10 DUMB WWE Signings (We Didn't Want To Admit Were GENIUS!)
4. Bob Backlund (1992)
Look at the absolute state of that shellsuit on Bobby Backlund above. The man looks like a PE teacher giving students an unwanted thumbs up when they moan about going outside to play football in the rain on a Monday morning. In short, Bob was anything but cool, and he clashed with the emerging 'New Generation' vibe.
The WWF brought Backlund back to apathy in 1992. His matches were boring, and it was puzzling to think that the goody-two-shoes babyface stylings of Bob would connect with a young audience watching Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels or other big names like The Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage.
Genius would have to wait, but oh boy was it ever worth waiting on.
Backlund's return led to an all-timer run as a delusional (and dangerous) veteran who wanted to tear down younger workers on the roster. Bob became WWF Champ again, and did so against all the odds. His surprise success gave credibility to claims that “anything can happen in the WWF”.
He was intelligent enough to realise how dreadfully uncool he was.