15 Instances Of The WWE Royal Rumble "14" Curse

By Aaron Hyden / January 21, 2016

Each and every year, wrestling fans look forward to the Royal Rumble for several different reasons. Many refer to it as the most exciting wrestling match of the year, in any promotion on the planet. Even in years when the winner appears "obvious", everyone excitedly tunes in to see how everything plays out. However, there is a darker, more sinister reason that some people look forward to the Royal Rumble. Through the years, it has developed into a curse of the number 14. For those of you who are blissfully unaware, the #14 curse in the Rumble has to do with the numerous men who have entered the match in the 14th slot, only to suffer through personal and professional problems in the aftermath. In many cases, those problems would take place almost immediately, happening mere months after the Rumble. There are even a small handful of them who have lost their lives at an early age after entering the Rumble at #14. The level of those issues varies from person to person, but after all these years, there are only a very small number of #14 entrants who can say they've successfully avoided the curse. Here is a look at the 15 men who have been cursed through the years, listed in chronological order.

15. Marty Jannetty

Rumble He Drew '14': 1989 How Was He Cursed?: In December of 1990, during a tag team match against enhancement talent, Jannetty hit his Rocker Dropper finisher on a man named Charles Austin. Austin tucked his head when he shouldn't have, and his neck was broken instantly upon impact on the mat. Austin would then go on to sue Jannetty and Titan Sports, eventually winning nearly $27 million in a settlement. A year later, Jannetty would be thrown through a plate glass window by Shawn Michaels, officially ending their Rockers tag team. Many thought Jannetty would go on to become a big singles star as a face, but it was not meant to be, and he would sit and watch as Michaels would become one of the biggest stars in pro wrestling history. The term "Marty Jannetty" would go on to describe the weaker member of any tag team, and will probably stick for the rest of time. A couple months after the Rockers split, Jannetty would be released from the company after being arrested for attacking a police officer. He would return and leave the company multiple times over the next couple years, never really having much going for him, and would battle drug, alcohol and legal issues at almost every turn.