20 WWE Royal Rumble Undercard Nightmares

19. New Age Outlaws Vs. The Acolytes (2000)

Yokozuna Undertaker
WWE.com

This insulting title match at 2000's Madison Square Garden Royal Rumble only served to highlight the gulf in class that was opening up between the old guards of the tag division and the new faces that were finally starting to break through.

Following on from the memorable Dudley Boyz/Hardy Boyz tables match earlier in the card, the New Age Outlaws still had a dynamic opening schtick. But the act was beginning to feel rather dated, not least in their current role as Triple H's goons in a reformed heel D-Generation-X.

A cert to take an absolute kicking from - and probably lose their titles to - Bradshaw and Faarooq, the match was booked to immediately rush to the run-in finish, with the Outlaws stealing an achingly cheap win two minutes after Acolytes had worked through all their signature spots.

It was the beginning of the end for the New Age Outlaws in their original pomp within WWE, as Billy Gunn would soon pick up a rotator cuff injury en route to a title loss to the Dudley Boyz, and the duo would disband until their TNA reunion in 2005.

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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