10 Pay-Per-View Main Events WWE Could Actually Call The Worst EVER

5. The 2015 Royal Rumble

Daniel Bryan 2015 Royal Rumble
WWE Network

A nightmarish glimpse into the near future with unanimously-despised Roman Reigns atop the organisation, the 2015 Royal Rumble was somehow a bigger Daniel Bryan-related f*ck you to the audience from Vince McMahon than his "Bootista" misfire the year prior.

Overwhelming favourite Bryan spent just 10:36 in the battle royal and was tossed before Reigns even arrived in a conscious attempt from the company to let the fans get their cheers for their real hero out of their systems in time to make the best of it with the chosen one. This flippant approach seemed to make things worse.

As if the entire crowd had suddenly been embodied by ECW's dirtsheet-obsessed Sign Guy from two decades prior, the audience were begging not to be worked. It all fell on deaf ears, so pleading turned to protest.

Booing every last inch of the match and the stories it did a pathetic job of trying to tell, the crowd saved their rage for Roman and - such was the state of everything - The Rock when he was deployed for a transparent rub that did more damage to 'The Great One' than good for 'The Big Dog'.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett