The Year Of The Lame Comeback

2006 saw the return of familiar wrestlers, factions, writers and even promotions. The big 2 companies in the U.S. turned back the clock to around 2000 when wrestling was on top of the entertainment world with the return of Sting, DX and even ECW to television.

Unfortunately for the promoters, none of these acts have been able to capitalize on their popularity from years ago. The interest was never sustained and all the comebacks fizzled out faster than you can say "rehash". This begs the question: does nostalgia work in 2006?

Sting, DX and ECW all made strong returns to pay-per-view. The interest was there at first and for ECW, their popularity was maintained with strong television numbers throughout the summer and fall. However, the longer all three of these acts have gone, the lesser their impact has been on business.

A major lesson Hulk Hogan has taught me is that comebacks are great when kept short. When Hogan came back in 2002 the plan was for him to job to The Rock at WrestleMania X8 and after that be used sparingly. The comeback was better received than even Vince could have hoped for and Hogan was quickly turned babyface and given the title in April. By June, the bloom was off the rose and suddenly the Hulkster defending the title against the Undertaker in 2002 didn’t seem as appetizing as it did three months prior.

As is WWE tradition, no one learns from their mistakes and DX has gone on to become the 2006 version of Hogan. The comeback was handled well at first. Hints were dropped from as far back as WrestleMania and the idea of these two guys coming back together to take down the new group of heels seemed good (even if it was the Spirit Squad).

However, the act has been used terribly since then. They have been overexposed by being used so much on television. Edge and Cena proved that they could carry "Raw" on their own. Therefore, the best use of DX would have been for them to be on television less often. The freshness would have been much more sustained and writers wouldn’t have had to come up with lame pranks for them to pull every week.

Sting has been used a little better than DX. He was not the focal point of television this year for TNA and his appearances did have more meaning. Bound For Glory seemed to have done strong pay-per-view business and is proof that nostalgia is best served in small doses. However, I would have rather seen Sting programmed with Samoa Joe instead of Jeff Jarrett. Much like DX, Jarrett is stale and a Joe-Sting program leading to Joe retiring Sting would have been more intriguing. With Sting apparently being re-signed, his drawing power will be lessened and any new program will not have the significance as it would have if done this year.

One of the many lessons UFC has taught us this year is that less definitely means more. Their top box office draws such as Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell do not appear on television every week and when they do appear, people will watch and many will pay top dollar. Although UFC doesn’t have a "Raw" or "SmackDown!" to book you, the concept of paying to see stars works. Maybe if people didn’t see DX wrestle every week for free, they would be more inclined to pay for it on pay-per-view.

There’s a reason why your high school reunion only happens every ten years. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Comebacks are a great draw, but their appeal wears thin if seen too often. Fans demand new characters and with so many hours of wrestling on television every week, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give some established acts a rest so that when they are used they will mean much more. However, when they are used, they need to be positioned with fresh talent as the 'past versus present' dynamic always seems to lead to box office appeal.

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