WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Worst Matches in History of PPV

It's easier to find bad matches in Royal Rumble pay-per-views than good ones.

That's because the Royal Rumble PPVs are all about the Rumble itself. Usually, the remaining matches are filler—unfulfilling appetizers to the main course. The classic, non-Rumble matches, such as The Rock vs. Mankind (1999), are few and far between.

This list is split into two types of "bad." There's the less ambitious "bad," where the match wasn't given the time or consideration to ever be good. And then, there's the more spectacular "bad," where WWE Creative attempted to book something special, but instead booked a match that fell on its face.

Here are the worst matches in the history of the Royal Rumble PPV.

Koko B. Ware vs. Mountie (1991)

Credit: WWE.com

This is the definition of filler.

The Birdman took on the Canadian stereotype in a slow, boring match that did nothing to elevate either man. Ware was way past his mid-'80s heyday, and his arm-flapping gimmick was wearing mighty thin.

Ware could still hit an impressive missile dropkick from the ropes. But today, his Rumble undercard match is remembered (or not remembered) as the buffer match after Sergeant Slaughter's upset championship win over The Ultimate Warrior.

Bushwhackers vs. Beverly Brothers (1992)

Credit: WWE.com

This match, aside from a single line of text on the official WWE website, has been erased from history, and there's a good reason for that.

The Bushwhackers were a comedy tag team, and WWE fans who grew up in the early '90s have fond, funny memories of them. But the nostalgia is for their pre-match and post-match antics. Their actual matches left much to be desired. Humor doesn't usually age well, and this showdown against the Beverly Brothers was filled with lots of schtick and a primitive amount of storytelling.

Also, manager and professional nerd Jamison just looks creepy and gross. And this was the babyface team? The Bushwhackers were much better off with their kangaroo mascot a few years later.

Razor Ramon vs IRS (1994)

Credit: WWE.com

Really, what chance did this match have at being good? It was founded on the flimsiest premise possible: IRS "repossessed" Razor Ramon's gold chains. Yes, that's what passed for a feud in the mid-'90s.

The ringwork was nothing to write home about, but the match's finish was a booking nightmare. The referee got knocked out. Shawn Michaels hit Ramon with a fake Intercontinental belt. Then the match restarted, without IRS' knowledge. If the participants couldn't even follow what was going on, how could we be expected to?

Chyna vs. Ivory (2001)

Most fans remember the Chyna vs. Ivory match at WrestleMania (2001), where Chyna clinched the WWE Women's Championship in a one-sided squash. Fewer fans remember the initial showdown at the Rumble, where Ivory won after Chyna collapsed due to a "neck injury."

The entire spot looked fake and awkward, and Jerry Lawler compounded the cringeworthiness with his post-match reaction. While Jim Ross commentated in a somber, grave tone, the King got up from the announcer's table to check on Chyna.

The last time the two of them projected this type of "serious" concern was when Owen Hart died. It was a completely disproportionate reaction to a kayfabe injury, and it distracted from what was otherwise an incredible night of wrestling.

Scott Steiner vs. Triple H (2003)

This was a spectacular disappointment after a funny, ridiculous build.

Week after week, Steiner and Triple H competed in a homoerotic contest of wills. They arm-wrestled. They had a posedown. They had a push-up contest. And all the while, they flexed and flexed and flexed and flexed.

Triple H taunted that Steiner was built for "show" rather than "go," and their match proved him right. Steiner was sucking wind within the first few minutes. The remainder of the contest was comprised of rest holds, awkward transitions and an anticlimactic DQ finish.

Torrie Wilson vs. Dawn Marie (2003)

This was stepmother versus stepdaughter in a fight for the love of a dead father.

This was beyond embarrassing and sloppy, even for the time. Watch this and be glad the women advanced beyond the "Lingerie Catalogue Era." Moving on.

The Boogeyman vs. JBL (2006)

Gross, awful and poorly choreographed.

The Boogeyman had little in-ring skill, and he was always a better character than a wrestler. This brief match was one of his few PPV appearances, and his win came at the cost of JBL's dignity. He should have stuck to surprising people by popping out of car trunks. No amount of worms was going to save this contest.

Royal Rumble (2014)

So many things went wrong during this Rumble.

CM Punk, fighting in his final WWE match, got badly concussed by Kofi Kingston, and Punk spent most of his time dazed in the corner of the ring. Rey Mysterio, who received the No. 30 spot, was booed by an arena of fans who expected to see Daniel Bryan. And babyface part-timer Batista, who ended up winning the thing, ended the evening by flipping off the fans.

In hindsight, this match, in a roundabout way, set up one of the greatest WrestleMania main events of all time. But that was entirely by accident—WWE Creative actually thought this was excellent booking at the time, and that makes it all the more egregious.

Royal Rumble (2015)

One year after the debacle of the 2014 Rumble, WWE hadn't learned a thing. A quick rundown, for old time's sake. Daniel Bryan entered the Rumble and was eliminated 10 minutes later. Both Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose were dumped out midway through. Roman Reigns faced Big Show and Kane in the Final Four, which telegraphed the finish.

Even The Rock couldn't save this match. When he held up Reigns' hand and got booed by the WWE Universe, he gave a legitimate People's Eyebrow. What was going through his head? Probably, "Oh no. My cousin's in big, big trouble."

Reigns still hasn't recovered from that evening, and neither has WWE, which is still trying to smash Reigns over as a top babyface. WWE just needs to turn him heel and get it over with.