10 Things WWE Regrets About The Royal Rumble

9. A Paper Champion

Cm Punk
WWE.com

One of several PR gaffes the WWF unleashed throughout a tumultuous 1990s, Sgt. Slaughter dethroned the Ultimate Warrior, via Macho Man interference, to set up the two major matches selling WrestleMania VII.

Originally scheduled for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the disastrous reception to the Gulf War exploitation angle saw the pay-per-view downsized to the neighbouring Sports Arena. Attempting to frame this as a safety measure - Slaughter was so over as to be a target, apparently - as spin goes, this was an unsuccessful as the original Sin Cara.

The angle itself was crafted very well - the Macho King's sceptre shot while not iconic was certainly unforgettable - but the sentiment behind it drove off an uncaring public and savage mainstream media alike. The taste was as dubious as the result, which hardly helped: Hogan could struggle to slam the Giant and face the Ultimate Challenge, but Slaughter was a paper champion before we even learned the term.

The events of the 1991 Royal Rumble in part shaped years of commercial and public image decay; with a bloodthirsty mainstream ready to pounce on any unsavoury development, and there were several of them, putting the spotlight on Slaughter, the cheapest of ploys, poetically altered the WWF's fortunes.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!