The Deceased Dozen Of The 1990 Royal Rumble

1. Jimmy Snuka (18 May 1943 – 15 January 2017)

Ultimate Warrior Rumble 90
WWE

The most controversial figure on this list and the most recent to pass away, Jimmy Snuka spent the majority of his late-80s/early-90s WWE return making up the numbers, which was mostly the service he provided at the 1990 Royal Rumble.

Entering at #17, Snuka did make an initial statement, going nose to nose with Akeem and actually eliminating the enormous 'African Dream'.

But beyond that first flourish, the 'Superfly' was included in a cast of superstars designed to fill space in the ring for Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior to clear later in the match.

Subsequently, Snuka engaged in the worst of the Rumble tropes, spending upwards of fifteen minutes plodding from corner to corner for listless fisticuffs with whomever happened to be there.

That said, Snuka was allowed to look faintly brave in his eventual elimination by 'The Hulkster', briefly firing back on Hogan with a flurry of punches before he was finally clotheslined out.

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Contributor

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