11 MORE WWE Returns That IMMEDIATELY Backfired
9. Jeff Jarrett (1997)
Armageddon could strike and Jeff Jarrett would not only survive but launch the MWWF (Mutant Wasteland Wrestling Federation) like he's in Fallout. He's one of wrestling's ever-presents. Just when you think 'Double J' is history, up he pops to remind everyone that there's life in the old dog yet. Typically, he does a lot of the same stuff, but Jeff fancied trying on something a bit different in 1997.
He re-debuted on the 20 October Raw in a shoot-style promo segment that saw him lambast WCW and Eric Bischoff for his year long run in the company. He'd previously walked out on the WWF in 1996, but had returned and vowed to become a headache to Vince McMahon. The promo was far from terrible, but it still missed its mark.
Fans just didn't see the cartoonish Jarrett as a main event tier worker, and that wasn't going to change even though he was blasting everyone from McMahon and Bret Hart to Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin. His shooting didn’t work; people didn't see Jeff on par with the stars he was verbally cutting down over the live mic.
McMahon's face behind the commentary desk said it all. The boss wore an expression that screamed: 'This is tanking before my very eyes'. Within months, Jarrett had joined the going nowhere NWA revival (which was presented as a stable on WWF television), and he was right back in the lower card mix all over again.
If this was a bid to elevate him to headline status as a straight shooter, then it had failed in a few short minutes.