10 Wrestling Repeats That Just Didn't Work

Legendary pro wrestling manager Jim Cornette once stated that the industry he loves so much is cyclical. Everything can come back around again given time, almost like there's a soft reset button in wrestling.

Whilst this is true to an extent, things can also come across like pale imitations of what has come before when re-aired and handled poorly.

There's only a finite number of fresh ideas the creative minds can come up with, and once that well has run dry, it's only a matter of time before promotions rehash old concepts. 

Take WWE, for example The Authority storyline, which is simply a complete reprise of the old 'McMahon-Helmsley Regime' gimmick seen during the so-called Attitude Era. 

Even the power players - Triple H and Stephanie McMahon - are the same. The story has long-since run its natural course, but WWE want to squeeze even more mileage out of it. 

The Authority is not an isolated example when it comes to repeat attempts, as there are loads throughout WWE history.

Even companies like WCW and TNA have had their fair share of repeats, and they have rarely worked, either. Let's take a look at some of the worst offenders from all three organisations...

Since the passing of William 'Paul Bearer' Moody in 2013, the urn hasn't been part of The Undertaker's act. In truth, the object was rarely part of the gimmick from the late-1990's onwards, once Undertaker morphed into simply existing as a standalone character unlike any other. 

CM Punk was the last wrestler to gain possession of the urn, but he most certainly wasn't the first. 

Back in 1994-1995, members of the 'Million Dollar Corporation' were booked to steal the thing and thus apparently gain some sort of storyline power over The Undertaker. Ted DiBiase instructed the likes of IRS and Kama to get him that urn.

Unfortunately, the story normally fell flat. It also became somewhat comical at times, especially when Kama melted down the urn into a gold chain for himself!

Even armed with the topical passing of Bearer, Punk didn't have much chance with the plot point, because fans had never really shown interest in the idea to begin with.

Worse, some felt offended by the use of Bearer's death for the purposes of promoting a WrestleMania match.