12 Wrestlers Who Competed Under The Influence
2. Maven
Maven’s career-defining Royal Rumble moment in 2002 wasn’t just a case of right time, right place - it was also a result of the kind of locker room etiquette and/or camaraderie WWE was well known for at the time.
The tough-as-nails Tough Enough winner was about to generate the biggest pop of his fledgling career by eliminating The Undertaker, who decided to prepare the rookie for their now-legendary elimination spot in a way that'd make peak-90s BSK members proud: Jack Daniels. Hours before the show, Undertaker handed Maven a bottle of the whiskey, telling him to drink (and loosen) up. Maven, knowing better than to question 'The Deadman' in his domain, did as he was told. As the story goes, the warm buzz helped melt his nerves, building a unique bond between the hard-faced veteran and the fresh-faced underdog.
What followed was genuinely magic - Maven dropkicked a heel Undertaker out of the Rumble in comfortably one of the most shocking eliminations in the gimmick's history, sparking a brutal revenge beatdown that remains itself an iconic (if slightly scary) highlight of the show.