10 Times WWE Totally BOTCHED The Royal Rumble
1. 2015
Rock bottom.
And not the type ‘The Great One’ didn’t even hit when he made a surprise appearance to aid Roman Reigns against The Big Show and Kane in the middle of a false finish sequence that made heel Rusev look like the second coming of Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin and, appropriately, The Rock combined.
No, this was just rock bottom full stop. For Reigns’ profoundly rejected babyface push, for Bray Wyatt, Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose and other talents fans dared to get behind before they were dumped like literal garbage by - in more ways than one - garbage men Show and Kane. For Daniel Bryan fans understandably assuming he’d win the whole thing instead of being unceremoniously chucked half way through to give this unqualified sh*tshow all the breathing room it needed.
And for WWE as a place where fans were passionate enough to still use their voice for positive change. Bryan had made it to the promised land one year earlier despite a calamitous Rumble, but WWE were so stubborn in how they forged ahead second time around that live crowds simply stopped caring and/or attending. And all on the one show even casual fans still tuned in for.
The beloved company institution still had some difficult years ahead, but it was never - and should never - ever be as bad as this again.