Ranking Every WWE Royal Rumble Since 2010

11. 2014

The 2014 Royal Rumble was a hot mess of a show.

The WWE Universe was unapologetic in their opinions of this pay-per-view, with the climax being drowned in boos. After an unsuccessful bout against Bray Wyatt to open the show, Daniel Bryan was expected to be in the main event of the night, even potentially winning the whole thing. WWE fans across the world clamoured for the 'American Dragon' to be pushed throughout 2013 and it seemed as though there was no better opportunity to begin that than at the Royal Rumble. Much to the fan's dismay, that was not the case.

Bryan was not in the match. He did not appear as a late entrant, and as the number of remaining participants slowly dwindled down, fans became aware that their beloved superstar was not going to appear. This did not sit well with the WWE fans in attendance, with the Pittsburgh crowd booing usual fan favourite Rey Mysterio upon his entry at number 30.

This show seemed as though it was booked to upset fans across the board, with Bray dominating Bryan to open the show and Brock Lesnar and Big Show having a slow, methodical match. The main title bout of the evening - Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship - was heavily disregarded by the live crowd, with chants of 'Y2J' and 'this is awful' ringing around the Consol Energy Center.

Thankfully, it appeared as though WWE saw the error of their ways when they decided to push Daniel Bryan to the main event scene not long after this show, with his triumph at WrestleMania XXX, but this event could have been salvaged somewhat had the company listened to their fans.