8 Best Second Act WWE Careers Ever

Bob Backlund was the prototypical all-American boy, a literal white meat babyface. He was all steak and no sizzle, an arrangement that proved problematic for the gimmick-friendly, post-Hogan WWF. He vanished from the national scene until 1992, and although his WWF return included a record-breaking Royal Rumble ring time, most fans seemed not to remember the man who held the WWF championship even longer than Hulk Hogan.

After losing a match to Bret Hart, Backlund lost his mind. This simultaneously rendered Backlund both a reviled heel and, well, interesting for literally the first time ever. Backlund's insanity would eventually lead him to a second WWF championship nearly a decade after his first, then basically unheard-of. Though he would lose the title to Diesel in 8 seconds, he would continue to entertain in feuds against Bret Hart and the kid from Home Improvement.

To his credit, Backlund never really tried to quietly slide back into boring babyfaceness after this, and even though he would eventually be embraced by fans, it was as his wonderful deranged self. He also became something of a wrestling meme, especially in TNA. There, he served as a guest judge for Kevin Nash's PCS, and was lured into a stand of trees where the Motor City Machine Guns tried their hand at pinning him in under 8 seconds.