Ranking Every WWE Title Match At Royal Rumble - From Worst To Best
31. Royal Rumble 2004 - Brock Lesnar Vs. Hardcore Holly
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Did anyone really believe that Hardcore Holly would dethrone Brock Lesnar and become WWE Champion at the 2004 Royal Rumble?
This was a match solely booked around the fact that Holly's previous match with the Next Big Thing ended up with Hardcore suffering a legit broken neck that put him on the shelf for 13 months. Returning full of piss and vinegar, and with Lesnar in his crosshairs, the one-time Sparky Plugg landed himself a WWE Title match in time for WWE's annual January extravaganza.
In front of a silenced Wachovia Center crowd in Philadelphia, Brock put Holly away in barely six minutes at the '04 Rumble. Bar an early flurry of stiff offense and an Alabama Slam, the match was all Lesnar, with the dominant heel barely breaking a sweat as he retained his gold with an F5.
When looking at WWE Title matches that have taken place on Premium Live Events, this was as close to a squash as it gets. But hey, at least facing the Beast Incarnate on a PLE should have hopefully led to a decent payday for Hardcore.