WWE Royal Rumble 2015: Most Controversial Moments in PPV's History

The Royal Rumble is an event that has been in existence for well over two decades and serves as the first stop on the Road to WrestleMania.

With a legacy of monumental moments and matches, it is only natural the Rumble has been home to some of the most controversial occurrences ever witnessed by the WWE Universe. 

Whether it was the Rock and the Corporation conspiring to screw Mankind out of the WWE Championship or Bret Hart and Lex Luger hitting the arena floor at the same time, thus becoming the first co-winners of the Royal Rumble match, the show has had its share of buzz-inducing moments.

As the company prepares to deliver the latest incarnation of the event, available on pay-per-view and via the WWE Network, get ready by taking this stroll down memory lane and revisiting the most controversial moments in Royal Rumble history.

9. Brock Lesnar Attacks Goldberg (2004)

When Goldberg entered the 2004 Royal Rumble at No. 30, all of the pieces appeared in place for him to steamroll the competition—as he had done so many times before—win the match and head to WrestleMania to challenge for the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship.

Instead, separate instances of backstage confrontations with Brock Lesnar proved his undoing.

Lesnar entered the Rumble match and planted Goldberg with an F5. From there, the former WCW mega star recovered just in time to be dumped over the top rope by Olympic gold-medalist Kurt Angle, ending the only opportunity for the iconic star to win one of WWE's signature bouts.

The moment would ignite a feud that resulted in one of the most surreal matches in WrestleMania history. Both on their way out the door, Goldberg and Lesnar were greeted with choruses of boos before working one of the worst bouts in the annals of the event.

Goldberg would win the match, getting revenge for the moment that robbed him of one last title run months earlier.

8. Edge Spears His Way to Victory (2011)

Credit: WWE.com

The World Heavyweight Championship match between Edge and Dolph Ziggler at Royal Rumble 2011 was the product of the bitterness of SmackDown general manager Vickie Guerrero, directed at former beau and Rated-R Superstar Edge.

Determined to take the title off of him, she positioned on-screen boy toy Dolph Ziggler as the No. 1 contender to the world title, then booked a stipulation stating that if Edge used his trademark finisher, the Spear, he would lose his title.

The Superstars had a phenomenal match to kick off the show, with dramatic near-falls and reversals keeping the fans on their feet. 

An unfortunate referee bump, coupled with a ringside brawl between Vickie and Kelly Kelly, created an opportunity for Edge to use his finisher. Despite being the top babyface on the SmackDown roster, Edge summoned his inner villain and took advantage of the situation, blasting Ziggler with the move and scoring a pinfall win.

Shortly thereafter, Edge would be stripped of the title by Guerrero, who rewarded it to her boyfriend.

He would hold it only a matter of minutes before Edge regained it on a memorable episode of SmackDown.

7. Not Again (2005)

Fans haunted by the booking decision to have Bret Hart and Lex Luger named co-winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble match were greeted with a bit of deja vu as they watched the closing moments of the 2005 bout.

Or so they thought.

Batista and John Cena were the two favorites to win the match and compete for either the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21.

As the Animal lifted Cena overhead for a powerbomb attempt, he lost his balance and both stars fell to the floor. The event came to a standstill. Unlike the show some 11 years earlier, it became clear this was not part of the plans.

Mr. McMahon, enraged over the botched finish, stomped his way to the ring, then took off running, tearing both quadriceps muscles in the process.

Sitting on the ground, pain undeniably shooting up his legs, he ordered the bout restarted.

Batista planted Cena and tossed him over the top rope, becoming the latest Superstar to earn a ticket to WrestleMania.

Both men would go on to capture gold at the Showcase of the Immortals, but their blunder at that year's Rumble event remains the butt of many a joke, thanks largely to McMahon's unfortunate injury.

6. Macho King Ruins Warrior's Title Reign (1991)

The co-main event of the 1991 Royal Rumble featured the Ultimate Warrior defending the WWE Championship against American turncoat and Iraqi sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter.

With an epic rematch between Warrior and Hulk Hogan appearing likely for WrestleMania VII, most figured the champion would run through the despised villain and roll into the biggest show of the year looking to make it 2-0 against the Hulkster.

That did not happen.

After denying "Macho King" Randy Savage's request for a title shot, via manager Queen Sherri, Warrior found himself on the receiving end of a vicious and violent assault at the hands of the former heavyweight champion during his battle with Slaughter.

Savage assaulted Warrior near the entrance, then blasted him with his scepter. That last shot allowed Slaughter to pin his opponent and capture the title.

Of course, Warrior and Savage would settle their differences in an iconic retirement match at WrestleMania, but that was not enough to erase the controversy surrounding the Royal Rumble title bout.

5. Hulk Hogan Costs Sid Justice the WWE Championship (1992)

By January 1992, Hulkamania was no longer running as wild as it once did. In fact, for the first time since ascending to the top of the industry eight years earlier, Hulk Hogan was experiencing a fan backlash as fresher, more exciting and interesting acts began infiltrating Vince McMahon's WWE.

The Undertaker, Ric Flair and Sid Justice were just a few of the stars capturing the attention and imagination of the audience. They were darker, more serious than the All-American superhero and were key in changing the tone of the product for a brief period of time in the early 1990s.

At the '92 Royal Rumble, the WWE Championship was on the line after being vacated amid controversial finishes to two Hogan-Undertaker title bouts.

Controversy would again reign supreme when Hogan was dumped over the top rope by Justice. Hogan proceeded to pull the big guy out of the ring, helping Flair to become champion and setting up one of the two WrestleMania VIII main events.

Fans jeered Hogan's actions, and rightfully so. The egomaniac lost and showed poor sportsmanship in the process. Of course, that would not stop McMahon from marketing him as the top babyface in the company, a lesson he has still not learned some 22 years later.

4. Mr. McMahon Win the Rumble (1999)

Fans of the Steve Austin-Mr. McMahon rivalry finally got to see the two do battle in an official match at the 1999 Royal Rumble, as Austin was named entrant No. 1 by the evil, corrupt owner of WWE and commissioner Shawn Michaels responded by naming McMahon the second entrant into the bout.

Despite catching a beating from the Corporation faction, being stretchered out of the arena and placed in the back of an ambulance, Austin stormed back into the match. He and McMahon would be the final two competitors in the bout and the boss would be unable to avoid the beating he deserved.

However, newly crowned WWE champion the Rock made his way to ringside, providing a brief distraction that forced Austin to take his eyes off of McMahon.

It proved to be his downfall as the boss recovered just in time to dump Austin and become the unlikely winner of the match.

Austin would get his revenge a month later, defeating McMahon in a Steel Cage match and earning his title shot against the Rock, but the images of McMahon celebrating with Jerry Brisco and Pat Patterson as if he had actually accomplished something to be proud of are etched in the minds of fans forever.

3. Mankind Says 'I Quit'...or Does He? (1999)

The WWE Championship match at the 1999 Royal Rumble pitted titleholder Mankind against the Rock in an "I Quit" match.

One of the toughest, most deranged stars in the history of WWE, Mankind had vowed prior to the match never to say the two words that would lose him the match. Unfortunately, he did just that in a pre-event promo during that evening's Sunday Night Heat, something that would come back to bite him.

During the match, he took tremendous punishment at the hands of the Rock, who desperately needed the violent and aggressive edge he developed over the series of matches with his masked rival.

Mankind was bludgeoned with over a dozen steel chair shots to the head, all unprotected thanks to the fact that his hands had been cuffed behind his back. Bloodied and seemingly unconscious, fans heard him say "I quit," bringing about the end of the match and his title reign.

In the weeks that followed, it would be revealed that Mankind was unable to speak due to his lack of consciousness and that the Corporation had aired audio of him speaking the words earlier in the night, giving the impression that he had said them.

The two went on to battle numerous times before Rock moved onto Steve Austin and a date at WrestleMania XV.

2. The Texas Rattlesnake Strikes the Hitman (1997)

The feud between Bret Hart and Steve Austin was a bright spot in an otherwise dim and dark close to 1996. By January's Royal Rumble, it had intensified to the point that—although Shawn Michaels was still very much positioned as the top star in the promotion—it was clearly the hottest rivalry in WWE.

When Hart and Austin finally met in the Rumble itself, it was the latest chapter in an ever-intensifying feud. When Austin was eliminated from the match, it appeared as though the Hitman would have the last laugh.

Unfortunately, Austin's feet hit the floor behind the official's back, allowing him to sneak back into the match, dump the remaining Superstars, including Hart, and win his first of three Rumble matches.

The win seemed to indicate Austin was in store for a huge main event push, but really, all it did was necessitate a Fatal 4-Way match at the February pay-per-view for the vacated WWE Championship.

Austin lost that match, but he was catapulted to stardom the following month with an all-time classic against Hart at WrestleMania 13.

1. Co-Winners of the Royal Rumble Match (1994)

Both Bret "Hitman" Hart and Lex Luger were surging babyfaces as 1994 got started.

The big question entering that year's Royal Rumble was, which Superstar would win the annual 30-man match and head to WrestleMania to challenge the mammoth—and seemingly unbeatable—Yokozuna for the WWE Championship?

As it turned out, even Vince McMahon himself could not make up his mind, booking a finish that saw both Hart and Luger tumble over the top rope and to the arena floor at the same time. Referees argued among themselves as to who hit first and which Superstar would get the distinction of challenging for the title.

Eventually, President Jack Tunney made an appearance, leading to the announcement that Hart and Luger were co-winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble match. 

Retrospectively, the decision worked out well, with both men receiving title opportunities at one of the best WrestleManias of all-time.

At the time, however, it looked like a colossally bad idea that only further hammered home the idea that fans supported Hart far more than Luger, the product of WWE's massive marketing machine.