10 Most Disappointing Surprises In WWE Royal Rumble History
5. Carlos Colon (1993)
Much like Mil Mascaras in 1997, Carlos Colon entered the 1993 Rumble as a man who’d built a legendary reputation in his homeland, but struggled to get a reaction from the WWE fans. Carlito’s Dad had been a headliner in his native Puerto Rico for years, though he rarely competed away from the island. He did, however, defeat Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a 1983 dark match, though the reign was never recognised, and Flair regained the belt a few weeks later.
Colon came in at number 24, and you guessed it, nobody had a clue who he was. That cheeky scamp Gorilla Monsoon bantered everyone off by referring to the 45-year-old Colon as a “fiery youngster” as he got stuck into the action, and while Carlos’ run didn’t quite work out, he was able to eliminate Damien Demento.
Unlike Mascaras, Colon wasn’t dumb enough to eliminate himself from the match. Instead, he was thrown over the top rope by Yokozuna, the eventual winner, who’d go on to star in one of the most controversial WrestleMania main events of all-time.
Sadly, international wrestling was much harder to get hold of in those days. If Jushin Liger were to appear in this year’s Rumble, he’d likely get a solid pop from the audience, but Colon’s lack of American activity made him a complete unknown to everyone but Monsoon.