10 WWE Reunions That Ultimately Disappointed

You can never go back...

By Matt Davis /

The ending of last week's RAW revealed one of the worst-kept secrets in wrestling today: the trio of Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns, are expected to reunite as The Shield for the upcoming TLC Pay-Per-View. While it remains to be seen how this reunion will play out, it's not the first time WWE has opted to bring some of their more popular bands back together.

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Over the years, several WWE reunions have been well received and incredibly successful. Who can forget the Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth's emotional WrestleMania VII reunion that led to their on-screen wedding at SummerSlam '91? How about the short-lived but satisfying return of The Rockers in 2005? Or Evolution in 2014?

In pro-wrestling, nothing foreshadows an eventual reconciliation better than an explosive break-up. Unfortunately in WWE, not all reunions end happily. In fact, many wrestling homecomings, despite a momentary feeling of satisfaction, have left the audience disappointed before long. Hopes may have been high, anticipation at a fever pitch, but that didn't stop these 10 WWE reunions from ultimately disappointing.

10. New Age Outlaws

Starting off the list is one of the greatest tag teams in WWE history. After first splitting in the spring of '99, the duo reunited during the fall but unfortunately, the magic was gone.

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In one of the better "happy accidents" WWE Creative had ever made, the talents formerly known as "The Real Double J" Jesse James and Rockabilly were haphazardly paired together in late 1997, with no plans of importance. To the surprise of everyone, the two bonded and their organic chemistry propelled the New Age Outlaws to become one of the greatest tag team runs ever.

The Road Dogg Jesse James and Badd Ass Billy Gunn were so good together that fans didn't want them to split when each began competing for singles titles in early '99. When Gunn turned on James a month later, the two were then forced to continue their unimpressive solo careers.

Despite a King of the Ring championship and SummerSlam match with The Rock for Billy and multiple singles titles for James, WWE decided the whole was better than the sum of their parts. Less than six months after splitting. the New Age Outlaws were together once again but the damage had been done.

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