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

35. 1993 - Bob Backlund's Big Night

Edge Royal Rumble
WWE

The 1993 Royal Rumble lacked stars and stories, but an unlikely hero (briefly) emerged in the form of Bob Backlund.

Breaking the iron man record set by Ric Flair a year earlier (on one of Flair's last nights with the company, no less...), Backlund's engine got him some sizeable support by the end of the match. The crowd were audibly devastated when eventual winner Yokozuna tossed him after 61 minutes. Something of a nonentity going in, the former WWE Champion only once came close to recapturing the magic as a babyface during his return, and it was here.

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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