10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 2005 Facts

6. Paul London's Elimination Didn't Sit Well With Higher-Ups

Chris Benoit Royal Rumble 2005
WWE.com

Many years have passed since Paul London's elimination from the 2005 Royal Rumble match, and it still resonates. The man cut a full flip off of a Gene Snitsky clothesline and landed right on his face, setting a bar for personal sacrifice in Royal Rumble matches that remains hard to measure up to.

According to London, who wanted to make a strong impression, there were those above him that felt the bump "stole the moment" that wasn't his to steal.

London would also add that Michael Hayes came up to him and said of the stunt, "That was really good....but it was too good." In other words, London was reaching beyond his ordained place on the card in order to stand out, and some in power weren't happy that he did.

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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.