10 WWE Royal Rumble Entrants NOBODY Wanted
Spare a thought for these poor, unwanted souls who blighted WWE Royal Rumble matches.
WWE's annual Royal Rumble match is cherished by fans of all ages, and it always will be. In 2018, the company diversified the event to include a 30-woman match, and they'd played around with the established format a few times before that too. In 2023, people expect two things: The right winners and bags of surprises.
Some entrants will be unwanted though.
That's just the way it shakes out - only a handful of the 30-strong field can be considered viable winners, and that means there's a hell of a lot of filler coming out after those crowd-pleasing countdowns. That's fine, because folks are there to enjoy the overall experience, but...what about those entrants audiences definitely didn't want?
You'll be slightly shocked by some of the names here. One, in particular, is a beloved legend who really didn't deserve to be booed out of the building. Others on show achieved international recognition elsewhere, but were considered dull picks to the core WWF/WWE fanbase at the time.
All together now. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...HONK! Oh, oh it's that wrestler. Nobody wants to see him/her tonight, right? How embarrassing for WWE.
10. Hornswoggle (2011)
Picture the scene: John Cena and CM Punk are working a double down spot after going back-and-forth. Suddenly, the 2011 Rumble's 23rd entrant is about to run on down and take advantage. Who is it? It's...it's...Hornswoggle?! Yes, that's right - lil' Horny was picked for the worst possible moment in the match.
WWE were going for comedy relief here, clearly, but nobody in attendance wanted it. They were choking to see somebody big time stroll out and make an impact on the match. Instead, they got Hornswoggle teaming up with Cena to run through some of his familiar spots, and the wee man lasted over 10 minutes in the Rumble after that.
Sheamus earned polite cheers for smashing Hornswoggle with a boot that sent him tumbling to the ringside mats, which says it all. Even young kids (the character's target demographic) must've been deflated when he came out mid-Punk vs. Cena. This was a real missed opportunity.