10 Wrestling Legends Whose WWE Returns Hurt Their Legacy
6. The British Bulldog
The British Bulldog was at the heart of some of WWE’s biggest storylines throughout the 1990s. Hugely popular in the United Kingdom (obviously), the Bulldog made history by defeating Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Title in SummerSlam 1992’s main event, and while he spent a lot of time in and out of the company, he was a highly effective heel from 1995-97, and accumulated a number of midcard title reigns throughout his career.
Bulldog’s final return came in 1999. Abandoning the “Rule Britannia” entrance music and the Union Jack-themed wrestling gear that helped make him famous, Bulldog appeared in jeans and started coming out to generic rock music. His identity stripped away, Bulldog became a faceless nobody.
He pursued the WWE Championship early on, but suddenly looked entirely out of his depth at the top of WWE’s card, and it was clear that his abilities had severely declined during his time away. Bulldog’s main event run went down like a lead balloon, and he was quickly punted down into the Hardcore Title division.
Bulldog became a Sunday Night Heat mainstay, but his late career was plagued by personal demons. Vince McMahon sent him to rehab, and Bulldog was eventually let go by the company in 2000.