12. Dory Funk Jr. Was In The Royal Rumble As A Favour To Giant Baba
Veteran former NWA World Champion Dory Funk Jr. was one of the 1996 Royal Rumbles elder statesmen at fifty-five years old. His inclusion in the match came about due to a working relationship that the WWF were attempting to forget with Giant Babas All-Japan Pro Wrestling. Vince McMahon had witnessed the success Eric Bischoff was enjoying working with AJPW rivals New Japan and he wanted a piece of the action. Funks inclusion was a personal favour to Baba, with the idea being that the ageing grappler would serve as a liaison between the two promotions. However, the WWF had a poor track record working with others and the talent trading agreement with All Japan never got off the ground. A shame, as the prospect of Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi and Jun Akiyama clashing with the likes of Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and Vader in WWF rings is a tantalising one.