10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 1996 Facts
8. Sabu Was Nearly A Rumble Entrant
The thinner WWE roster led to the company bringing in some outside names for the 1994-97 versions of the event, with 1996 as one of the more glaring instances. Vader made his debut in the Rumble match, while other spots were filled with the likes of Dory Funk Jr, All Japan's Takao Omori, and The Headhunters.
If WWE had their way, they would've had the death-defying Sabu in the match. Having just returned to ECW following a brief WCW tenure, Sabu was a hot commodity at the time, thanks to his masochistic daredevilry and his dangerous aura. If WWE was looking for a new star, they potentially had one in Sabu.
For his part, Sabu agreed to work the match as a one-off, and the plan was that he could eliminate himself in frenzied fashion, to keep his heat. However, Sabu was talked out of the match by Paul Heyman, who was concerned at the time that doing business with WWE would harm ECW's outlaw image.