5 Worst WWE Royal Rumble Winners of All-Time

By Tim Sherry | Jan 12, 2017

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Credit: wwe.com

5. Lex Luger – 1994

No disrespect to “The Total Package” but Luger’s co-win at the 1994 Royal Rumble and his subsequent title match at Wrestlemania X was essentially a microcosm of his tenure with the then WWF. Originally brought in as the nonsensical “Narcissist”, Lex had a chance to become the face of the company after Hulk Hogan’s departure from the company in 1993.

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It made sense. After spending 6 years in the NWA/WCW and winning every major title that promotion had to offer, Luger seemed like the perfect replacement for The Hulkster. He had the body builder chiseled look, long blonde hair, and outstanding babyface charisma that with some work, could connect him with the audience as the #1 good guy. There was just one problem. The WWF refused to commit to Luger and the idea of him being a main event attraction.

And then the 1994 Rumble rolled around. Luger, clad in his captain America garb, entered 23rd, eliminated 5 people and found himself across the ring from the guy who the company deep down wanted to be the next big thing, but were also hesitant to commit to, Bret Hart. So instead of making a definitive decision on who should win and go to Wrestlemania and face Yokozuna, the two men toppled over the top rope together, negating a solo win.

So at Wrestlemania X both men faced the 600 pound Sumo wrestler. Luger took him on early in the card and managed to lose via a bogus disqualification while Hart went on to win the belt in the main event. There was nothing inherently wrong with Luger’s win or Lex for that matter. But you can chalk this failure up to the WWE’s inability to make a decision and dig their heels in.

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