Ranking EVERY WWE Royal Rumble's Biggest Surprise 1988-2022

36. 1992 - Sid Turns On Hogan

Edge Royal Rumble
WWE.com

Shocking as it was so see Ric Flair win the Royal Rumble (and WWE Championship) from the #3 spot, 'the 60 minute man' had gone long in pursuit of glory before he arrived in the company. The twist in the contest's closing moments that helped him over the line reflected major incoming changes at the top of the card.

The Rumble, even with 'The Nature Boy' looming, was surely Hulk Hogan's to lose. Which he did when now-former friend Sid Justice tipped him over the top. Hogan was a rotten sport about it, but the post-match aggro between the behemoths foreshadowed one half of WrestleMania VIII's double main event. Interestingly, the live crowd popped big for Justice's betrayal, forcing the company to hastily doctor re-runs of the clip with blatantly sweetened sound.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett