10 Creepy Wrestling Curses
4. The Royal Rumble Curse
#14 typically isn't a number drawn by the wrestler that sets the pulse racing by starting a dream-match-within-a-match with entrant #1 or #2. They aren't a behemoth or superstar that enters at #27 or #30 to dramatically alter the complexion of the Rumble match late in the day.
Ordinarily, entrant #14 - said on message boards the internet over to be cursed - arrives on the scene to make up the numbers in the middle phase of a match, the epic duration of which necessitates a cool-down period.
#14, with a disturbing frequency, is the man wrestling no longer has much use for, the man whose push has long since been abandoned. #14 is Rikishi four years removed from his dancing days. #14 is Umaga a year past his peak as monster. #14 is MVP, Chris Masters, and Orlando Jordan, all of whom were released within a year. And, when wrestling had no use for you, wrestling had an awful habit of lulling the downtrodden into its voracious maw. Several of the men who drew #14 died prematurely or struggled through substance abuse issues.
There is no curse; wrestling is itself cursed.
A succession of random curiosities has also deepened the legend; the otherwise happily retired likes of DDP and Kevin Nash endured awful luck after their 2010s nostalgia pops.
The "curse" was "broken" by Shinsuke Nakamura in 2018, who won from #14 in a match structured to convince you otherwise.
Had WWE learned of the legend and manipulated it to their advantage?