Wilson returned to television on the February 26, 1996 episode of "Nitro" as The Renegade, in a losing effort to Lex Luger. Upon returning, Renegade's signature facepaint and singlet were replaced with trunks and tribal armbands. After wrestling sporadically at house shows, Renegade returned on the July 1 episode of "Nitro", where he teamed up with Joe Gomez and The Rock 'n' Roll Express in a losing effort to The Four Horsemen. After competing in the World War 3 battle royal, which was won by The Giant, Renegade formed a short-lived tag team with Joe Gomez in late 1996, though the team was not successful as they were relegated to being jobbers. After their team ended in early 1997, Renegade turned heel for the first time in his career during a match with Scotty Riggs on the March 22 episode of "Saturday Night", which he lost. Renegade remained a jobber while competing sporadically on "Nitro", "Thunder", and "Saturday Night". After a five-month hiatus, Renegade returned on the August 12 episode of "Saturday Night" in a losing effort to Super Caló. Renegade would remain utilized as a jobber throughout the rest of 1997 and 1998 (as well as being used for stunt double for the actual Ultimate Warrior during his 1998 WCW run) before wrestling the final match of his career on the December 7 episode of "Nitro", which he lost to Wrath. He was released from WCW soon after.