Why didn't the previous EMs use the Golden Weapons?

The Weapons were left with Wu and Garmadon yet Wu gave them to the Ninja but not the previous Elemental Masters, not during the Serpentine War not against the Hands of Time. They were made to counter the Garmadon/Overlord/Oni but the Ninja mostly used them in S1 against the Snakes. In that case, why couldn't Ray, Libber, Hibernus, and Benton use the Weapons against the Anacondrai? I have a few ideas: Maybe the GW are like training wheels; outside of the Tornado of Creation the GW originally...