10 Times WWE Got The Royal Rumble Main Event Wrong

In much the same way that Shawn Michaels dominated 1996 and Stone Cold Steve Austin 1998, 2014 was Daniel Bryan's year - to everyone, that is, except those in charge of booking the show.

Despite clearly being the most over member of the WWE roster, Bryan was overlooked for the position of Royal Rumble winner in favour of a returning Batista, who was supposed to fly back into our lives after a three-year absence as though nothing had changed in the intervening time.

Things had changed, though. Big Dave was still a veritable superstar, of course, but his popularity among the die-hards wasn't such that he could jump right into the spot of the 'Mania main event, particularly when there was such a capable understudy waiting in the wings.

By doing this, the company had passed up a very presentable opportunity to make right all of those booking wrongs that had befallen everyone's favourite everyman, going right back to his 18-second defeat by Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII.

Fans weren't just upset at his snub, but vocally angry - and the mistake was clear to all as soon as Batista emerged the following night on Raw.