Nearly every WWE Royal Rumble event has something meaningful or memorable to boast about, whether that be a major return, a shocking win, or even making headlines for being an all-time dud (see Royal Rumble 2022 for example). In 2005, the PPV was full to the brim with star power, with World Champions and future Hall of Famers, and it offered up many things that fans should know about.
From unique statistics, memorable eliminations, and one of the most infamous endings to any WWE PPV in history, this was a very noteworthy show, even if everything didn’t go exactly to plan when all was said and done.
10 Daniel Puder’s Beating
Daniel Puder had a very notable yet short stay in WWE, getting signed to the company after winning the Tough Enough competition. His first controversial moment came when he and Kurt Angle had a shoot wrestling match on-screen, in which Puder very nearly caused serious injury to the Olympic Gold Medallist.
In the lead-up to the Royal Rumble, Puder had apparently been getting a little too big for his boots, even bragging about defeating Hardcore Holly on house shows. Due to the nature of WWE at the time, with him being a rookie, others didn’t take kindly to this, and gave him quite the beating at the Royal Rumble, with Hardcore Holly giving him extra hard chops.
9 A Forgotten TNA Invasion
WWE produced quite a unique and fun commercial for the Royal Rumble event in 2005, with superstars dressing up as characters from West Side Story.
The commercial was filmed in Orlando, right where TNA was being taped at the time. So for a bit of fun, many members of the TNA roster invaded the shoot, with some harmless pranks. TNA would even air the footage of this invasion.
8 Paul London’s Iconic Royal Rumble Elimination
There have been many memorable eliminations over the years, with superstars finding a whole manner of different ways to make getting thrown over the top rope look special and unique. However, 2005 offered one of the most notable eliminations of all time.
Paul London was on the apron and ran into a massive clothesline from Snitsky, causing London to backflip and land directly on his front. Although this was a great moment, those in the back weren’t a fan, as London was looked at as trying to steal the spotlight.
7 Every Competitor Aligned To Take Out Muhammad Hassan
The Muhammad Hassan character is among the more controversial in WWE history. At the 2005 Royal Rumble, a very strange situation occurred. Despite there being a range of heels and babyfaces in the ring, everyone stopped fighting when he made his entrance.
With roaring chants of “USA”, everyone teamed up to take out Hassan, which was a bit odd, especially since Edge was a Canadian and was one of the wrestlers involved.
6 Brothers Of Destruction Reunion
One of the undercard matches saw The Undertaker take on Heidenreich in an awful Casket Match. After Snitsky interfered on behalf of Heidenreich, Kane appeared in the casket, helping his brother in a small-scale Brothers of Destruction reunion.
They had previously feuded within the last year, so it was a surprise to see them team up once again, albeit due to just having common enemies.
5 A Notable Final Four
When it comes to the final competitors in a Royal Rumble, it is often reserved for the biggest names in the match, with that mostly including main eventers and former World Champions. In 2005, WWE made the bold decision to have four competitors in the final four who hadn’t won a World Title.
Batista, John Cena, Edge, and Rey Mysterio were all competitors who hadn’t won a Rumble or a top prize before, adding to the excitement with it being confirmed that someone new was about to break out into the main event scene.
4 First PPV In 20 Years To Not Include A Tag Team Match
Over the last decade or so, there have been some WWE events in which a tag team match hasn’t taken place, sometimes due to the division not getting enough focus. However, this wasn’t a common thing - in fact, for the first 20 years of WWE producing PPVs, there was just one event where there was no tag team match.
The Wrestling Classic in 1985, WWE’s second-ever PPV, had a tournament take place throughout, leaving no room for a tag team encounter. It took all the way up to this show in 2005 for a PPV to take place with a tag team match being absent. The undercard was solely just singles matches.
3 Batista & John Cena Botched The Royal Rumble Match Finish
Batista and John Cena managed to outlast the field by reaching the final two in the Royal Rumble match, with the pair going back and forth. Batista lifted Cena up for his finishing move, but lost his balance, leading to the pair tumbling over the top rope, simultaneously hitting the floor.
This was a major botch, with a saving grace being that they each hit the floor at the same time. It initially looked as though it had been planned, with WWE running this finish previously with Bret Hart and Lex Luger.
2 Began A Streak Of Runners-Up Getting Title Matches
Batista would eventually win the Rumble match after it was restarted, but even though Cena finished second, he still earned a title shot for WrestleMania against JBL. This set a trend over the next five years of runner-ups in Rumbles still managing to find their way to a World Title match at WrestleMania.
Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, Triple H (twice), and John Cena once again all finished second over the subsequent years, but ended up in the World Title picture.
1 Vince McMahon Tore Both His Quads
The ending of the Rumble match was complete mayhem, with referees trying to fix the botch on the fly by holding up the hands of both men. This led to an irate Vince McMahon coming out from the back to fix the situation.
When sliding into the ring and attempting to stand up, he tore both his quads, crashing down to the mat in a surreal moment. Fans didn’t know what to make of it, though the match was quickly restarted with Batista dumping out Cena.