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It is not very often that wrestlers get a second chance in professional wrestling, especially after leaving or getting released from WWE. We have seen performers return to WWE and make a much bigger name for themselves, Drew McIntyre, Shawn Michaels and Brock Lesnar have all had great second runs in the company.
At WrestleMania 38, we saw The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes return to WWE for his second run. His return is highly anticipated and he has returned with a huge reputation and high expectations.
However, a lot of superstars failed to deliver on their second run. These stars either suffered due to bad booking or were released due to real-life controversies surrounding them.
Let's take a look at five superstars who could not make an impact on their second run in the WWE.
#5. Rob Van Dam had an underwhelming second run in WWE
RVD returned to WWE in 2013. Following his successful IMPACT Wrestling career, the veteran returned to Vince McMahon's company for a second run. Fans were excited to see Van Dam perform for the first time in a while.
However, his performance in the ring wasn't the same as in his initial years. Though RVD had a decent feud with Alberto Del Rio, this didn't help much as he couldn't cope with the new superstars and was soon dropped to the lower end of the card and released.
#4.The Dudley Boyz
The Dudley Boyz are one of the greatest tag teams in the history of professional wrestling. During their first run in the company between 2000 and 2004, they won 10 Tag Team Championships. The team left WWE in 2005.
The legendary team resolved their issues with WWE and decided to return to the company in 2015. The crowd gladly welcomed them as they were one of the fan favorites. They had decent feuds with teams like The Usos and New Day. However, they couldn't manage to replicate the success they had in their first run. They were released only a couple of years following their return.
#3. Mickie James
Mickie James is considered one of the greatest women's wrestlers in professional wrestling history. The veteran had five championship reigns during her first run in WWE between 2003 and 2010. She had a memorable storyline with Trish Stratus, which established her as the main event star in the company. After leaving the promotion, she went on to have a successful career in IMPACT Wrestling.
She returned to SmackDown in 2017 where she partnered with Alexa Bliss. During her second run she wasn't the Mickie James of 2003-2010. She was sidelined by new talent and was more of a mid-card superstar. James was later released in 2021.
#2. EC3
EC3's initial WWE career began in 2009, when he wrestled in the company's developmental territories. He then made his televised debut as a rookie in season four of NXT under the ring name Derrick Bateman.
The former NXT Superstar was released from the company in 2013 without making his main roster debut. EC3 then had a pretty successful career outside Vince McMahon's company. He returned to the company under the new name EC3 in 2018. The 39-year old wrestler had a decent NXT run which was followed by a rather disappointing main roster run before getting released in 2020.
#1. Alberto Del Rio
Alberto Del Rio had a pretty impressive first run in the company in which he won world championships, the Royal Rumble, and Money in The Bank. He gained both popularity and success in a short period. Del Rio was later released after an altercation with an employee backstage.
The former Royal Rumble winner returned to the company to answer John Cena's open challenge for the United States Championship at Hell in a Cell in 2015. His matches didn't seem to deliver and he was soon reduced to a mid-card superstar. Soon after returning to the company, Del Rio was released due to the controversy that followed him.
