5 WWE Superstars who stole Royal Rumble spots

#3 Eddie Guerrero steals Ric Flair's Royal Rumble spot

A short while before the 2005 Royal Rumble match kicked off, Eddie Guerrero and Ric Flair picked their entry numbers around the same time, under the supervision of RAW and SmackDown GMs Eric Bischoff and Teddy Long. Eddie Guerrero found out that he had picked No. 1, while Ric Flair got No. 30. Guerrero gave Flair a hug and swapped the numbers sneakily. Flair quickly realized that he had been duped by Guerrero, and began throwing a tantrum.

What was Sabu really like? More info HERE.

Eddie Guerrero eventually entered in at No. 1 during the Royal Rumble match

Soon after, Eddie Guerrero and Ric Flair's numbers were swapped back, which led to Guerrero entering the Royal Rumble match at the No. 1 spot. Guerrero lasted almost 30 minutes in the Royal Rumble and eliminated the likes of The Hurricane, Hardcore Holly, and Booker T. He was eventually eliminated by Edge. As for Flair, he came in at No. 30 and ended up eliminating Jonathan Coachman and Chris Benoit. Flair was later eliminated by Edge, with Batista winning the Royal Rumble in the end. Batista would go on to turn on Flair and Triple H on the road to WrestleMania 21 and win the World title in the main event of the show.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

Know More

Edited by Kaushik Das