10 Times WWE Royal Rumble Winners Risked It All Before WrestleMania

Why didn't The Rock vs.Triple H headline WrestleMania 2000?

The answer involves the McMahons, a botched ending to the Royal Rumble, a last hoorah for a legend, and a giant athlete they had no idea what to do with.

With Steve Austin out of action, WWE was blessed with another over-the-top babyface: The Rock. It was nailed on that he'd win that year's Royal Rumble match and go on to WrestleMania to face Triple H... which did happen in a way. Rocky last eliminated Big Show, but one camera angle showed that The Great One's feet had touched the floor first.

To be fair, WWE didn't ignore this and brought it into the storyline, and it's perhaps the first legitimate reason for a rematch on this list. The showdown took place at No Way Out 2000, where Shane McMahon interfered to cost The Rock his match against The Game.

It didn't last long though...

Not satisfied with stupidly putting his WrestleMania match on the line, The Rock waged his career against the number one contendership when he faced Big Show again a few weeks later. This time it was a returning Vince McMahon who cost the World's Largest Athlete. Dwayne Johnson was back in and Paul Wight was out.

Get ready to put your head in your hands. A week later, Big Show was added to the match again. As 'Mania got even closer, they added Mick Foley, less than a month after he'd retired. This truly was the most convoluted main event in history; one where everybody just wanted to see The Rock defeat Triple H.