8 Returns WWE Dropped The Ball On

6. Ricky Steamboat

Seth Rollins Extreme Rules 2016 return
WWE.com

Having made a huge name for himself in Jim Crockett Promotions, Ricky Steamboat wound up in the World Wrestling Federation in 1985. Taking on the nickname of The Dragon, Steamboat soon became one of the most popular stars in the company, and he was renowned for being one of the very best workers in the business.

After falling out with Vince McMahon for wanting time off to spend with his new-born son, Steamboat would return to NWA/WCW action in 1989 and have the greatest trilogy of all-time with Ric Flair as the pair battled for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

By the time February 1991 rolled around, The Dragon once again began appearing on WWF TV. A huge ‘get’ for the company, McMahon had managed to re-sign one of the top three wrestlers on the planet, whose stock had only risen since leaving the the company in ’89. And with the WWF slowly starting to see slightly smaller guys – Steamboat being 5’ 10” and 235 lbs – as genuine main event talents, this seemed like the perfect time for the New York-born Steamer to get a fair crack at being the top star in the company.

Bizarrely, this huge return wasn’t actually treated as a return at all.

Instead, WWF largely treated Ricky Steamboat like a new wrestler who had never performed for the company before. Added to this, the whole Dragon element was amped up to 11 as Steamboat was tasked with literally breathing fire as part of his entrance.

Unsurprisingly, Ricky quit barely six months into this second stint with the WWF - returning to WCW where'd have classics with Rick Rude, Steve Austin, and Ric Flair before retiring in 1994.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.