10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 2009 Facts

9. Christian Was Originally Supposed To Be Jeff Hardy's Assailant

Orton Triple H 2009 Royal Rumble
WWE.com

After three years with TNA, Christian left the promotion, and was WWE-bound once again. Once his comeback was apparent, WWE began an angle where an unseen person was trying to sabotage WWE Champion Jeff Hardy. With brother Matt at Jeff's side, and Edge as the direct opposition, fans assumed the Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz rivalry was about to be renewed.

However, WWE took a different tack, and had Matt be revealed as the mystery saboteur, attacking Jeff during the championship match at the Rumble. Christian, meanwhile, would make his return in underwhelming fashion on the ECW brand.

One of the main reasons that the involvement of Christian was scrapped was due to its apparent predictability - WWE wanted to surprise the audience, even if it involved a potentially less-interesting culprit.

Contributor
Contributor

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.