WWE Royal Rumble 2015: 10 Worst Booking Decisions in PPV's History
The Royal Rumble starts off the Road to WrestleMania, and as such it's as good a time as any to start setting in motion the events that will lead to the biggest show of the year.
The booking of the Royal Rumble is often tailored to that of WrestleMania itself—which doesn't always reap the greatest rewards. The event has seen many great moments, but there have also been some decisions that have gone on to live in infamy.
Here are the very worst decisions from Rumbles of the past—here's hoping we won't be seeing anything similar come Royal Rumble 2015 on January 25.
10. Women's Championship Match at Royal Rumble 2010 Only Goes for 20 Seconds
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At Royal Rumble 2010, Mickie James faced Michelle McCool for the Women's Championship and won the match in 20 seconds. The outcome of the match might have been correct—the method was certainly not.
McCool and Layla were one of the more memorable parts of an uneventful Diva's division during their run as "Lay-Cool," and their feud with Mickie James had been bubbling away for several months by the time the Royal Rumble came around.
However, instead of James winning the title in a meaningful match, it was a Lay-Cool miscommunication that led to such a brief encounter. James would then lose the title back to McCool only a few weeks later before being released after WrestleMania—not the most glorious end to her WWE run.
9. Tazz Beats Kurt Angle in His Debut at Royal Rumble 2000
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Royal Rumble 2000 started with a bang when ECW alumni Tazz made his WWE debut in front of a rowdy New York crowd and took on Kurt Angle. The Human Suplex Machine gave Angle his first WWE loss that night—and in hindsight, it's difficult to look at that as a wise decision.
Shortly after debuting, Tazz found himself called upon to win the ECW Championship after champion Mike Awesome signed with WCW. Tazz would carry the belt just long enough to lose it to Tommy Dreamer, so it would remain with ECW—but not before losing to WWF Champion Triple H on an episode of SmackDown.
After that, his momentum quickly faltered, and it wasn't long before he retired due to injury and began to provide commentary. Angle would go on to have a very fruitful run with WWE, so perhaps his first loss could have been used to better effect.
8. Scott Steiner Disappoints at Royal Rumble 2003
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Scott Steiner's WWE run never really made it out of the blocks, and part of the reason behind that is his awkward entry into the world title picture in early 2003.
Steiner was injected into a World Heavyweight Championship feud with Triple H almost immediately, which did very little for either man.
Steiner was a big star in WCW, but his ring work had regressed since his tag team run in the early 1990s. Before WWE fans really had chance to get on board with Big Poppa Pump, he was competing for the world title—and working a lengthy main event match revealed his weaknesses in the ring.
A messy disqualification finish led to a rematch the following month at No Way Out which Triple H won more definitively. After that, Steiner held a far less impressive spot on the roster.
There was certainly a good use for Freakzilla in WWE, but this wasn't it.
7. Angle vs. Henry Closes the Show in 2006
4 of 10The Royal Rumble match puts the course of events building to WrestleMania in motion, and while the scene of its winner pointing toward the WrestleMania sign to close the show might be played out, it serves its purpose well.
However, from time to time another match will close the show, which can have the effect of diminishing the impact of the Rumble itself. In 2006, an uneventful World Heavyweight Championship bout between Kurt Angle and Mark Henry went on last so that The Undertaker could make his return to square off with Angle.
While The Deadman's big return halfway through the night wouldn't have had the correct impact, having a Rumble match that lasted longer than an hour followed by two world title matches caused some real issues with the overall pacing of the event.
6. Mr. Perfect Comes Up Short in 1990
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Mr. Perfect is often mentioned in discussions regarding which wrestlers were underused or didn't quite reach their potential. A different ending to the Royal Rumble match in 1990 could have changed all that.
While the Rumble match that year was won by Hulk Hogan, pro wrestling folklore suggests that Mr. Perfect was at some point in line to pick up the win. The years that followed could have been very different for Perfect if that was the case.
We'll never know whether Mr. Perfect was going to win the Rumble in 1990 or whether it would have pushed him on toward a WWF Championship win further down the line.
That said, it's an interesting alternate history for a wrestler who is still beloved by many to this day.
5. The Commentary Team Hits the Ring at Royal Rumble 2012
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Surprise entrants are a big part of what makes the Royal Rumble so special—there's a sense that anyone could be waiting behind the curtain to stake his claim for the WrestleMania main event. Back in 2012, however, three spots in the Rumble were filled by the commentary team.
While Booker T had demonstrated that he still had plenty to offer between the ropes during his 2011 feud with Cody Rhodes, neither Jerry Lawler nor Michael Cole had any reason to be in the match.
The year before, the match had 40 competitors and perhaps had more space for this sort of "fun." However, with only 30 entrants, there's not enough room for 10 percent of the field to be made up of commentators.
Surprise entrants can be great—but this was far from a pleasant surprise.
4. Entrants Arrive at 60-Second Intervals in 1995
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There's a finesse to the timing of the Royal Rumble match; new competitors need to arrive consistently, but if things are rushed then the match doesn't have the necessary decisive quality to earn the winner a WrestleMania main event.
In the past, both 90-second and two-minute intervals have worked, but the 60-second intervals used in 1995 were a major detriment to the match.
Intended as a way of speeding up the action—and, in fact, advertised as such in the build to the event—fans were left with a shorter Rumble match that didn't quite satisfy.
Thankfully, this was an experiment that was quickly phased out.
3. The Undertaker Ascends in 1994
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A much-hyped Casket Match for the WWF Championship soon turned into chaos at Royal Rumble 1994 when Yokozuna was aided by a host of midcarders to defeat The Undertaker.
Once the match was over, the real fun began: Smoke began to pour from the casket, and The Deadman appeared on video screens to tell his enemies and the audience that he would return. Even for the colorful early 1990s, it was a little bit too much for many fans to bear.
What's more, it was a very disappointing result for the title match. Yokozuna vs. Undertaker should have been a true clash of the titans; instead, it was a spectacle for all the wrong reasons.
2. John Cena Wins the Rumble in 2013
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It was painfully obvious for months in advance that the main event of WrestleMania 29 was set to be The Rock vs. John Cena with the WWE Championship on the line. Knowing that made 2013's Royal Rumble something of a slog to sit through, with Cena's Rumble win being telegraphed quite clearly.
The problem is, it was all rather unnecessary—the Rock vs. Cena rematch would always have been a spectacle, even without the title. Having Cena win the Royal Rumble as well simply demonstrates the uneven level of focus WWE can put on its main event at times.
It would have been a great opportunity to throw a light on the World Heavyweight Championship, but instead that title had a challenger hastily chosen at Elimination Chamber the next month.
In trying to make WrestleMania as big as possible, this one actually had the effect of making it seem like a one-match show.
1. Batista Wins the Rumble in 2014
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While everything would be resolved on the Road to WrestleMania, it's difficult to think of the way that this year's Royal Rumble match played out as anything other than a missed opportunity.
Daniel Bryan had an excellent match with Bray Wyatt earlier in the night, but fans were ready to see him make a second appearance in the main event. That never happened—and the live audience were far from happy about it.
Such was the frustration that Bryan wouldn't even be part of the match that people just weren't interested in Roman Reigns' impressive performance or Batista's eventual win.
People wanted to see Bryan get his big win, and they wouldn't settle for anything else.
What's the biggest Rumble misstep in your mind? What would be the worst mistake WWE could make for this year? Let us know in the comments section below.
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