main event scene and continue doing what he did during his first run - dominate. However, a string of lackluster feuds have led to him floundering without any real feuds only 6 months after his return.
The same has been the case with Shelton Benjamin and Mickie James, who very highly successful performers during their maiden tenure with the company but, despite early promises, have mostly been used as enhancement talents. Here are the 5 most prominent failed runs by highly popular and successful WWE superstars.
#5 Dudley Boyz (2015-2017)
If there is a tag team that has the right to be called the best tag team in the history of WWE, then, without any doubt, it is The Dudley Boyz. Along with The Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian, the duo of Bubba Ray and Devon revolutionized Tag Team wrestling with their impeccable matches over the three year period between 1999 and 2001.
Their matches at WrestleMania 2000, Summerslam 2000 and WrestleMania X-Seven are still rated as the best tag matches ever produced by WWE. In fact, no team has had more reigns with the tag team title under the WWE banner than them, as the two storyline brother had eight reigns with World Tag Team Titles and one reign each with WWE Tag Team Titles and WCW Tag Team Title, giving them a total of 10 reigns before their departure in 2005.
Basking on the success of WWE, the two not only won more tag titles all over the world but also enjoyed a healthy singles run in Impact Wrestling. The two made a nostalgic return to the company in 2015 and were straight away presented as contenders to the tag titles.
However, as soon as the nostalgia faded down, the two were part of worthless feuds and were presented as enhancement talents until they announced their retirements in 2017. The only plus point of their second run was their long due induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018.