10 Things WWE Regrets About The Royal Rumble

6. Making It Really Violent And Sexual

Cm Punk
WWE.com

The Royal Rumble 2000 was a blast.

Tazz debuted, obliterating Kurt Angle with a suplex smorgasbord in the platonic ideal of what the hot opener and debut used to be. A shell-shocked Angle sold this brilliantly later in a broadcast that also brought us an all-action, fresh-as-hell Tables match between the Dudley and Hardy Boyz, a seminal ultra-violent classic of a WWF Championship match, a Rumble that obliterated Taka Michinoku's face in wonderful schadenfreude fashion, and the Miss Rumble swimsuit contest that so delighted the teenage boys watching at home and the teenage boys sat in the commentary booth. There were so many puppies on display that Jerry Lawler sweated more than he had in November 1993.

Channel 4 didn't have a blast; perhaps expecting more of the well-remembered DayGlo stadium-sized family-friendly lustre of SummerSlam 1992, the UK broadcaster didn't seem to ask what Vince was up to these days, and were very much appalled by the WWF's new direction of exposed, withered breasts and blood-soaked flesh punctures.

The relationship severed within three hours, the WWF lost a shortcut to every prospective British home.

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!