10 Dumbest Royal Rumble Participants In WWE History

5. Hulk Hogan

Kane Royal Rumble 2001
WWE.com

Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels are the only wrestlers to ever win two consecutive Royal Rumbles, with Hulk’s victories coming in 1990 and 1991. ‘90 saw him bundle Mr. Perfect out of the ring to secure his spot at WrestleMania, and in 1991, Hogan eliminated six other superstars before finally throwing the dominant Earthquake out to seal the deal.

Given these sterling performances, Hulk Hogan should’ve been a safe bet to win the 1992 Rumble. Instead, Ric Flair walked-out with the gold, and he couldn’t have done it had Hogan not made one of the worst decisions in Rumble history.

The Nature Boy had stung Hogan with a kick, and marched all the way across the ring to perch himself on the top rope. Hogan recovered quickly, and looked to have his rival at his mercy. A simple push would’ve eliminated Flair and prevented his eventual victory, but instead of throwing him out, Hogan decided to pull Flair back into the ring.

It was an unspeakably stupid move, and one that’s only amplified by its context. Flair was fresh through the door in WWE and it was assumed that the company would eventually build to a long-awaited Hogan vs. Flair WrestleMania dream match. The match never materialised, however, and in the end, Hogan effectively handed Flair the greatest moment of his WWE career.

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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.