10 Wrestling Facts We Didn’t Know Last Week (May 3)

3. Maven Was Drunk At Royal Rumble 2002

Maven, Undertaker
WWE.com

Maven nearly missed that famous dropkick on The Undertaker at the 2002 Royal Rumble.

The former Tough Enough winner told Sam Roberts that he was crapping bricks before going through the curtain for the match. Not only did he have to contend with eliminating a legend, but Maven also had to comprehend even being part of a Rumble in the first place. That's when 'Taker walked over and spread the news.

WWE wanted Maven to bleed that night; once he'd booted The Undertaker out, the biker bad ass would return and get colour on the rookie. 'Taker told the rook to take some aspirin that'd thin his blood out, but Maven revealed he was allergic. So, 'The Deadman' bust out some Jack Daniels and they shared a few shots of that instead.

By the time he was leaping up for his dropkick, Maven was "two sheets to the wind" and nearly fell flat on his face. He's still shocked to this day that he managed to keep things together, hit the dropkick and then sell a beating from his much-more-experienced peer.

Advertisement
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.