Royal Rumble Contestants: One of the most eagerly awaited events in the wrestling calendar is the Royal Rumble, as fans predict the WWE’s appearance during WrestleMania season. With 30 celebrities from the past and present vying for the ultimate reward of appearing in WrestleMania’s main event, The Rumble presents a special chance to see them all.
The unexpected entries, whether they be superstars making their professional wrestling debuts or former wrestlers, are one of the finest parts of the Royal Rumble battle. While the majority of the shocks are still warmly recalled, a few have regrettably disappointed for a variety of reasons.
The 10 Worst Unexpected Royal Rumble Contestants
1) In the Women’s Rumble, Santina Marella is not wanted
During his tenure in the WWE, which ended 10 years ago, Santino was frequently an amusing figure, but he also appeared in some very awful films. At best, Santina Marella was a grave miscalculation on the part of WWE, since the organisation had already long since disregarded its female talent when the character was created and subsequently elevated over every other woman on the roster.
Fans were reminded of how awful the gimmick was when Santina made an appearance in the women’s 2020 Royal Rumble contestants battle for a comedic moment, particularly when viewed through the lens of a more contemporary WWE. Fortunately, Marella was scared off from WWE television and the ring by Natalya and Beth Phoenix, maybe permanently.
2) The Rumble is Ruined by Shane McMahon
Fans had grown weary of Shane McMahon six years after his initial comeback to WWE in 2016, which made his participation in that year’s Rumble all the more disappointing. To make matters worse, he appeared to be among the match’s top performers and advanced to the final three.
Shane was well-profiled because it seemed like he utilised his influence behind the scenes to seize control of the match’s booking. He soon left the organisation because the wrestlers and producers in the back were naturally irritated by this, as were the fans.
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3) Michael Cole Rises From The Desk In 2012
The 2012 Rumble fight featured Awesome Kong in her lone WWE appearance as Kharma, and Seamus prevailed. It was an odd Rumble contest. Three participants from the commentary table were also included in the match: Michael Cole, Booker T, and Jerry Lawler.
Cole’s entrance was especially bad since, at a time when WWE really needed to do more to showcase its in-ring talent, he was clearly just taking up space in the ring in his orange bodysuit. He didn’t stay long, though, since Lawler and Booker worked together to remove him from the outside, ending the fun.
4) Dolph Ziggler Comes Back At #30 in 2018
The inaugural women’s Royal Rumble match, won by Asuka and Shinsuke Nakamura, was a thrilling feature of the 2018 Royal Rumble. The men’s match, which pitted old favourites like Nakamura, Finn Balor, and Adam Cole against new favourites like John Cena, Rey Mysterio, and Randy Orton, was well scheduled.
However, the #30 entry was quite peculiar, as Dolph Ziggler made a comeback after giving up the US championship a month earlier for highly questionable reasons. By relinquishing the belt, Ziggler appeared to have left the WWE, although he eventually rejoined the organisation to attempt to capture another title.
5) Drew Carey Is Into Serious Problems
Renowned game show presenter Drew Carey was let into the 2001 Royal Rumble battle after he got into a fight with Vince McMahon. Carey chose to remove himself after seeing The Hardy’s eliminate each other and taking a chokeslam from Kane until Raven intervened to save him.
Given that the 2001 Rumble is regarded as one of the greatest, it was peculiar that there was such an odd moment in the fight. But if there was ever a Rumble where a celebrity should be placed, it should be in a good one.
6) Jim Duggan Was Still a Wrestler in 2012
Unexpected makes a comeback to the ring at the 2012 Royal Rumble. It was particularly impressive because Duggan was far past his prime and he was still sporting the same blue trunks he had worn for decades.
Unexpectedly, he would go on to participate in numerous WWE matches in 2012, primarily as a team with Santino Marella. Even while it’s great to honour the first-ever Rumble victor, WWE should exercise caution when inviting veterans who are just too old to retire.
7) Return of Bob Backlund in 2000
The Rock’s controversial victory against Big Show in the match’s title bout sealed the deal for the wildly underappreciated 2000 Royal Rumble event. That was a great way to start off one of WWE’s most creative years ever, however, there was also the factor of Bob Backlund’s comeback to take into account.
In a bid to win the world championship for a third time, the two-time WWE Champion made an appearance at position 14 in the Rumble battle. Sadly, he was done after just two minutes, as the crowd was happy that he was unable to deny their heroes the World Championship one more time.
8) The ‘Fiery Youngster’ Carlos Colon
Yokozuna’s victory in the 1993 Royal Rumble is not one of the fight’s more memorable editions. It set up his catastrophic main event match against Bret Hart (and Hulk Hogan) at WrestleMania 9. To the disbelief of the Sacramento crowd, Carlos Colon unexpectedly entered the race, marking one of the first such occasions.
Although Colon was well-liked in his native Puerto Rico, his art was not as well-known to Americans. Saying there’s “a lot of fire in this youngster” as he entered the bout, Gorila Monsoon did his best to have some fun with the veteran.
9) At #30, Nia Jax Ruined the Celebration
The men’s and women’s matches in the 2023 Royal Rumble were both expertly scheduled with the appropriate winners, making it an excellent event. In the women’s competition, Rhea Ripley prevailed, but not without a formidable opposition.
Fans were terrified by the possibility of Nia Jax getting a title opportunity at WrestleMania when she shocked the WWE audience by entering the Rumble at position thirty. But all of the other ladies in the match united against the “Irresistible Force,” and she was quickly eliminated.
10) Sumi’s Strange Arrival In Saudi
With 50 competitors, the 2018 Saudi Arabian-hosted Greatest Royal Rumble event featured the largest match ever. Daniel Bryan fought for more than an hour and sixteen minutes, but Braun Strowman prevailed after taking out 13 other great fighters.
Famous sumo wrestler Hiroki Sumi made an odd and somewhat meaningless appearance, lasting barely a few minutes among the large field of competitors. Funny enough, Titus O’Neil also stumbled while heading to the ring.
These are the 10 worst unexpected Royal Rumble contestants. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
