10 Last-Minute WWE Disasters That Came So Close To Ruining Royal Rumbles
8. Dan Severn Threatens To Go Legit - 1999
UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn doesn't strike you as the sort of person you'd go out of your way to provoke at the best of times. But during his heyday around the late '90s, threatening this legitimate ass-kicker with the prospect of racking up a string of losses within the professional wrestling sphere was borderline lunacy.
Yet, that's precisely what went down coming into the 1999 Royal Rumble after Severn requested his release from WWE following on from being asked to tattoo "666" on his forehead and join the Ministry of Darkness.
It was in this moment, though, that the MMA legend pitched to the agent in question an alternative scenario where he turned fantasy into reality. Going further he later revealed that he almost got on the ringer to WCW to see what they'd be willing to pay him to derail the entire bout:
"The Royal Rumble was coming around the corner, and it even crossed my mind, what if I approached Ted Turner [and] Eric Bischoff, and said “Hey guys, I’m going to be in the Royal Rumble. It’s a live pay-per-view … And when it comes time for me to have to exit the ring, (what if) I turn fantasy into reality and I clear the ring..."
Thankfully WWE backed off, Severn played nice in the Rumble, and was allowed to walk away a few months on. But not before forcing a few clenched cheeks coming into the famous event.