10 Wrestling Legends Whose WWE Returns Hurt Their Legacy

Few things are more satisfying than an epic professional wrestling return.

The sport thrives on unpredictability, and the cast of characters isn’t always constant. Wrestling is extremely taxing on the participants, and while it might be a scripted sport, the physical and mental toll is very real. Wrestlers get hurt, run afoul of company policy, fall out with management, and get burned out, and sometimes, they need to take some time off.

Sometimes it lasts a couple of months, but big name wrestlers are often kept out of the limelight for years at a time. Whatever the circumstances, the right story, build, and timing can make a wrestler’s eventual comeback one of the most exciting things in the world, particularly when nobody sees it coming.

From Steve Austin’s shock appearance at Backlash 2000 to Triple H walking into Raw in January 2002 eight months after tearing his quad, countless wrestlers have reignited their careers by making a memorable comeback. Others? Not so much.

Not all comebacks are created equally, and sometimes, everyone flubs their lines. Nostalgia can be a powerful thing, but a wrestler’s legacy can be dealt immeasurable damage if they can’t live up to their old standards. Sadly, professional wrestlers often don’t know when to stay retired, and history is littered with those whose returns did more harm than good.

Here are 10 WWE legends whose ill-fated returns should serve as cautionary tales for Bill Goldberg.

Curt Hennig is rightly regarded as one of the best technical wrestlers of all-time. A tremendous heel and dominant Intercontinental Champion, he remains vastly underrated today. Boasting unparalleled technique, selling, and psychology, he was constantly held back through his mediocre microphone skills, but there wasn’t a wrestler in the world he couldn’t outclass in his prime. Some regard him as the greatest WWE wrestler to never win a world title, and it’s hard to argue with that.

Sadly, Mr. Perfect was far removed from his peak when he returned to WWE in the 2002 Royal Rumble. Entering at number 25, he lasted until the final three before being eliminated by Triple H, but his strong Rumble showing didn’t last. Hennig’s return was good for a quick nostalgia pop, and he got to wrestle Steve Austin a couple of times, but he always emerged the loser, and was soon shunted down the card.

Mr. Perfect’s declining abilities became more apparent with every passing week, and he quickly became little more than an enhancement worker. His role largely confined to Sunday Night Heat and Raw’s early stages, Hennig was eventually released in May, just four months after returning. After brawling with Brock Lesnar on the infamous Plane Ride from Hell, Mr. Perfect never worked for WWE again, and sadly passed away in February 2003.