10 Terrible WWE Royal Rumbles With One INCREDIBLE Moment

by Michael Hamflett

1. Roman Reigns Is A Top Babyface (2014)

Roman Reigns Batista
WWE

A sentence WWE still can't say (as of writing) despite a 2020 heel turn transforming his career for the better, the former 'Big Dog' and Shield man was, for a few fleeting minutes in the toxic 2014 Royal Rumble, the hero WWE fans wanted.

Or at least willing to accept compared to Batista.

'The Animal' had returned on Raw for a WrestleMania run, but all of his babyface energy was well and truly drained due to his inability to be Daniel Bryan. A crowd that also turned on Rey Mysterio had no time for the former World Champion, but as a younger, newer star, Reigns was the lesser of two evils when he came head to head with Big Dave.

Those in attendance were utterly devastated when Reigns finished runner up, unaware that their positivity may well have been remembered when similar creative dunces were assembling things for the disastrous titular battle royal a year later.

How To Watch WWE Royal Rumble 2026 - Start Time, Card, Preview

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Set For WrestleMania-Tier Production (WWE News)

Rey Mysterio Legitimately Injured During WWE Raw (WWE News)

In this post: 
Roman Reigns
 
Posted On: 
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