10 Most Disappointing Surprises In WWE Royal Rumble History
9. Mil Mascaras (1997)
Mil Mascaras is a lucha libre legend, and one of the most important Mexican wrestlers of all-time. Few competitors drew a crowd like The Man of a Thousand Masks in his heyday, and while he was involved in more than his fair share of controversies back in the day, Mascaras was a gifted competitor whose national fame also saw him appear in over 20 movies.
Such success should have made his appearance in the 1997 Royal Rumble feel like a huge deal, but it didn’t. WWE’s roster might be stuffed to the gills in 2016, but this certainly wasn’t the case 19 years ago. The company were left scrambling for superstars to fill the event’s titular match, and a number of luchadores crossed over as a result.
Mascaras entered at number 11, but nobody knew who the poor sod was. His Mexican success hadn’t caught the attention of WWE’s fanbase at all, and while Mil was able to eliminate two of his countrymen (Pierroth & Cibernetico), his run ended with one of the worst decisions in Rumble history. With Pierroth eliminated, Mascaras decided it’d be a good idea to climb the turnbuckles and dive to the outside, taking-out his adversary, but eliminating himself in the process. He protested, but the officials soon sent him shuffling to the back, and that was that.