10 Biggest WWE Royal Rumble Innovators

3. First Co-Winners (Bret Hart & Lex Luger)

Royal Rumble 1994 Bret Hart Lex Luger
WWE

Speaking of the 2005 Rumble, both Batista and John Cena were never supposed to fall over the top rope and hit the floor at the same time. That error caused Vince McMahon to storm out, tear his quads and demand a restart from the canvas. A full 11 years earlier, things had been pretty different.

In 1994, the boss couldn't decide who he wanted to win the Rumble, and so he had Bret Hart and Lex Luger act as co-winners heading into 'Mania X.

This was a first for the match. At the seventh try, the creative braintrust thought it'd be nifty if they booked something unique that would help the match stand out. That's why the co-winner idea was born, and it served a two-fold purpose of ensuring McMahon didn't have to pick between his biggest babyfaces.

The fact WWE have never repeated this idea is actually slightly shocking. Maybe 2019 is the year we see a Bret/Lex reprise?

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.