10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 2012 Facts
4. Road Warrior Animal Was Considered For Rumble Entry
The "anyone can enter" buzzphrase was taken to absurd lengths, considering how much of the Rumble match was filled with what amounted to gag entries. Legends and non-wrestlers took up more space in the 2012 match than most would've figured, and there were others in the cards.
One such name was Road Warrior Animal, who had just been inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame the previous year. The 2012 Rumble took place in St. Louis, where Animal's son (and "Big Johnny's" nephew) James Laurinaitis happened to be playing NFL football in. Animal was reportedly at the event in a guest capacity.
As far as actually participating, Animal ended up turning down the offer. The Wrestling Observer noted that Animal claimed to have been called late, and there wasn't enough time to put together a deal to his liking.