10 Shocking Royal Rumble Plans WWE Originally Had

6. The Free For All Rumble (1997)

Royal Rumble 1997 Steve Austin
WWE

The 1997 Rumble wasn't visually reflective of dwindling federation business when the WWF papered enough to fill just over 60,000 seats inside the huge Alamodome. Ratings and live attendance were struggling, and that's why the USA Network suggested airing the 30-man match for free after the fact on the 3 February episode of Raw.

The Wrestling Observer claimed that USA wanted to ease the ratings plight by popping a massive rating during a period of uncertainty for the Monday night flagship. It had worked before when the 1988 Rumble earned a huge 8.2 score on TV, so why wouldn't it work again nine years later?

Pay-per-view providers who had paid for the rights to air the Rumble were aghast at the thought of this. They nixed the chances of it happening, and the WWF aired select matches from a Toronto house show on Raw instead of showing Steve Austin's sneaky victory and Bret Hart's tantrum free of charge.

Spoilsports, but understandable spoilsports.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.