10 Most Disappointing Surprises In WWE Royal Rumble History

4. The Godfather (2002 & 2013)

Kane Drew Carey
WWE.com

As fun as The Godfather was during the Attitude Era, he’s best left in the past. The neon-clad pimp is a perfect embodiment of that era’s crass extravagances, though he was scarcely able to escape midcard purgatory despite his popularity.

The Godfather showed-up with his usual squad of ladies at the 2002 Rumble. This wasn’t an issue in itself, but his entrance went on forever. Just when it looked like he was about to hit the ring, Godfather walked back through, picked-up another group of women, and spent the next minute or so dancing around before finally entering the ring.

When he was finally between the ropes, The Godfather lasted less than two minutes before Christian & Chuck Palumbo ganged-up to take him out. His Rumble appearance saw him spend more time dancing than, you know, actually trying to win the match.

The Godfather returned for another Rumble sojourn in 2013, and it was the first time he’d been on WWE television since a one-off appearance in December 2007. His entrance didn’t take forever this time, though: Godfather jived his way down to the ring in reasonably quick fashion, but he needn’t have bothered. Dolph Ziggler dropkicked him out as soon as he stepped through the ropes, and his five seconds in the match go down as one of the shortest runs in Rumble history.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.