WWE Royal Rumble Debut Wrestlers: Where Are They Now?
From Hall of Fame members to iced tea salesmen...
WWE's past few Royal Rumbles have been underwhelming, but few can deny the event's importance. It's an annual highlight for many a wrestling fan, and one of the few nights of the year where thrills, spills, and big surprises are almost guaranteed. This year's features one of the most star-studded line-ups in history, and all eyes will be on San Antonio's colossal Alamodome this Sunday night.
The Royal Rumble is a pro-wrestling institution, and it all started almost 30 years ago. Pat Patterson came up with the iconic over-the-top-rope format, and on January 24, 1988, WWE presented the first ever Royal Rumble live from Hamilton, Ontario.
The trial run wasn't entirely successful, however. The first Rumble was lacking in star-power, and consisted primarily of midcarders. It birthed little in the way of storylines and angles, and while the first ten minutes were relatively interesting, it devolved to a mindless brawl as the ring started filling up.
Still, it's impossible to deny the match's revolutionary impact. Subsequent years saw the Rumble expanded from 20 to 30 competitors, with the winner guaranteed a WWE Championship shot at WrestleMania, and the event has since birthed some of WWE's most memorable moments.
The Rumble has come a long way since 1988, and life has taken the debut Royal Rumble entrants down a number of different paths over the past 29 years. Where are they now? Let's take a look.
20. Butch Reed
Butch Reed joined WWE in 1986 and engaged in high-profile feuds with the likes of Ricky Steamboat and Superstar Billy Graham during his time there, but much like most of the men in this match, he was never much more than a midcarder. His WWE run was already coming to an end by the time the first Royal Rumble rolled around, and he put in a dismal showing, lasting little over three minutes before his eventual elimination.
Reed stuck around for just a couple more months and left shortly after WrestleMania. From there, Reed joined WCW and established a reputation as a tag team specialist, but he left for the independent circuit in 1992, and "retired" in 2002. He made several small scale appearances over the following years, and wrestled his last match in November 2011.
Now 62 years old, Reed's wrestling days are finally behind him, but it has been a tumultuous retirement. Reed was briefly locked-up for parole violation in 2012, and currently finds himself embroiled in a legal battle. In July 2016, Reed's name was listed along with 50 others as part of a class action lawsuit against WWE for allegedly concealing the risk of traumatic brain injuries, ensuring you won't hear his name mentioned on WWE programming anytime soon.