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The first SmackDown of 2020 saw no less than 3 big returns to WWE TV - Sheamus, John Morrison, and The Usos all returned to the company, but none of them evoked the strong reaction from the crowd that we expected. The last major return pop that a returning superstar received might be what Matt and Jeff Hardy received when they made their return at Wrestlemania 33.
One return that would have gotten a spectacular reaction was that of CM Punk, but the fact that he returned on a show without a live audience robbed us of that moment. For all the noise that Punk makes that he is is signed to FOX and not the WWE, it seems likely that he will indeed step foot inside a WWE ring again.
This list takes a look at 5 underwhelming return pops in WWE history.
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#5 Rusev (RAW - September 16, 2019)
When Rusev made his return to WWE TV late last year, he did so on an episode of RAW which, probably not coincidentally, ended the Maria & Mike Kanellis pregnancy angle before it could get off the ground. Rusev would charge the ring and absolutely destroy Mike before becoming a regular fixture of RAW programming.
The return was unexpected, but the pop that the hugely popular innovator of 'Rusev Day' got was underwhelming. His eventual storyline has surprisingly earned him a good deal of support from live audiences, as WWE moved on from tormenting one real-life married couple (Mike & Maria) to another as Rusev found himself in yet another love triange, this time with his real life wife Lana, and Bobby Lashley.
The angle is still going on, with diminishing returns each week. Last week saw Liv Morgan added to the mix in yet another disappointing return to WWE TV.
#4 The Spirit Squad (SmackDown Live - October 4, 2016)
The Spirit Squad was never the most popular team in WWE despite a nice little run as Vince McMahon's goon squad in 2006. Among the members, only Nicky who went on to have a memorable WWE career, evolving in to Dolph Ziggler.
When Ziggler started a feud with The Miz over the Intercontinental Title in 2016, the Awesome One re-introduced Kenny and Mikey of the Spirit Squad to poke fun at Ziggler's previous persona. The Spirit Squad soon joined Miz against Ziggler, but they received a lukewarm response at best.
The duo scored some victories on WWE TV, even challenging SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions Rhyno and Heath Slater. People did not warm up to the Squad during this run, and their big return lasted just 2 months before both men were released.
They have recently popped back up in MLW under the same moniker - hopefully the duo does better there.
#3 Gangrel & Viscera (SmackDown - September 16, 2004)
Way back in 2004, when JBL was feuding with The Undertaker over the WWE Championship, the champion re-introduced two ghosts from Undertaker's past to aid him in his quest to retain his title. After begging off an attack on an episode of SmackDown, JBL turned it around when Gangrel and Viscera returned to take out The Undertaker.
The duo, former members of The Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness in 1999, had not been seen for a while. Both had some buzz earlier in their careers, with Viscera being a former King of the Ring winner (as Mabel) and Gangrel having led a popular faction called The Brood, which introduced Edge and Christian to the WWE Universe.
When Undertaker's former charges showed up on SmackDown in 2004, few in the crowd seemed to care -- they may not have even known who the men were. There was barely a reaction at all. It was more of a stunned silence, but not in a good way. The writing was on the wall as Gangrel quickly disappeared from television whereas Viscera was moved away from JBL's program with Undertaker, before going on to reinvent himself again as Big Daddy V for a succesfuly run on WWE's version of ECW.
#2 John Morrison (SmackDown - January 3, 2020)
AAA Mega Championship, Lucha Underground Championship, Impact Wrestling Championship - Just three of the world titles that John Morrison has won since leaving WWE in 2011. Morrison was expected to return to the company a much bigger star than he left, but his return on the first SmackDown of 2020 saw him firmly thrust back to the mid-card scene that he was originally a part of for his entire first run with WWE.
To add insult to injury, fans hardly popped when Morrison's face was shown on WWE TV - hardly the return JoMo would have hoped for.
Considering that WWE confirmed Morrison's return to the company a month before he actually appeared on television, they could have come up with a hundred better options than him opening the door to Miz's locker room to signal his return to the company. That type of return is reserved for a shocking introduction, not for someone who had already been on WWE produced TV a few weeks back.
WWE could have had promos hyping up Morrison's return and it may have fared better than what we got. Everything Morrison accomplished since leaving WWE may end up meaning nothing to him in regard to his current run in the company.
#1 Christian (ECW - February 10, 2009)
A decade ago, Christian experienced the same tepid reception that John Morrison got on his own return to WWE. Having established himself as a tag team legend and TLC match pioneer during his initial run with the company, Christian left in 2005 due to frustration over his singles career.
He went on to considerable success in TNA, capturing the NWA World Heavyweight Championship twice, getting the taste of the main event that he only flirted with during his time as a WWE Superstar. When he returned to WWE in 2009, fans were supposed to go wild, but in reality, they went mild.
The return happened on an episode of ECW in February 2009, and the crowd barely acknowledged his appearance. In addition to this, ECW commentator Todd Philips uttered his now infamous 'It's... It's Christian' to add to the lameness of the segment.
Captain Charisma did go on to have a strong singles run in WWE the second time around, winning the ECW and Intercontinental titles in addition to two World Heavyweight Championships.
