Duggan returned to wrestling in WWE with an appearance at the 2012 Royal Rumble and entered the Royal Rumble match as the #19 entrant and was eliminated by Cody Rhodes. On the February 3, 2012 episode of "SmackDown", Duggan teamed with Santino Marella in a losing effort against the WWE Tag Team Champions Primo and Epico. On April 10, 2012, Duggan made an appearance on "SuperSmackDown LIVE: Blast from the Past", where he lost to Hunico by disqualification. Later that year, he appeared on the July 3 "SuperSmackDown LIVE: The Great American Bash" event, teaming with Sgt. Slaughter and Santino Marella to face Hunico, Camacho, and Drew McIntyre.