10 Times WWE Royal Rumble Opened The Forbidden Door

9. Genichiro Tenryu & The Great Kabuki (1994)

Haku Royal Rumble
WWE.com

Longstanding WWE fans had been introduced to Genichiro Tenryu as early as WrestleMania VII thanks to the company's working relationship with Japan's SWS (Super World of Sports) and yet another guest spot in the Royal Rumble in 1993.

But 1994's appearance alongside The Great Kabuki was an altogether different beast.

Storyline allies of Mr Fuji, Tenryu and Kabuki were drafted in for one night only as violent problem solvers for Yokozuna. The pair joined the gaggle of regular roster heels in destroying The Undertaker during his Casket Match with the WWE Champion, and were later spotted battering Lex Luger backstage to try and hamper his chances of winning the Rumble itself. As insurance policies, they were also entered in the match as well, but neither plan worked out all that well.

Luger tossed out both men, and in Tenryu's case used the help of co-winner Bret Hart to get it done. The duo were one and done in WWE, immediately returning to their regular roles in NJPW having failed as Fuji's henchmen.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, 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