The 2014 Royal Rumble Match was a flop, plain and simple. Most fans expected Batista to win; after all, the reason he came back was to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. But just because they know that was the plan didnt mean that they were supposed to like it. By the time January 26th rolled around, Daniel Bryans rivalry with the Authority was really gaining momentum. His Yes chants were becoming really popular, and many considered him to be the most popular wrestler in the company. That didnt stop Batista from debuting and becoming the favorite to win the match. Unfortunately, bad timing really hurt Batista; he was supposed to be cheered, but the fans didnt care about him; they cared about Bryan. So when Batista entered the Rumble match, the boos began. Still, many fans in attendance were expecting Bryan to enter the match, despite pulling off a great opening match against Bray Wyatt. So when Rey Mysterio entered at #30, the fans really let everyone in the ring have it. Not a single person was getting any cheers, as the fans completely turned on the WWE Superstars. What little cheering there was took place when Roman Reigns broke Kanes record of 11 Rumble eliminations. But, when Batista threw Reigns over the top rope to win the Royal Rumble, the fans kept booing. It was a devastating occurrence for Vince McMahon, who had to completely change his plans. Instead of Batista-Orton at WrestleMania XXX, Bryan had to pull double-duty at the grand event, facing Triple H and then both Orton and Batista in the main event. Clearly, the Pittsburg crowd might have to wait a while before they host another WWE Pay-Per-View.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
