10 Biggest WWE Pay-Per-View Disappointments

6. Triple H Vs Scott Steiner (Royal Rumble 2003)

Goldberg The Rock
WWE.com

One of WCW's last great hopes as a heel World Champion, Scott Steiner was a menacing force atop the promotion during its dying days. The enticing prospect of him finally arriving in WWE after seeing out the remainder of his Turner contract was increased when it became apparent he was going in at the very top.

Pitched against Triple H, 'Big Poppa Pump' was promoted as bigger, stronger and more dangerous than 'The Game', and by far the biggest threat to his Monday Night Raw throne ahead of their blockbuster Royal Rumble 2003 clash.

There had been limited physical interaction between the pair in the build up, with WWE curiously employing every smoke-and-mirrors technique to get to the eventual match.

But despite passing a medical, the severity of Steiner's hidden drop foot condition was clear for the world to see within minutes of the catastrophic encounter.

With Triple H woefully unprepared to carry both Steiner and the match, the entire thing fell apart in minutes, as a shattered Scott threw Hunter around with increasingly weaker suplexes that only raised the ire of a crowd that had already turned on the contest.

Credibility in tatters, Steiner would lose the programme, and be gone from the promotion within a year.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett