20 Most RANDOM WWE Royal Rumble Entrants
10. The Great Kabuki (1994)
Agreeing to bring in Tenryu was one thing, but it's a slight shock that an image-obsessed promoter like Vince McMahon nodded his head when others suggested booking The Great Kabuki. The Japanese star had mystique (he surely scared the living hell out of young kids tuning into federation programming to see their favourites), but he wasn't exactly imposing physically next to many other workers; and that mattered to McMahon more than most.
Regardless, the WWF flew Kabuki in alongside several other international names for the aforementioned takedown of The Undertaker at the '94 Rumble. The mist-spitting menace was also plonked into the Rumble match itself just because he was there and could fill a slot. Why not, eh? It does still feel so out of place even now, right enough.
Kabuki entered as #22, and it's clear looking back on the show now that most fans in Providence, Rhode Island didn't have a clue who he was as he sauntered to the ring for a three minute cameo before being dumped out by Lex Luger. There were some scattered boos due to his role in the aforementioned casket business with 'Taker, but it'd be a lie to claim Kabuki was mega-over with the WWF faithful just because of that.
Remarkably, this wasn't Kabuki's first foray into the fed's wrestling revolution. He'd worked select dates since 1990, but this would be his highest profile booking for the group by far. It'd end up being his final one too. McMahon didn't bring Kabuki back into the fold after the '94 Rumble.