10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 2008 Facts

6. A HHH/Orton Rematch Was Considered For The Rumble

the undertaker shawn michaels royal rumble 2008
WWE.com

Jeff Hardy had one of his "arrival" moments at Armageddon the previous month, when he cleanly defeated Triple H to earn a shot at Randy Orton's WWE Championship. What followed was six weeks of strong build for Hardy that turned him into a credible choice to dethrone Orton, though it wasn't to be.

According to Figure Four Weekly, Hardy's win over Helmsley was a last-minute decision. An alternate plan for the Rumble was to have Triple H win the top contender's bout, and earn the Rumble match against Orton.

The rationale was that the Rumble was going to sell on the basis of its name and titular gimmick match, so WWE could take a chance by putting somebody new into the World title picture. That "risk" seemed to work, as Hardy absolutely looked like he belonged in the ring with Orton.

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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.