10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 2004 Facts

5. Mick Foley's Rumble Appearance Didn't Go The Way That He'd Hoped

Chris Benoit Royal Rumble 2004
WWE Network

One of the most dramatic Royal Rumble moments occurred when Mick Foley made his in-ring return after four years. After beating up Test backstage and usurping his number 21 draw, Foley stormed to ring in order to exact revenge on Randy Orton, who had disgraced him six weeks earlier.

While the moment drew an ungodly reaction (Philly loves their Cactus Jack), Foley was less enthused with how it turned out. For one thing, Foley would later admit that he blew up cardiovascularly in the midst of the brief skirmish, despite his best efforts at training and dieting for months prior to the run-in.

Foley also added that he and Orton threw legit punches at each other to try and enrich the realism of their angle. Foley says that nobody seemed to notice their unpulled potency, concluding that the strikes were, "a waste of time, pain, and swelling."

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Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.