10 Most Infamous Backstage WWE Royal Rumble Moments

1. Teddy & Eric Go Home (2005)

The Undertaker Maven Drunk
WWE

You'll never see anything like the 2005 Royal Rumble's controversial ending ever again. Not only were the odds of Batista and John Cena's feet hitting the deck at the exact same time slimmer than an anorexic stick insect, but the chances of Vince McMahon somehow tearing both quads on his way into the ring were just as ridiculous, creating a situation that should've been impossible.

It was chaos backstage, because of course it was, with former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas breaking the madness down in a Fight Network interview years later, revealing that General Managers Teddy Long and Eric Bischoff, who could have resolved the situation themselves, left the building early.

Korderas heard a "go find Teddy and Eric!" in his earpiece. The producers thought it made sense for the Raw and SmackDown GMs to come out and fix the mess, ultimately ruling that the match would continue until a definitive winner emerged, but the duo were nowhere to be found. They went home under the assumption that their night's work was done.

So Vince subbed in for his GMs, got a little too excited, and messed himself up, creating one of wrestling's most rewatched botch clips ever. It wouldn't have happened had Teddy and Eric stuck around.

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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.