10 Last-Minute WWE Disasters That Came So Close To Ruining Royal Rumbles
6. Maven Gets P*ssed Before His Big Moment - 2002
In a moment that no doubt ranks as one of the most notable feats any Tough Enough winner ever managed to achieve on a WWE stage, 2002 saw one of the first-ever victors of the reality show, Maven, eliminate the iconic Deadman from the Royal Rumble via jaw-dropping dropkick to the back.
But there was much more to this crowd-stunning beat than meets the eye, as it goes. In order to achieve some "good colour" during the pair's post-match beatdown sequence, 'Taker was said to have told Maven to take some Aspirin to thin his blood out. As the newcomer would reveal to Fightful in 2019, he was actually allergic to the medication, so was handed some Jack Daniels as a handy substitute.
As expected, Maven wound up feeling a little bit hammered throughout his first-ever Rumble appearance, eventually revealing, "I'm shocked as f*ck that I actually hit the dropkick, but I'm glad I did."
It's a minor miracle Maven didn't completely c*ck up one of the most shocking exchanges in Rumble history in his drunken state, but at least his nerves were likely settling coming into the match...