The 10 Worst Matches At The Royal Rumble PPV, According To Dave Meltzer

While Royal Rumble matches tend to capture the most attention from wrestling fans and critics when it comes down to the Royal Rumble premium live event, there are several matches on the undercard that are sometimes good contests. However, some matches at the Royal Rumble are on the card just to kill time and to fill the card. Unfortunately, not every match at the Royal Rumble has failed to live up to the hype, and some bouts have served their purpose by being underwhelming matches.

Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer has followed the Royal Rumble since the first event in January 1988. In his Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he has not hesitated to pick out the worst matches in the history of Royal Rumble with some bouts being incredibly slow, sloppy, and short.

10 Natalya Vs. Layla Vs. Eve Torres Vs. Michelle McCool - 2011 (DUD)

Natalya v Layla v Eve Torres v Michelle McCool Royal Rumble 2011 Cropped

Natalya was scheduled to defend the Divas Championship against LayCool in a handicap match at the 2011 Royal Rumble, but the Anonymous Raw General Manager made it a fatal-4-way match with Eve Torres, the fourth participant in the match. LayCool worked as a cohesive unit in a bid to regain the Divas Championship.

There was nothing special about this Divas Championship match, and it gets lost in the shuffle because of the other marquee matches on the card. Eve executed a moonsault on Layla, and she captured her second Divas Championship.

9 King Haku Vs. Harley Race - 1989 (DUD)

Harley Race v Haku Royal Rumble 1989 Cropped

King Haku collided with his Heenan Family stablemate Harley Race with the King of the Ring crown and cape at stake. This was an underwhelming match, and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan was managing both competitors. Both men were heels, and the action was slow and methodical.

Race was no longer at his peak and he was coming to the closing stages of his career. Race executed the piledriver on Haku, but Haku prevailed after he connected with a thrust kick to the face.

8 Sable Vs. Luna - 1999 (DUD)

Sable defended the WWE Women's Championship against Luna at the 1999 Royal Rumble in a strap match. Sable sold her back injuries after Luna viciously assaulted her with a strap on Heat. Moreover, Shane McMahon was at the broadcast table in Luna's corner.

Luna dominated the match, and she was close to touching the fourth turnbuckle to win the Women's Championship. Nonetheless, Tori emerged through the crowd, and she helped Sable to retain the Women's Title in an average title bout.

7 The New Age Outlaws Vs. APA - 2000 (DUD)

The New Age Outlaws v APA Royal Rumble 2000 Cropped

APA became the number one contender for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Armageddon 1999 after they won a battle royal. They challenged the New Age Outlaws for the titles at the 2000 Royal Rumble in a match that was under three minutes.

Had teams been provided with more time, they would have produced a better championship match. The Acolytes hit Dogg with a double powerbomb, but X-Pac interfered to save his DX stablemates. Gunn executed the Fameasser on Bradshaw to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships.

6 The Boogeyman Vs. JBL - 2006 (DUD)

The Boogyeman v JBL Royal Rumble 2006 Cropped

At the 2006 Royal Rumble, JBL collided with The Boogeyman in one of the worst matches in JBL's career. A year prior, he entered the event as the reigning WWE Champion. JBL pushed Jillian in the way, and he ran out of the ring.

JBL got the upper hand by fighting Boogeyman on the outside of the ring. Their wrestling match was underwhelming, and JBL went for the Clothesline From Hell, but he crashed and burned into the turnbuckle. Boogeyman was victorious in just under 2 minutes with a pumphandle slam.

5 Torrie Wilson Vs. Dawn Marie - 2003 (DUD)

Dawn Marie v Torrie Wilson Royal Rumble 2003 Cropped

Torrie Wilson and Dawn Marie clashed at the 2003 Royal Rumble in the first non-WWE Women's Championship match between women to take place at the Rumble. This was dubbed as the first-ever "Stepmother vs. Stepdaughter" match as Marie was married to Torrie's father Al.

As expected, this was never going to be a technical wrestling match, and it was a poor match to be on a pay-per-view as big as the Royal Rumble. Ultimately, Torrie picked up the victory in a forgettable wrestling match.

4 Evolution Vs. The Dudley Boyz - 2004 (-1.5 Stars)

Evolution v The Dudley Boyz Royal Rumble 2004 Cropped

Evolution's Ric Flair and Batista defended the World Tag Team Championship against the Dudley Boyz in a tag team tables match at the 2004 Royal Rumble. The Dudleys almost put Naitch through a table with a double suplex, but Batista moved the table out of the way.

The Dudleys were gearing up for the 3D but Coach came down the aisle and his ribs were taped up. The match only lasted five minutes, and Batista hit a spinebuster on D-Von through the tables with Coach making the official announcement on the mic.

3 Mickie James Vs. Ashley - 2006 (-1.5 Stars)

Mickie James v Ashley Massaro Royal Rumble 2006 Cropped

WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus was the special guest referee in the personal clash between Mickie James and Ashley at the 2006 Royal Rumble. Mickie had an obsession with Trish, and she couldn't contain her jealousy as Ashley struck up a friendship with Trish.

This was a poor wrestling match with Ashley, the 2005 Diva Search winner not on Mickie's level. The match wasn't memorable, but Mickie picked up a victory in her first match at the Royal Rumble.

2 The Beverly Brothers Vs. The Bushwhackers - 1992 (-1.5 Stars)

The Beverly Brothers v The Bushwhackers Royal Rumble 1992 Cropped

Fans were subjected to enduring a 15-minute match between the Beverly Brothers and the Bushwhackers at the 1992 Royal Rumble. Unquestionably, this was the worst match on the card, and one of the worst pay-per-view matches of the year.

The Beverly Brothers and The Bushwhackers' match never should have lasted as long as it did. The fans were behind The Bushwhackers, but the Beverly Brothers were triumphant as a double ax handle was enough for them to get the job done.

1 Jim Duggan Vs. Big Boss Man - 1990 (-2.5 Stars)

Jim Duggan v Big Boss Man Royal Rumble 1990 Cropped

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan was the inaugural Royal Rumble match winner in 1988, and two years later, he was going head-to-head with Big Boss Man. Boss Man was in Slick's corner, and Slick gave Boss Man a quick pep talk on the outside.

Boss Man showcased his tremendous athleticism by hitting Duggan with an enziguri. Their bout was slow-paced with Boss Man dominating proceedings. However, Slick handed Boss Man his nightstick, and Boss Man got disqualified as he hit Duggan with it twice.