10 Times WWE Royal Rumble Opened The Forbidden Door

10. Mickie James (2022)

Standing aloft as one of the lone highlights of the entire Premium Live Event let alone actual Royal Rumble match, Mickie James' 11:40 stint in the 2022 Battle Royal was a slice of strange and unique company history.

Historically, WWE plays appallingly with others, and though the entries on this list will all serve as rule-proving exceptions, none shine as bright a light on some business opposition as Vince McMahon did here.

Former WWE Champion James was, by this point, the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion, and the company presented her as that entirely. Her self-penned "Hardcore Country" theme blared throughout The Dome At America's Center to one of the only pops of the entire show, and James wore her current gimmick as proudly as the heart permanently placed on her sleeve.

Eliminated by Lita but scalping longstanding rival Michelle McCool along the way, her bookending moments featuring women she'd wrestled during her original and fondly-remembered WWE run spoke volumes of how much thought had gone into her cameo.