Being the most popular professional wrestling company in the world, a WWE run can change the course of a wrestler's career. But after attaining significant success and popularity, wrestlers could leave the company due to lackluster booking, gimmick, or various other reasons.
However, WWE has the tradition of bringing back Superstars from the past to give them a second run. Unfortunately, a second stint might not turn out to be always as successful as it did for Drew McIntyre or Bobby Lashley. Despite promising a big push, a second run in WWE has ended up being disastrous for a number of wrestlers.
9 Eva Marie
Eva Marie wasn't highly successful in her first run starting back in 2013. She had the look, but she was terrible in the ring, botching more than often. But as a star of Total Divas, Eva Marie was certainly one of the popular names of the roster in her first stint.
WWE brought her back for her second run in 2020. With the new Eva-Lution gimmick, she looked promising. But a majority of fans rejected the gimmick and within a year, WWE released her.
8 John Morrison
Coming to the scene from Tough Enough, John Morrison enjoyed a fair share of success in his first WWE run. Both as a singles star and tag-team wrestler, Morrison attained success. Besides the Tag Team Championship, he also won the Intercontinental Championship and the ECW World Championship in that run until deciding to leave the company in 2011.
WWE re-signed the high-flyer in 2019. Given his success in Lucha Underground, Impact Wrestling, and other promotions, fans were hoping that Morrison's second run would be outstanding. However, the reality was different and, he didn't have much success, except for winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with The Miz. WWE released Morrison in 2021.
7 Batista
Batista was certainly one of the important names of the Ruthless Aggression Era. He won the World Championship six times in his career. Also, he main-evented WrestleMania and had stupendous feuds with the likes of Triple H, John Cena, and The Undertaker.
Batista returned to the squared circle as a babyface in 2014. Although he won the Royal Rumble 2014, he was heavily jeered. He main-evented WrestleMania 30, but Daniel Bryan's Yes Movement took the spotlight away from him, and he failed to win the match. Overall, Batista's second run was a flop, as he wasn't over.
6 Mickie James
Mickie James' main roster career began as Trish Stratus' obsessed fan, but in terms of the number of women's title reigns, she came close to the latter. In her first WWE run, James made a lasting impression, winning the Women's Champions a record six times. WWE released James in 2010.
After thriving on the indies and TNA, James re-signed with WWE in 2016. While a myriad of people were expecting her to win the Women's Championship, it didn't happen. She became a sidekick to Alexa Bliss and later stayed in the lower-card before getting released in 2021.
5 The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn)
The popularity of The New Age Outlaws skyrocketed in the Attitude Era, which was their first run in WWE. With impressive merchandise sales, they were one of the well-known tag teams of the era. The duo won the Tag Team Championship multiple times.
More than a decade later, the duo returned to the company in 2012 and started wrestling regularly in 2013, embarking on their second run. While they won the WWE Tag Team Championship once during the time, it was overall an ordinary run. The former DX members were squashed by The Shield at WrestleMania 30.
4 Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio broke the stereotype booking in WWE. With a height of 5'6", Rey was one of the shortest wrestlers in WWE at a time when big guys dominated the industry. Despite his size, he became a main event-level Superstar in his first WWE run. He not only won Royal Rumble but also became a three-time World Champion.
Compared to his first run, his second run has been average so far. Rey has won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship and the United States Championship, but he has been a mid-carder since re-signing.
3 Kurt Angle
Regarded as one of the gifted in-ring performers to step foot in the squared circle, Kurt Angle made a great impact in his maiden WWE stint. He was one of the biggest names of the Attitude Era and Ruthless Aggression Era. He became a Grand Slam Champion in his first tenure, which ended in 2006.
More than a decade later, Angle returned to WWE, performing as a general manager and a wrestler. Due to his age, his speed, stamina, and overall performance in the ring dropped. Most matches during his second run were poor from Angle's standard. He even lost his retirement match to Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35.
2 D'Lo Brown
D'Lo Brown's first WWE run commenced in 1997. He was part of the faction Nation of Domination. He enjoyed a decent run in WWE, winning mid-card titles. He won the European Championship as well as the Intercontinental Championship. After a run of six years, WWE released him in 2003.
Brown came back to the company five years later, but he was used as a jobber. While he worked in dark matches, he made a handful of appearances on television before getting released in 2009.
1 Kevin Nash/ Diesel
Kevin Nash's first WWE run as Diesel made him a star in the New Generation Era. As Diesel, he won the WWE Championship once, but he eventually joined WCW, where he was highly successful as a member of nWo.
After WWE bought WCW and rehired him, Nash didn't wrestle as Diesel. However, Nash failed to replicate his success in WWE. His second run was a failure, owing to multiple injuries. Even though he had a World Heavyweight Championship feud with Triple H, he didn't capture the big gold.