10 Dumbest Royal Rumble Participants In WWE History

9. Lex Luger

Kane Royal Rumble 2001
WWE.com

Lex Luger may have been one of the early ‘90s biggest stars, but apparently, nobody ever sat down to explain the Royal Rumble’s rules to win.

He and Bret Hart were crowned co-winners in 1994, but Luger actually prevented Hart’s elimination on a number of occasions. Crush had The Hitman held overhead at one point, but just as he was about to throw Hart out, Luger ran over for the save. Later, Shawn Michaels was on the verge of eliminating Bret himself, but Luger attacked him, kept Hart in the match, and essentially prevented himself from winning outright.

Luger’s poor decision-making didn’t have the same consequences in 1995, but he was still intolerably stupid. Lex decided to stop not one, but four separate eliminations throughout the match, with the worst coming late on. Dick Murdoch was about to throw Michaels, the eventual winner, out of the ring, when Lex literally sprinted across the ring to stop him.

Lex jumped ship to WCW later that year, and it was probably for the best. Once considered Hulk Hogan’s heir apparent, Luger’s Rumble performances were those of a man who’d never even watched and over-the-top battle royal before.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.