10 Most Disappointing Surprises In WWE Royal Rumble History

3. Drew Carey (2001)

Kane Drew Carey
WWE.com

Given WWE’s obsession with putting celebrities over their own stars, it’s surprising they haven’t thrown more of them into the Royal Rumble. Fortunately, the Rumble has largely been a safe haven away from the celebrity-based nonsense that WWE has polluted their pay-per-views with over the years, but 2001 stands as an exception.

Drew Carey was one of America’s most popular television personalities at the time, and he brought a significant following with him. He was invited to the Rumble as a special guest, but for whatever reason, Vince McMahon decided to throw Carey into the match. Thus, a tracksuit-clad Drew strode down the ramp early in the match, and after the Hardy Boyz conspired to eliminate each other, Carey was left alone in the ring.

Then the horn sounded, and Kane walked down the aisle. Carey, naturally, soiled himself, and his survival instinct kicked-in. He wasn’t daft enough to stick around and get murdered by the Big Red Machine, so he eliminated himself before Kane could do significant damage.

As strong as the 2001 Rumble was, Carey’s appearance was a black spot. He was there to promote his own comedy PPV event, but did he really need to take-up a valuable Rumble spot to accomplish this? No. No he didn’t...

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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.