50 Ups & 50 Downs For WWE's Decade: The 2010s
25. The 2014 Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble remains a beloved WWE institution, yet there were two iterations in the 2010s so poorly received that they nearly killed the gimmick for good.
Cinematically playing out like a poor original and an even worse sequel, the back-to-back battle royals told the stories of two men, and one increasingly agitated audience.
In 2014, Daniel Bryan was knee-deep in the run of his life, but as noted, WWE weren't really booking it. Bryan was irrefutably the top star in the entire company, with an ethos and chant that had galvanised the "WWE Universe" and confidently commanded a position in the WrestleMania XXX main event.
Many logically felt the Rumble would be the place do it, but when he wasn't even afforded a place in the contest, the disdain landed on the broad shoulders of eventual winner Dave Batista. Big Dave (along with Rey Mysterio, of all heroes) was booed out of the building despite his recent return as a conquering hero. Shield member Roman Reigns was runner up that year, and received a positive response if only as an alternative to 'The Animal'. How quickly times would change....