10 Times WWE Totally BOTCHED The Royal Rumble
3. 2012
In the bulk of the last decade of the Royal Rumble, the battle royal has become as much a place for surprises as it has effectively booking characters to main event WrestleMania.
This isn't the way it's supposed to be, but the company lost sight of that in the chase for pops and emptier plaudits, and never was this more apparent than during a 2012 yuk-fest that almost swallowed the gimmick up laughing at its own terrible jokes.
From the commentary booth, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and Booker T all entered the fray. This was marginally saved by Cole's open disgust for his broadcasters joining the match before he did it himself, but then not really, because they weren't even the only punchline entrants.
Mick Foley and Santino Marella took the whole ring for a Socko/Cobra standoff. Ricardo Rodriguez entered so the Alberto Del Rio flash car entrance could be parodied with an old banger. Speaking of which, Jim Duggan and Road Dogg’s involvement were pleasant but pointless as was becoming a theme.
It was perhaps a fitting state-of-the-company address in reality - winner Sheamus won the World Heavyweight Title in just 18 seconds in the WrestleMania opener. Runner up Chris Jericho got a spot higher up the card against WWE Champion CM Punk, and even then they were relegated underneath the enormous “Once In A Lifetime” bout between John Cena and The Rock. Never had the Rumble felt so redundant.