By the time the 2012 Royal Rumble rolled around, the roster lacked depth. So much so that WWE's creative brain trust had to resort to gimmicks to fill out the 30-competitor field for its annual battle royal main event. A match that featured the inclusion of Kharma, who had not been seen since announcing her pregnancy almost a year earlier, was bogged down significantly when it was revealed that the announce team had been entered into it. Booker T and Jerry "The King" Lawler were Hall of Fame wrestlers, their accomplishments between the ropes well-documented. Michael Cole, on the other hand, was the furthest thing from a celebrated wrestler. He had undergone a heel turn a year earlier and was incredibly overexposed in that role as 2011 limped on. His entry into the match was but a painful reminder of how much effort was put into booking him, oftentimes at the expense of the other Superstars on the roster. His run was a short one, thankfully, that came to an end when the aforementioned Kharma scared him into eliminating himself, thus ending the run of the most useless Rumbler ever.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
