10 WWE Matches That Were Spoiled Before They Happened

9. The 2000 Royal Rumble Match

Finn Balor Andrade
WWE.com

The first of two Rumbles that'll feature in this list, 2000's overhyped effort goes to pieces after a fiercely entertaining Rikishi run early doors - because there was only ever going to be one of two men winning.

The Rock and The Big Show had yet again highlighted the gulf between the have and have-nots just before the organisation kicked off the most critically acclaimed and creatively fruitful period in company history. Show himself was only really there having just lost his WWE Championship to Triple H - this night was designed to set 'The Great One' off on a Road To WrestleMania that would be a totally different kind of rocky.

Rock even alluded to just how predictable the entire thing was in a pre-match promo. Asked who he feared most by Michael Cole, he sarcastically answered Crash Holly and Headbanger Mosh, bantering off the bulk of the lower card just my name-checking two of them.

Ironically, even when he brought the win home, Rock's win was disputed thanks to a slightly-botched finish that bought his battle with The Big Show one more pay-per-view match. Even then, nobody else other than the four Rumble headliners were getting near the WrestleMania show-closer.

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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett