10 WWE Royal Rumble Eliminations That Infuriated Fans

Batista's 2014 Rumble win was not popular in the slightest...

The annual Royal Rumble match must be a difficult one to book for those in charge of laying it out. After all, there must be a clear winner, but there are so many different stars to protect and egos to avoid damaging when doing so. The bout has become one of the biggest on the WWE calendar, taking place each January and effectively kicking off the heavily-hyped 'Road To WrestleMania'. Over the past few years, the company have really struggled to book winners that the core audience wish to see and are willing to accept. This was never more clear than in 2014, when Batista won the match to an overwhelmingly negative response. 'The Animal' doesn't stand alone as the only man to receive backlash from fans for a Rumble performance, although he did embarrassingly hear scorn once he had actually emerged victorious. Sometimes, the performers fans wish to see do well can be treated shabbily in the Royal Rumble, something which comes to light in this article. It's perhaps understandable that baffling decisions can be made in such a frenzied situation, but there's really no excuse for many of the examples profiled here. From giving great performers inadequate time in the match, to eliminations that simply irritated fans because they were caused by an effective heel, it's all here. Sometimes, Royal Rumble matches can be full of fan-annoyingmoments, and it's not always the kind of heat WWE seeks.

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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.