10 Last-Minute WWE Disasters That Came So Close To Ruining Royal Rumbles

As the 2005 edition of the January WWE staple came into view, it was virtually guaranteed that either Evolution's Batista or blue show anti-hero John Cena would have their hand raised as the dust settled on the Rumble.

And to the surprise of pretty much no one, it eventually came down to these rising stallions in the final two of the enthralling war for a 'Mania 21 main event spot. Everything was moving along swimmingly as Batista hoisted up his SmackDown counterpart for a Rumble-winning Batista Bomb. But then something genuinely shocking came to pass as the universe conspired to spice up the closing stages.

Batista would stumble backwards, sending both men flying over the top and crashing to the ground in unison. Despite looking about as cleanly choreographed as anything you'd seen all night, none of this was scheduled to happen, forcing Vinnie Mac out to orchestrate a restart - battering his quads in the process.

The two eventual pillars of the company for years to come would work the crowd brilliantly post-botch, ultimately washing away the mistake with a sickening spinebuster from The Animal that finally confirmed his 'Mania spot.

You couldn't write it... or could you?