The Royal Rumble is the showcase event that commences the road to Wrestlemania on an annual basis. This year is the thirtieth edition of the symbolic pay-per-view and remains one of the more favoured events by many fans.
Nonetheless, down the years the hierarchy in the WWE have made numerous mistakes in one of the company’s most iconic events.
Whether it is the unnecessary pushes of overrated stars, overuse of famous faces or failure to use talent to the best of their ability, mistakes have been made down the years. But there’s one thing that could be deemed a terrible mistake, and that's allowing someone to win the tournament when they shouldn't.
A Superstar winning the Rumble match when they shouldn't have is seen as a bad push by the company, but who are the winners who shouldn't have been victorious down the years?
Here are five winners of the Royal Rumble that proved to be nothing but a mistake by the company's creative team.
#5 Stone Cold Steve Austin – 1997
"What?" I hear you say! No really, Austin winning the Rumble in 1997 was nothing other than a mistake. As the company continued to push Austin in late 1996, the Texas Rattle-Snake should not have won the Royal Rumble for the simple reason being that Wrestlemania XIII was a disaster due to a lack of engaging storylines.
As the event was scheduled to host the rematch between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, an unexpected main event of Sycho Sid and The Undertaker could have drawn more money if the company created a sensible storyline.
Austin's push was legendary, and he was probably a deserved winner, but as they only pushed him to semi-main event status, surely the winner of the Rumble deserved more - especially when someone with Austin's talent ended up playing second fiddle to Sycho Sid.
#4 Hulk Hogan – 1990
It literally made no sense to have the Hulkster to win the Royal Rumble in 1990. The WWE Champion went into the contest as the Champion, and firmly as a crowd favourite.
Instead of pushing someone like the Ultimate Warrior - who could headline Wrestlemania VI - the WWE opted for Hogan once again. In the third instalment of McMahon's pay-per-view, Hogan must have felt left out of proceedings as he had not won the previous two editions of the match.
Also read: 5 men who shouldn't win the Royal Rumble match
It had to have been ego that allowed Hogan win the Rumble because storyline wise it made little to no sense. Thankfully, the fans got what they wanted in the end as both Warrior and Hogan headlined Wrestlemania in Toronto.
Why Hogan was crowned the winner in 1990, we'll never know.
#3 Hacksaw Jim Duggan – 1988
It's pretty random, isn't it? Why on earth Jim Duggan won the inaugural main event at the Royal Rumble may never be known. But the fact remains is, it was nothing other than a mistake.
Unlike Big John Studd in 1989, he was not deserving to win a Rumble match as he was nothing other than an average mid-carder. His victory didn't last long as just months later he was sacked after being caught with drugs in his car when searched by police.
Duggan was undeniably a fan favourite during his time in WWE, but he certainly didn't deserve this push he got when someone else would have taken full advantage of the crowd's support.
The Royal Rumble has proved to be a kick-starter for many WWE Superstars’ careers, but this one proved nothing more than a waste of everyone's time.
#2 Batista – 2014
Pointless, utterly meaningless. Batista's victory in 2014 did nothing but anger the fans and left everyone disappointed following his return to the ring.
Batista had been away from the company for six years before he returned in January 2014, and his victory in the 30-man battle royal prevented fan favourite Daniel Bryan from becoming the face of the company - despite the overwhelming support coming from the WWE universe.
Not since the days of the early 2000's had anyone received love from the fans like Daniel Bryan did, but after not being in the match, 'Boo-tista' was announced as the winner instead of the upcoming rookie Roman Reigns.
Thankfully, the WWE bosses saw sense and put Bryan in the main event of 'Mania, but allowing Batista win was nothing other than a mistake - which proved the case as he left the company once again just months later.
#1 Vince McMahon – 1999
It made sense this one, didn't it? No, it certainly didn't. While many people consider the rivalry between Stone Cold Steve Austin and the legendary figure of Mr McMahon the greatest of all-time, the biggest flaw in the rivalry came when McMahon's ego shone through, and he won the 1999 Royal Rumble.
Maybe the heat between the duo intensified, but the fact is, the victory for the boss only decreased the value of the event. McMahon, despite his best efforts is not a wrestler. And that only showed throughout the years.
The main event for McMahon's Rumble spot came next month at the St. Valentine's Day Massacre but why did they do that instead of building up the rivalry between The Rock and Austin further during that time?
It was a mistake from the WWE, and if only it weren’t for WCW's floundering management at the time, it could have proven costly.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
