10 Most Disappointing Surprises In WWE Royal Rumble History

10. Haku (2001)

The 2001 Royal Rumble is an all-time classic. Not only did it feature a titanic performance from Kane as he set the all-time single-Rumble elimination record (11), but it concluded with an epic showdown between Stone Cold and The Rock. Entering at number 27, Austin eventually triumphed over The Great One, but not before losing several bucketloads of blood after being jumped by Triple H en route to the ring.

The surprise entrants weren’t quite up to scratch, however. Each was a disappointment, and when Haku emerged at number 29, widespread confusion overcame the arena. He hadn’t wrestled for WWE in 9 years, and thus, much of the audience had either forgotten about him completely, or didn’t know who he was in the first place.

Haku might be one of the most infamous tough guys in wrestling history, but he struggled to make a mark in the 2001 Rumble. He was eliminated in less than three minutes without mustering a single elimination, and transitioned into an ineffectual tag team with Rikishi, his fellow Samoan, afterwards.

The biggest surprise was that Haku was reportedly still under WCW contract at the time, and had just won the company’s Hardcore Championship one week prior. Who knows how those negotiations went down, but here’s hoping they passed without somebody getting their nose bitten off.