WWE Matches That Were PAINFUL To Watch

3. The Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble 2015)

Keith Lee Karrion Kross paIN
WWE.com

Will time ever be kind to the worst iteration of WWE's best gimmick match?

With the passing years and the various changes in the wrestling industry that have come along with them, the crimes committed against basic pro wrestling promotion in 2015's Royal Rumble don't seem quite as cruel, cynical and outwardly antagonistic.

It's still the work of the worst of Vince McMahon of course; a fool with money that was still years away from resigning in disgrace and digging his heels in further than ever about what he believed wrestling was supposed to be - namely Big Show and Kane destroying your faves, the manky old boss forcing his pet project on everybody, and a sentimental favourite drowning in an organisation that had forgotten the meaning of the word.

A stilted and awkward watch now, it's not hyperbolic to say it was genuinely headache-inducing at the time. It remains the best example of a match where everything - top babyfaces, earned heat for heels, the most beloved concept match in pro wrestling history, everything - dies in front of your very eyes.

Contributor
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