10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 1996 Facts
4. Doug Gilbert Won His Entry In A Match In USWA
On January 3, 1996, Jerry Lawler's USWA promotion held a special battle royal during a show at Memphis' Mid-South Coliseum, with the winner getting to enter the 1996 Royal Rumble. Seeing as WWE was working closely with Lawler's USWA in its final years, it's little surprise that they leaned on the company to help fill numbers for the Rumble.
The winner was Doug Gilbert, younger brother of Eddie "Hot Stuff" Gilbert, who had just passed away the previous year. Gilbert entered the match from the number 14 position, but lasted only three minutes before getting tossed as part of an angry Vader house-cleaning.
It wouldn't be the only time that WWE used one of their feeder groups to determine a Royal Rumble entry. NXT's Bo Dallas won a tournament to gain a spot in the 2013 match.