20 Incredible WWE Ruthless Aggression Era Moments Nobody Ever Talks About

by Gareth Morgan

1. The Sensational Royal Rumble 2005 Commercial

Royal Rumble 2005 Poster
WWE

If WWE really wants to get some asses in seats for their upcoming Tropicana Field Rumble, then Papa H and co. need to remind themselves of the underrated Ruthless Aggression treat that was the 2005 Royal Rumble commercial.

Clearly inspired by the West Side Story musical, this ridiculously fun and sadly largely forgotten advertisement involved stars from both Raw and SmackDown singing about "a very Royal Rumble, that's right!" as they clicked, lip-synced, and mimed their way through a Vince McMahon nightmare.

The likes of Rey Mysterio, Batista, Chris Jericho, Triple H, and so many more giving it their all in the gloriously cheesy bit of promotional material, while all donning various horrendous wigs, is rarely ever replayed or talked about almost twenty years on from its Broadway debut - though the presence of Chris Benoit throughout may be one of the reasons WWE still refuses to really acknowledge the clip.

The fact McMahon himself also signs off the bizarre and hugely enjoyable one-minute ad by shooting up out of bed and noting "That's not the Rumble I had in mind," before the night he'd infamously rip both quads to shreds live on PPV is simply the icing on top of an incredible and talked about not nearly enough cake.

- GM

We love teamwork! Who doesn't? This article is a collaborative effort between Gareth Morgan and Michael Sidgwick.

The Hardest CM Punk Quiz EVER! - Test Your Knowledge!

WWE Potentially Adding More Members To The Vision (WWE News)

6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (29 May - Results & Review)

Contributor
Contributor

Gareth has 6 years experience writing and presenting articles/videos covering all things professional wrestling within the fantastic WhatCulture team. Gareth is also a life long wrestling fan, so is clearly living the dream!

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!