100 Greatest WWE Royal Rumble Moments Ever

43. Solving The Giant Conundrum (1989)

WWE Royal Rumble 2020 Edge
WWE

André the Giant was forever kept strong on TV in order to maintain his aura and value as a spectacular attraction, be that PPVs or for the house show circuit. So, when the Frenchman found himself in the Royal Rumble for the first time in 1989, WWF had the conundrum of what to do.

If somebody was to eliminate André - even if it was several people working together - that’s a huge rub to give to a talent; a rub that should realistically lead to working a WrestleMania match with the icon. Given how the two biggest stars in the match, Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan, were destined to butt heads at ‘Mania V, that left for slim pickings when looking at other options to banish the big man. And if André did get eliminated, does that take away some of the mystique and awe of the legit giant?

In an extremely smart move from WWF’s decision makers, André would eliminate himself, jumping over the top rope in fear as the already-eliminated Jake Roberts returned to the ring with his python, Damien.

At the time, it may have seemed a bit daft that André the Giant cost himself the Rumble, but the reality is that it still kept him strong as an almost mythical figure as an in-ring act, while also stirring the pot for a Jake vs. Giant match at WrestleMania later that year and actually giving Roberts a way - Damien - to somewhat level the playing field.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.