WWE Royal Rumble 2016: Worst Event Cards in PPV's History
The Royal Rumble is often regarded by fans as one of WWE's most exciting events of the year. It's been a long-standing tradition since 1988, producing a number of classic contests over the past three decades.
The 30-man Royal Rumble is almost always entertaining, as the winner advances to the main event of WrestleMania for a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. With so much at stake, fan anticipation is at an all-time high going in.
Along with the annual Battle Royal, the undercard of the event is typically a treat. Championships are bound to change hands as the card for WrestleMania starts to take shape.
However, not every installment of the January extravaganza has been stellar. Several shows have largely disappointed due to a poor Rumble match, a lackluster undercard or a combination of the two.
As this year's Royal Rumble draws near on January 24, here's hoping that it doesn't fall in line with these atrocities: the top five worst cards in the event's history.
5. 2006
1 of 5
Almost a decade has passed since 2006's Royal Rumble, and while it is fondly remembered for Rey Mysterio's emotional Rumble win, everything that happened before and after it is better off forgotten.
Holding the Rumble match in the middle of the show is rarely a good idea, but that's exactly what WWE did in 2006. It had a storybook ending with Mysterio overcoming the odds, winning the annual Battle Royal and dedicating his victory to the late, great Eddie Guerrero.
Despite that, the WWE decided to follow it up with the two world title matches, which paled in comparison as a result. John Cena and Edge can always be counted on for a quality contest, but their WWE Championship clash was far from their most memorable performance, and Cena's title win felt premature, since Edge was the hottest heel in the company.
Worse yet, Kurt Angle vs. Mark Henry for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship headlined the show. Angle put forth a strong effort, but he and The World's Strongest Man failed to deliver a match that was capable of closing out the show on a high note.
Gregory Helms' cruiserweight championship win was a pleasant surprise, but Mickie James vs. Ashley was deplorable. Additionally, The Boogeyman vs. JBL was a two-minute garbage-fest, which made this Royal Rumble a mediocre event overall.
4. 2014
2 of 5
I had a hard time deciding whether 2014's Royal Rumble or the 2015 installment deserved this spot more, but they did share one thing in common: Both shows featured one outstanding match that saved them from being considered complete disasters.
But after further consideration, there was no doubt in my mind 2014 earned its place on the list. As excellent as Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt was, the Triple Threat WWE World Heavyweight Championship match was arguably WWE's match of the year (not counting Bayley vs. Sasha Banks).
Putting the exceptional opener aside, the 2014 installment was downright brutal. Fans expected Brock Lesnar and Big Show to contest a match similar to their battles from 2002, so the two-minute match they received instead was a disappointment.
John Cena and Randy Orton tried their best to have a good match, but the crowd wasn't having any of it; the audience hijacked the match by constantly chanting, showing their displeasure with WWE's main event scene at that time.
Meanwhile, the Royal Rumble match fell flat with most viewers due to its stunning lack of stories. Batista's highly predictable victory (and Bryan's exclusion from the bout) didn't help matters, either.
3. 1993
3 of 5
WWE's "New Generation" era heading into the mid-1990s started out a little rough with 1993's Royal Rumble. On paper, the card had the potential to be among the elite, but none of the matches stood out as special in the end.
Granted, it was a tough task for this event to follow 1992's event, which was arguably the greatest of all time. But even disregarding that, this show didn't have much to offer, including a below-average Royal Rumble match.
Ric Flair, Bob Backlund and Ted DiBiase all had strong showings, but they weren't able to go the distance. WWE was determined to make Yokozuna the lead heel at that time, and while he was extremely talented for a wrestler his size, fans weren't ready to see him take the top spot.
Bret Hart and Razor Ramon had a fine match for the WWE Championship, but Ramon wasn't considered a threat to the championship at that point and was simply another steppingstone for The Hitman on the road to WrestleMania 9.
In what was billed as a grudge match for the ages, Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty failed to meet fans' lofty expectations, while Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Big Boss Man put the audience to sleep. The Steiner Brothers and The Beverly Brothers had a fun opening tag team match, but it wasn't enough to salvage the show.
2. 1996
4 of 5
Things started to take a turn for the better for WWE around WrestleMania 12, but prior to that, the company was in rough shape, both financially and creatively. The product had never before featured so many forgettable gimmicks, and sadly, a vast majority of them participated in the 1996 Royal Rumble match.
King Mabel, Duke Droese, Kama, Isaac Yankem—you name them, they were likely a part of the Rumble. Shawn Michaels' second consecutive victory had been obvious from the get-go, but if nothing else, the bout is best known for Vader's WWE debut.
In a clash of two of WWE's all-time greats, Bret Hart vs. The Undertaker for the WWE Championship wasn't what it could have been. The better part of the half-hour bout was boring, and the match ultimately ended in a disqualification, closing the show in anticlimactic fashion.
Razor Ramon and Goldust had solid psychology in their WWE Intercontinental Championship match, but the rest of it left a lot to be desired. That said, it probably would have served as a better opener to the event than Jeff Jarrett vs. Ahmed Johnson, which did not at all feel like a match worthy of taking place on pay-per-view.
Even The Smoking Gunns vs. The Bodydonnas was mediocre at best. Fans of HBK may enjoy the Rumble more than others, but as for everyone else, be warned: This show had few redeeming qualities.
1. 1999
5 of 5
Ah, the year Mr. McMahon won the Royal Rumble match. Need I say more?
All right, I will, but simply to prove to you that this could well be the worst Royal Rumble event in WWE history. The Rock and Mankind had an incredible "I Quit" match for the WWE Championship, but the Rumble match that followed was anything but excellent.
Stone Cold Steve Austin and McMahon started off as the first two entrants in the Rumble but spent very little time actually in the ring. McMahon was anywhere but inside the squared circle, and once he finally returned, he tossed Austin over the top rope to come out the victor.
The Rock serving as a distraction at ringside planted the seeds for his eventual WrestleMania 15 match with Austin, but McMahon winning the Rumble was a slap in the face to anyone who had won it before him. Austin received his title shot by beating McMahon the following month, so what was the point?
The rest of the undercard consisted of matches that were mostly horrendous. Sable and Luna Vachon made the most of the Strap match stipulation, but it was still a mess.
Big Boss Man vs. Road Dogg was total throwaway, Ken Shamrock vs. Billy Gunn dragged beyond belief, and X-Pac vs. Gangrel was a waste. Had it not been for Rock vs. Mankind, this show would have been considered among WWE's worst events ever.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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