WWE: 5 Returns That Rocked And 5 That Fizzled

3. Rick Rude (1991)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PqV-ak6QmY Here€™s some carny nonsense at its finest: Rick Rude was feuding with Big Bossman in 1990 over contentious remarks made about the Bossman€™s mother. Rude got injured, but the WWF kept advertising him as the headliner for house shows for months afterwards anyways. Rude, quite reasonably, told Vince McMahon that if he was going to be advertised as being there, then he should also collect his share of the money taken in for that show. This didn€™t go over with the office very well, and Rude told them where to go before quitting in the fall of 1990. And then they continued to advertise him for house shows anyway, because VINCE MCMAHON. Revenge proved sweet for Rude, however, as he reappeared a year later in WCW after healing his injuries, debuting as the mysterious WCW Halloween Phantom at Halloween Havoc 91, thus immediately kickstarting a new chapter of his career as a main event heel. Not to mention leading the Dangerous Alliance into one of the best periods for a heel stable ever, beating Sting to win the US title, and eventually winning the NWA World title from Ric Flair to cap his career. Sadly, a neck injury in 1994 would end his career for good, but it was a heck of a reinvention and a grand loogie spit in the face of the WWF.
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Contributor

Scott Keith is a wrestling blogger and general smart-ass, residing at blogofdoom.com, aka Scott's Blog of Doom! Scott began slacking off in Computing Science classes in university, and discovered the wonderful world of writing online in 1993, and has never looked back since then. You may wish to purchase books by Scott on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS89P0