10 Things WWE Regrets About The Royal Rumble

5. A Rash Decision

Cm Punk
WWE Network

If WWE = Vince McMahon - and it does, it's hardly Triple H mutilating his NXT prospects on the abattoir that is the main roster - then WWE most certainly regrets bum-rushing the ring at the 2005 Royal Rumble, WWE most certainly regrets tearing both quadricep muscles apart, and WWE definitely regrets making a t*t of themselves on the third-most ordered pay-per-view of the year.

They couldn't repeat this if they tried, and many have since to unsuccessful effect; at the close of the match, Batista and John Cena eliminated themselves in picture-perfect stereo. Were Vince not an impulse-driven id of man, he might have paused, and remembered that there was precedent for such a development: the planned finish of the 1994 match. At first sight, most thought the finish was a retread of that, and a clever one: the Beast and the Doctor of Thuganomics were the new, dual faces of the company, and the finish painted them as equals.

In the aftermath, an enraged Vince painted them both as greenhorns by acknowledging the botch and ordering a restart. Vince could have let the intrigue build as the show faded to black without a conclusion, and could have booked a ratings monster of a RAW match - or a climactic, big money decider at No Way Out.

But no: Vince is an impulse-driven id of man, and elected instead to literally double down on the botch.

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!