100 Greatest WWE Royal Rumble Moments Ever

95. Taka Michinoku Faceplants! (2000)

WWE Royal Rumble 2020 Edge
WWE

This might be considered a tad harsh, but here goes.

Kaientai duo Taka Michinoku and Funaki were never officially in the 2000 Rumble, but they'd try to cause a ruckus anyway by rushing out to brawl a few times. During one of those spots, Taka's face met the ringside mats and MSG's masses audibly groaned. Replays showed that Michinoku landed nose and forehead first when Gangrel and Big Boss Man chucked him over the ropes.

It had to be really painful, and there looked to be a bit of blood visible on the mats as referees ushered an out-of-it Taka backstage. WWF officials calling the shots in the production truck must've liked the bump, because they showed it umpteen times throughout the rest of the Rumble. They even went slow motion so fans could see more of Michinoku's pain.

Kaientai would go on to enjoy a babyface run thanks to cheesy overdubbed promos ("Indeed!"). Taka might hold some unique Rumble record for being injured despite never being a participant in the first place too. That was some bump!

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

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.