10 Wrestling Matches That Inadvertently Became Infamous
4. The 2014 Royal Rumble Match
Much will be made about a man that didn't appear in the 2014 Royal Rumble match, but arguably the most controversial iteration of the 30-man battle royal had an additional sting in the tail for another bonafide main event star.
On a night where fans were so vociferous in their support of Daniel Bryan that lifetime babyface Rey Mysterio was hounded out of the match with boos, WWE elected to grossly mistreat the only other superstar in the contest that could have stemmed the tide of scorn.
CM Punk had entered at #1 as part of a power play from The Authority's 'Director of Operations' Kane, who allegedly was positioned as a roadblock for the 'Best In The World' ahead of his planned WrestleMania opponent Triple H. Entering in a gutsy 49-minute display, Punk was cruelly dispatched after making the final four when Kane pulled him over the ropes to the floor and chokeslammed him through the announce table. It was the last straw for a disgruntled audience that ripped shreds out of eventual winner Batista in the aftermath.
As covered extensively in podcasts and interviews since, the match would prove to be CM Punk's last. Electing to walk away from the company the very next day, Punk's growing frustrations with the organisation boiled over before the following evening's Monday Night Raw, with his exit unintentionally guiding a path for Bryan's eventual ascent.