10 DUMB WWE Returns (We Didn't Want To Admit Were GENIUS!)
1. Hulk Hogan (2002)
Hulk Hogan's final WCW year was stacked full of guff like a 'Yappapi Indian Strap' match vs. Ric Flair, walkouts, superhuman vision, and the infamous 'Fingerpoke Of Doom'. Well let me tell you something, brother: That didn't do much to create excitement for what Hulk returning to his old stomping grounds in the WWF would throw up.
The nWo arrived on federation screens in February 2002. Scott Hall quickly faded away, Kevin Nash struggled with injuries, and Hogan...became the last ever WWF Champion before everyone 'got the F out' and WWE became the norm. Where are creaking Anchorman memes about things escalating quickly when you need them?
WWF/WWE understood something that many just flat out didn't want to admit in '02. 'Hulkamania' still had merit, and people gagging at Hogan's latter-day WCW output were choking to see the red and yellow come home for one last hurrah. The merchandise sales alone for those 'Hulk STILL Rules' t-shirts must've been astronomical.
This was a very shrewd business decision that worked out for both parties, and don't let anybody tell you different.
Which other WWE returns looked silly but turned out to be genius moves? For more wrestling content, check out 10 Small WWE Character Tweaks That Became DISASTERS! and 50 Best WCW Moments Ever!