10 Most Disappointing WWE Moments Of 2016

5. Triple H Winning The Royal Rumble

Triple H Royal Rumble
WWE.com

The last few Royal Rumbles have suffered from crippling predictability, and while this year’s match was a lot of fun, it ended on an unsatisfactory conclusion. It was blatantly obvious in the lead-up that WWE were building towards an eventual Triple H vs. Roman Reigns showdown at WrestleMania 32, and with Reigns’ WWE Championship on the line, all signs towards The Game entering the Rumble and taking the gold.

That’s exactly what happened, and while Hunter got a big pop for eliminating Roman from the match, his win was only acceptable from an “anyone but Reigns” sandpoint. WWE put their top championship on a 46-year-old authority figure who hadn’t been a full-time wrestler for years, and all for the sake of shoehorning him into a feud that nobody wanted to see.

The Royal Rumble used to be the most exciting event on the wrestling calendar, but the past few years have done much to ruin that. Batista in 2014, Reigns in 2015, and Triple H in 2016 were huge disappointments, and set the wrestling year off to a disastrous start. Fingers crossed they’re able to avoid such an outcome with next year’s match, though they’ll have to try very hard to outdo the past three years’ worth of letdowns.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

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.