WWF Wrestlers Who Had a Bad 1996

WWF Wrestlers Who Had a Bad 1996
March 10, 2026
By Ryan Porzl

As I covered and is well known, 1995 was not a good year for the WWF. They reportedly lost money that year, business was down, creative was weak, some of their shows were among the worst in company history, and WCW began breathing down their neck with the debut of WCW Monday Nitro and the start of the Monday Night Wars. 1996, in some ways, was almost worse. The product would begin to turn around and it was certainly considered better but at the same time, WCW only got stronger and by the end of the year, there were legit fears on the WWF's future. However, the WWF itself wasn't the only thing to have a lousy 1996. In this article we'll look at ten wrestlers/teams who also had a bad year.

Note: I don't own any photos, credit to WWE or whomever own them.

Leif Cassidy (left) and Marty Jannetty (right)

10. The New Rockers- There is a saying in wrestling that goes something like anything, like a tag team, with "new" in it usually is destined to fail. The New Rockers was an interesting idea of giving direction to a WWF vet and a newcomer looking to gain traction while finding a winning gimmick. The New Rockers saw original Rocker Marty Jannetty paired up with the future Al Snow then named Leif Cassidy. Snow's name is probably all you need to know of the gimmick as it was a take on 70s teen idols Leif Garrett and David Cassidy. Another perhaps bad sign was Jannetty admitting he was reluctant to do the gimmick but agreed only to help Snow out. Despite the potential of the team and the talents of Jannetty and Cassidy, The New Rockers were set up to fail for many reasons. The first being that instead of making them the fun loving babyfaces of the original Rockers, the team were portrayed as dorky, out of touch heels. According to Jannetty, old partner Shawn Michaels was apparently to blame for this. Second was despite the teams potential and a weak tag team division, Jannetty and Cassidy were never given a chance to shine and were positioned as jobbers from the moment they debuted. From their arrival in February to their break up in December, the team almost never won and frequently lost to just about every team on the WWF roster, even the extremely stale and aging Bushwhackers. The team would have some here and there highlights including a win over the then unknown Hardy Boyz as well as matches at Summerslam 1996 and Survivor Series 1996 even challenging for the tag team championship in the former. Ultimately, the team lasted less than a year before Jannetty left the promotion in December. Cassidy would stick around throughout 1997 though with a serious edge to him before being sent to ECW where he finally found the winning gimmick that would see him enjoy success. Overall, Jannetty and Cassidy have had their share of success before or after The New Rockers but the time as a team was a waste of time for both.

9. Duke Droese- In some cases, Duke "The Dumpster" Droese is a legendary name in the WWF but it's for the wrong reasons. With the gimmick of a trash man, Droese is usually one of the first names people think of when they think of all time bad WWF/WWE gimmicks or the lowlights of the New Generation Era in the WWF. An example of how lackluster his run was is the fact 1996 was probably his most notable year and he still made this list. Droese began 1996 defeating Hunter Hearst Helmsley by DQ in the Royal Rumble 1996 pre show which earned him the #30 slot in the Rumble but he was quickly eliminated. Shortly afterward, Droese would continue his issues with Helmsley after Helmsley laid him out and cut his hair. This led to Droese's only non Royal Rumble PPV: In Your House VI on 2/18 but lost. While Droese got some live event wins, he would come up short on TV before it petered out. After that, not much to say as Droese never had another feud or Pay-Per-View. His only other notable thing was entering the 1996 Kuwait Cup but he lost in the first round to The British Bulldog. Droese would largely work as a prelim talent until leaving in July 1996. Droese didn't have the worst 96 but he did little, lost his only feud, and his hair.

8. The Ultimate Warrior- Warrior's lackluster 1996 return and run has been looked at and well documented. After over three and half years away from the WWF, Warrior famously made his return at Wrestlemania XII in March where he famously squashed Triple H in The Game's first Wrestlemania appearance, even getting up from the pedigree. The return was a nice way for Warrior to return but it was pretty much downhill after that. From there, Warrior feuded with Goldust which led to a disastrous worst match of the year candidate at In Your House VII: Good Friends, Better Enemies on 4/28 due to a lack of action cause of a knee injury to Goldust. From there, he had a mediocre feud with Jerry Lawler which led to another lackluster PPV match at King of the Ring 1996. To be fair, Warrior would have some underrated matches of his career during this time including a rematch with Goldust on the 5/27 RAW and with Owen Hart on the 7/8 RAW. Sadly, just as Warrior was heading back to the main event, he would be gone from WWF by early July after no-showing three live events. There's been conflicting reasons as to why Warrior no showed from supposedly mourning his father's passing to WWF committing breach of contract. Regardless, Warrior was gone after only three months back. Warrior is the first on this list that's more sad than bad. His 1996 return could've saw him return as a conquering hero who gets redemption and it is interesting to wonder what more he could've done if he didn't leave. While Warrior would get redemption in 2014 before his passing, it's sad people's last memory of him as a WWF wrestler was a short, mediocre run. that ended way too soon

7. Jim Neidhart (Who)- Jim Neidhart's career post Hart Foundation was a sad one. He had the talent, look, and charisma to at least have a good career following his legendary team with Bret Hart. Unfortunately, personal problems and demons dragged his career down and he wasn't able to shine as he could've. Neidhart is best known for his 1985-1992 run in the WWF and while most remember his brief returns in 1994 and 1997, those weren't the only years The Anvil attempted a WWF comeback. 1996 would be another year we saw Neidhart in a WWF ring although the circumstances were bizarre. Neidhart returned to the WWF in the summer of 1996 but unlike his other WWF runs, it wasn't as himself. Instead, he competed as a masked man named "Who". As Who, Neidhart wore a yellow mask, trunks, and boots while commentators would make "Who's On First?" jokes popularized by Abbott and Costello. Other than Vince needing a laugh at a time when he was getting his ass kicked every week by WCW, I fail to see what was the point. Ultimately, the Who character was stupid and waste of Neidhart's time as well as the WWF's and the viewers. The only plus (besides a few paychecks for Neidhart) was it didn't last long with Neidhart making a few appearances as a prelim talent before disappearing within three months. Oddly enough, Neidhart would wrestle a live event during this time as himself as he replaced Ahmed Johnson teaming with Sycho Sid against, ironically, brothers-in-law Owen Hart and The British Bulldog.

6. The 1-2-3 Kid- They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I think this picture best describes why The Kid is on this list than anything I could write but I add more. For several years, The Kid was the beloved underdog of the WWF who fans got behind and could pull an upset at any time. By the end of 95 and into 96, his character shifted to a weasel of a sell out having turned heel, betrayed Razor Ramon, and sold out to Ted Dibiase. Kid began 1996 fine by continuing his feud with Ramon while costing him the IC Title to Goldust at the Royal Rumble while entering his first Rumble. After that, it was downhill as the Ramon feud devolved into embarrassing garbage with The Kid taunting Ramon with baby products which famously culminated in a "Crybaby Match" at In Your House VI on 2/18. As the picture shows, loser had a wear a diaper and drink a bottle. Sure enough, The Kid lost and had to wear a diaper. The whole thing was bad and probably damaged Kid's credibility. Sure enough, this would be pretty much it for him as his only other highlight was teaming with Tatanka in a tournament for the vacant WWF Tag Team Championship which they lost in the quarterfinals. For the third year in a row, he would not compete at Wrestlemania and was pretty much a prelim talent from here on out losing to Shawn Michaels, Savio Vega, and newcomer Marc Mero. By May, The Kid would be sent to rehab which is why he did not participate with the rest of the Kliq in "The Curtain Call". By the summer, he would secure his release and make his way to WCW for a run.

5. TL Hopper- Like Duke Droese, TL Hopper is famous for one of the all time worst gimmicks and a lowlight on the New Generation Era. Hopper was Tony Anthony who originally achieved success in the Southern United States, mostly notably, for Jim Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling. After SMW shutdown, Cornette would get some of his guys work but Anthony would be repackaged as TL Hopper, a wrestling plumber. As Hopper, he would carry a plunger and use it to plunge his victim's faces. The character had no layer and no one can figure out why they were supposed to love him or hate him and why is he wrestling when plumbers make money. Hopper came in during the middle of 1996 and did next to nothing but prelim work as he rarely won, got no storyline or program, got no title shots, and wrestled on no Pay-Per-Views. Perhaps a big reason for him making this list is his only highlight was appearing at the preshow of Summerslam 1996 where they did a pool party segment which saw Hopper recreate Bill Murray's famous moment from the film Caddyshack with a Baby Ruth. When your biggest highlight is recreating a scene from a then 16 year old movie where people are supposed to mistake you of eating a candy bar with a piece of shit, your year sucks.

4. Razor Ramon II- You knew this was coming but are probably surprised I split fake Razor Ramon and fake Diesel but obviously, there's some more meat on the bone regarding Glen Jacobs over Rick Bognar and more to talk about so I separated them. By now the story is well known in wrestling as it is usually considered one of Vince's worst ideas. In case you don't, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were big players in the WWF for years as Razor Ramon and Diesel, respectively. However, in May 1996, both left for WCW where they formed the nWo with Hulk Hogan and the rest is history. Desperate, Vince decided to bring back the two popular characters only with new wrestlers portraying them. Razor Ramon II or "Fake" Razor was played by Canadian wrestler Rick Bognar who previously enjoyed success in Japan for promotions like FMW and WAR while, ironically, being a future member of nWo Japan in New Japan. Bognar's debut in the WWF on the 9/23 RAW is famous for many wrong reasons as it featured the beloved Jim Ross turning heel but the fans not biting it and then they proceeded to crap over "the return" of Razor Ramon when it became clear it wasn't Scott Hall. After arriving, the act was DOA as fans refused to accept Bognar as Ramon and he would largely be booed out of buildings. Along with this, Ramon II really wasn't giving much to do outside of team with Diesel II as they had no real storylines or feuds. It's also clear watching Ramon and Diesel that while the WWF still held out hope for Glen Jacobs and figured something was there, they seemed to give up on Bognar really quick. Though it was in 1997, their Royal Rumble performances seem to confirm that. The only highlight you could say was Ramon II did appear in two PPVs including Survivor Series 1996 (where he was pinned by a very aging Jimmy Snuka) and teamed with Diesel II to challenge for the Tag Team Championships at In Your House XII: It's Time. Razor Ramon II had no chance to work and Rick Bognar was put in a no win scenario.

3. Isaac Yankem DDS/Diesel II- Again, it's tempting to put Razor II and Diesel II together but cosplaying as Kevin Nash wasn't the only lowlight for Glen Jacobs. Jacobs began the year continuing to play his famously bad gimmick of evil dentist Isaac Yankem DDS so he stumbled out of the gate. Jacobs portrayed Yankem for the first half of 1996 where he did have some highlights as a prelim wrestler competing in the Royal Rumble but that would be the only 1996 PPV for Yankem. From there, he became a prelim guy losing to Jake Roberts in his televised RAW debut on 2/26, losing to Marc Mero in his debut match on the 4/1 RAW, losing to The Ultimate Warrior in Warrior's televised RAW debut on 4/29, and losing to The Undertaker in the first round of the Kuwait Cup tournament. By June, Jacobs would be taken off TV until the fall where he returned for a South African tour before he was repackaged as Diesel II. As I mentioned, despite getting some more love from management, Jacobs' run as "Big Daddy Cool" was a failure and the fans hated it from the start. The only highlights as Diesel II would be appearing at Survivor Series 1996 on 11/17 and challenging for the WWF Tag Team Championship at In Your House XII: It's Time on 12/15. As history would show, better days were coming for Jacobs as third time would be the charm as Kane but 1996 was brutal for the future "Big Red Machine" as he struck out not with one gimmick but two.

2. Hunter Hearst Helmsley- The future Triple H entered WWF in 1995 and it seemed clear big things were coming for him. He not only had the skill and drive to succeed but Vince loved him and he had powerful friends in the Kliq. He would make his Wrestlemania debut and win his first title in the WWF. So what happened? How did he have all of this and still not only make this list but place so high? Well, incidents involving wrestling legends and one faithful night in MSG would torpedo the future Game's 1996. Helmsley began 1996 fine getting opportunities on the live events facing Kliq buddies in Diesel and Razor Ramon. He lost to Duke Droese in the Royal Rumble 1996 preshow which meant he had to enter the Rumble at #1 but still made a big impression lasting around 40 minutes. Afterwards, he had the already mentioned feud with Droese which wasn't anything special but I guess it gave Helmsley something to do before the big one as he got a PPV win at In Your House VI. Then everything began to fall apart. On 3/31, Helmsley made his Wrestlemania debut at Wrestlemania XII. For a man who seemingly had everything going for him, it seemed like this would see Helmsley get a chance to showcase himself and likely win to set up big things for himself. Instead, he would famously be paired with the returning Ultimate Warrior which actually wasn't the worst thing in the world given Warrior was a legend but then Warrior would nix the original plans of a competitive 20 minute match as he felt he needed to have a big return so the result was Helmsley was squashed in less than 2 minutes with Warrior no selling his finishing move. After the match, Helmsley then began a program with newcomer Marc Mero which was fine and would keep him busy until he get the rocket put on his back in the summer. Then everything changed on 5/19. On May 19, 1996, the WWF would famously run a show at Madison Square Garden which is notable for featuring the final matches of Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall (losing to Helmsley) and Kevin "Diesel" Nash (losing to Shawn Michaels) before their famous jumps to WCW. Following the main event of Michaels defeating Diesel, Ramon and Helmsley would come to the ring and the four would have a curtain call to bid farewell to Ramon and Diesel. Unfortunately, Michaels and Ramon were babyfaces while Diesel and Helmsley were heels and wrestling still tried to maintain kayfabe or the illusion it was real. The result would be that many in the locker room as well as behind the scenes vets were infuriated by this act and demanded blood. Unfortunately, with Ramon and Diesel having left following the show and Michaels as the WWF Champion and top star the company was built around, they were bulletproof. However, the same wasn't true with Helmsley and he was left to take the punishment. As a result of this, the plans for Helmsley would be immediately cancelled. As is universally known, Helmsley was scheduled to win the King of the Ring tournament at King of the Ring 1996 while, according to Triple H years later, he would then begin a feud with Michaels for the WWF Championship but all that was jettisoned. Helmsley would spend about four months in the bottom making few TV appearances while losing most of them. He didn't compete for championships or appear on PPVs throughout June to September. Finally in October, Helmsley would be let out of the doghouse and would defeat Marc Mero for the WWF Intercontinental Championship on the 10/21 RAW with Mr. Perfect betraying Mero and siding with Helmsley. It looked like it was all uphill from here. However, more problems came. As mentioned, Helmsley was paired with Perfect as Vince wanted to pair Helmsley with a heater or manager to help him regain lost momentum. Unfortunately, less than three weeks after the alliance began, Perfect would have a fallen out with the WWF and abruptly left the promotion in November. While Helmsley would leave 1996 with the IC Title, he was struggling to get over with the crowd and nothing else was going his way. Again, better days were coming for Triple H but 1996 was a giant roadblock on Helmsley's path to stardom.

1. Yokozuna- Yeah, I think this was the most obvious choice for #1. Yoko making this list is like Warrior in that he didn't just have a bad year but he had a sad one. Beginning in his arrival in 1992, Yokozuna made waves in the WWF. A talented and agile superheavyweight, he rose to the ranks quickly, From 1992-1994, Yoko was easily among the top stars winning the WWF Championship twice, main eventing two Wrestlemanias, winning the championship from Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan, and being the man credited with running The Hulkster out of the WWF. Despite weight problems beginning to become an issue, Yoko still enjoyed success through the end of 1995 forming a successful tag team with Owen Hart with the two winning the WWF Tag Team Championship twice. Unfortunately, by 1996, the Yokozuna who tore through the WWF over the past three years was a shell of himself as his struggles with his weight were getting worse and worse throughout the year. By this point, the big man reportedly weighed as much as 660 pounds though many believe he got to the 700 pound mark. As a result, Yokozuna's in-ring worked declined. He lost his agility and his stamina while even coming off sloppy at times. The sad thing is that 1996 saw some interesting scenarios for Yoko including a babyface turn and a dream feud with the recently arrived Vader. Unfortunately, the WWF and Yoko were able to really explore that stuff as Yoko's performances were not only poor but the WWF would constantly take him off the road for a month or so at a time in a vain attempt to give him time off to lose weight but it never worked as he continued to balloon in weight. 1996 would also see Yoko in sad situations such as doing an injury angle on the 4/8 RAW where he was carried out in a forklift and at the Summerslam 1996 preshow on 8/18 losing to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin after breaking the top rope off while attempting to set up for the bonzai drop. However, Yoko would hit rock bottom at his last major appearance at Survivor Series 1996 on 11/17 when he struggled to get to the ring, barely wrestled, and when he did, he was sloppy and injured Vader. It would be enough for WWF to send him home indefinitely until he lost enough weight thus ending his year. Even sadder is that this was largely the last memory people had of Yokozuna as he never returned to the WWF due to getting released in 1998 after failing a physical by the New York State Athletic Commission. Despite assurances he be welcomed back if he lost enough weight and passed a physical, he never did before his early passing in 2000 at age 34. Yoko's 1996 was a man who rose to the top at lightning speed only to lose it all and be at his worst. Also, as mentioned, aside from the disastrous Heroes of Wrestling PPV in 1999, this was the last impression people had at a legend beloved by his peers and praised as one of wrestling's greatest big men.