5 WWE returns that just didn't work out
There are not many things better in WWE than seeing the return of a beloved superstar. You only have to look back to WrestleMania last year, to see how a return can be pulled off effectively.
With little prior warning, at WrestleMania 33, Matt and Jeff Hardy returned to the company, after nearly a decade away, shocking new fans, and giving the older audiences a wave of nostalgia.
To make things better, the brothers were integrated into a Tag Team Ladder match, a match they invented at WWF No Mercy 1999 (alongside Edge and Christian).
Nearly 20 years after that historic match, Matt and Jeff were able to prove why they are one of the most iconic tag teams ever, capturing the RAW Tag Team Championships in a match that featured The Bar, The Club and Enzo Amore and Big Cass.
Since then, the two have had individual success, with Matt teaming with Bray Wyatt on RAW, and Jeff Hardy capturing the United States Championship on SmackDown.
But sadly, not all returns can go as well as The Hardy's had last year, and here are 5 returns to WWE that just didn't pan out.
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#1 Rob Van Dam
Often cited as the greatest star to never be a World Champion, Rob Van Dam realized his dream at ECW One Night Stand 2006, when he won the WWE Championship from John Cena.
However, not long after, RVD would quickly lose the title, after it was revealed he was pulled over for possession of drugs, along with Sabu.
A risky superstar, Van Dam left WWE in 2007, making a one-off return at the 2009 Royal Rumble, before returning full-time, starting at Money In the Bank 2013.
Despite a hasty fling into the World Championship picture, his returned failed to set the world on fire, as Van Dam seemed like a third wheel in the feud between champion Alberto Del Rio and announcer Ricardo Rodriguez.
After a year or so, RVD was gone, never capturing a championship, and leaving fans wondering why he returned in the first place>