10 Last-Minute WWE Disasters That Came So Close To Ruining Royal Rumbles
These botched moments very nearly ruined the WWE Royal Rumble for everybody!
Allowing 30 men or women to make their way down to a squared-circle, battle through a typically hour-or-so-long spectacle which involves dumping one another over-the-top-rope - and not expecting a few bumps in the road along the way - is rather fanciful thinking, you'll surely agree.
And sure enough, the yearly highlight that is this winner-takes-all marathon/sprint to the 'Mania main event finish, depending on where in the pack you place, has thrown up more than its fair share of calamitous moments over the years. But a meaningless instance of a jobber deciding to kiss goodbye to a match on their own terms is one thing. A vital component of that year's contest walking out of the arena with egg on their face is something else entirely.
A disaster, some would even some say!
As you'll soon discover, near match-destroying mistakes are never as far away as you'd think when putting together this WWE staple. From a planned winner's feet actually scraping the floor first, to dopey sidekicks not ensuring their bodies remained inside of the ring until their starring moment, these Royal Rumble detours very nearly derailed the entire match in one unexpected beat...
10. Shawn Michaels Gets His Face Smashed In - 2008
On top of being WWE's legendary Mr. WrestleMania, it's safe to rank Shawn Michaels as one of the finest Royal Rumble performers ever to grace that unique event too.
Winning the match back-to-back in 1995 and 1996 (becoming the first man to win it from number one in the process), The Heartbreak Kid could always be counted on to put in a decent shift when it came to the titular contest.
However, back in 2008, the star very nearly had his show-stopping evening cut short by an over-exuberant fellow veteran entering the match at number five. Upon Hardcore Holly's typically aggressive arrival, the bleach blonde ass-kicker proceeded to stomp HBK in the mug so hard that it legitimately busted open Michaels in next to no time.
Sensing something was up, the former WWE Champion clung onto his mug and crawled into the corner to confer with medical personnel. Sensing he had no choice but to power on and do his part in the contest, Michaels stayed put and wrestled on for 30 more minutes with a busted up nose, notably eliminating The Undertaker in what was one of the earliest nods to their eventual 'Mania epics.