WWE Royal Rumble Entrants That Went Missing

With 30 people in an over-the-top rope battle royal, quite a lot can go wrong during a Royal Rumble match. 

This even extends to scheduled Rumble entrants not making it to the match for one reason or another, with injuries, firings and no-shows forcing WWE into coming up with a plan B.

18. The Widowmaker - 1990

Barry Windham had several runs in WWE between 1984 and 1998, most famously as a member of WWE Hall of Fame tag team The US Express and most infamously as The Stalker.

Windham’s briefest run in WWE occurred in 1989, when he wrestled as The Widowmaker. Under the gimmick, the former member of the Four Horsemen secured wins in short squash matches ahead of a push up the card, but that push never materialised as The Widowmaker wrestled his last match on October 7, 1989, just four months after his debut. 

Despite this, Windham was still advertised as a participant in the 1990 Royal Rumble match, which took place over three months later. By that point, however, it was clear that Windham, who was also scheduled to play a part in the 1989 Survivor Series, was done, as his father Blackjack Mulligan and brother Kendall Windham were in serious trouble with the United States government on charges related to counterfeiting, and Barry was off the road to support his family. 

The Widowmaker was, ultimately, replaced in the 1990 Rumble by The Red Rooster, who entered at number 12 and managed to survive for just under two minutes before being thrown over the top rope by Andre the Giant.

Curiously, The Widowmaker was still listed as a Rumble participant on the show’s original Coliseum Video VHS release.

17. Randy Savage, Andre The Giant, Honky Tonk Man & Buddy Rose - 1991

Several wrestlers failed to appear in the 1991 Royal Rumble despite being advertised for the event. Randy Savage was even at the Royal Rumble, interfering in The Ultimate Warrior’s WWF Title defence against Sgt. Slaughter to cost Warrior the title. Savage was scheduled to enter the Rumble at #18, but he ended up no-showing the match as part of the storyline with Warrior, with the explanation being that Warrior had chased the Macho King out of the arena. 

Randy Savage wasn’t the only non-appearance at the 1991 Royal Rumble, however. A December 1990 Superstars of Wrestling episode revealed the first 20 entrants in the Rumble, which included the returning Andre the Giant and the Honky Tonk Man. 

Neither man was around for the pay-per-view as Andre missed the show due to his declining health, while Honky Tonk Man exited the World Wrestling Federation in January 1991 after asking for his release. 

WWF Magazine also claimed in January 1991 that “Playboy” Buddy Rose would be in the Rumble, but he wasn’t there, working his last WWF match on January 14, 1991. 

16. Nailz, The British Bulldog, Kamala, Crush & Jim Duggan - 1993

The 1993 Royal Rumble could have looked very different had a handful of stars originally earmarked to enter the match made it to the 30-man battle royal. 

Chief among them was Nailz, who looked set to clash with The Undertaker at some point in the near future, rumoured to be in an Electric Chair Match at WrestleMania IX.

Nailz was shown on the official Rumble poster, but Kevin Wacholz would not make it to the Sleep Train Arena as planned after attacking Vince McMahon at the December 14, 1992 house show in Green Bay, Wisconsin over a dispute about his pay. Nailz was immediately fired and was replaced in the Royal Rumble by Skinner. 

Also on the Rumble poster but not in the match was The British Bulldog, who would have been in the Rumble had he not been fired after testing positive for human growth hormone at a time when WWF were trying to keep things clean.

Kamala was also on the poster - and the back of the VHS tape - but didn’t make the match, while Crush and Jim Duggan were advertised as participants on TV but were nowhere to be found on the night. Crush was gone due to selling a storyline injury as part of his feud with Doink the Clown, while Duggan was injured at a Superstars TV taping in early January during a match with Yokozuna and was sidelined until March. 

Nailz ended up being replaced by Damien Demento, while Crush was replaced by the Red Rooster, Duggan was replaced by Max Moon, and Carlos Colon took the spot intended for Davey Boy Smith. 

15. Ludvig Borga, 1-2-3 Kid, Kamala & Bastion Booger - 1994

Finnish menace Ludvig Borga was supposed to pull double duty at the 1994 Royal Rumble pay-per-view but he didn’t end up making an appearance and never returned to WWE after the event. 

Borga was booked to work a grudge match against Tatanka ahead of an appearance in the Rumble match itself. Unfortunately for Borga, he suffered a bad ankle injury during a match with Rick Steiner at a Madison Square Garden house show just five days before the Rumble, ruling him out. 

Stepping up to take on Tatanka was Bam Bam Bigelow, while Borga was replaced by Kwang in the Rumble. 

Borga wasn’t the only wrestler MIA in the Rumble, as Kamala, 1-2-3 Kid and Bastion Booger also missed out. Kamala was replaced by Virgil and Sean Waltman had his number given to Thurman ‘Sparky’ Plugg after Kid blew out his knee in a non-televised Rumble at the same MSG house show that Borga hurt himself. 

Kamala – who hadn’t been seen since the previous summer – was replaced for unknown reasons. Booger, meanwhile, simply didn’t show up, with Vince McMahon on commentary claiming the superheavyweight had eaten himself sick.

14. Jim Neidhart - 1995

Jim Neidhart had several runs in WWE, but he always seemed to find a way to get fired by the company, which was the case once again in late 1994, and kept him out of the Royal Rumble.

The Anvil had only returned to WWE in June of 1994. By the end of the year, Neidhart had aligned with brother-in-law Owen Hart against former Hart Foundation tag partner Bret Hart. According to Bret’s autobiography, Owen and Neidhart were pencilled in to win the WWE Tag Team Title tournament for the vacant straps, but those plans were scrapped after Neidhart was released for no-showing too many dates. 

Drafted in to take his spot in the 1995 Rumble was Rick Martel, who hadn’t been on WWE TV for the best part of a whole year. The Rumble would mark The Model’s last WWE appearance. 

13. Bam Bam Bigelow, Buddy Landel & Skip - 1996

The 1995 Royal Rumble pay-per-view would be a significant night in the career of Bam Bam Bigelow. He didn’t win the titular match due to not being an entrant, but his angle with NFL star Lawrence Taylor on the night did set in motion the series of events that led to him main eventing The Showcase of the Immortals. 

Regrettably, that proved to be the high point for Bam Bam and, by the end of the year, he was desperate to leave the company, primarily due to backstage issues with The Kliq. 

Bigelow was scheduled to enter the 1996 Royal Rumble, but never made it to the match. Though Bigelow requiring elbow surgery was given as a reason for his absence around that time, the truth is he was already gone, with his last match for the company being a loss to Goldust at the 1995 Survivor Series.

Buddy Landel and Skip were also advertised as Rumble entrants in 1996. Landel was injured and Skip was instead booked in a regular tag bout on the show as The Bodydonnas did the honours for WWE Tag Team Champions The Smoking Gunns. 

Bigelow, Landel and Skip being out allowed Hakushi, Tatanka and Aldo Montoya to come in.

12. The Executioner - 1997

Had WWE signed Terry Gordy during his 1980s to early 90s prime, things would have been very different. 

Sadly for Gordy, the former Freebird put pen to paper with Titan Sports in 1996, reportedly as a favour to his friend Michael Hayes. This was a few years after an overdose on a flight to Japan had left Gordy with permanent brain damage. 

Following the issue, Gordy struggled mightily inside the squared circle, with it being a miracle he could walk and talk again, never mind wrestle.

Gordy’s struggles included a handful of matches, including an In Your House contest against The Undertaker as The Executioner. After losing to The Undertaker and being dumped by manager Paul Bearer, WWE still advertised The Executioner as an entrant in the 1997 Royal Rumble. Gordy was let go after working a few house shows in early January, however. 

11. Triple H & Skull - 1998

Hunter Hearst Helmsley’s star was on the rise by the time the 1998 Royal Rumble came around.

Aligned with Shawn Michaels and Chyna in D-Generation X, Triple H was reigning as European Champion and would have no doubt played a big part in the Rumble had he made it into the match. Three weeks before the big day, however, The Game injured his knee during a match on a house show in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 

Ruled out until mid-February, Hunter at the Rumble out, even if he did show up to help eliminate Owen Hart.

The WWE roster was thin at the time, with many on the pay-per-view having to work double duty to pad out the field, a field that saw Mick Foley enter as Cactus Jack, Mankind and Dude Love. 

With the pickings slim, WWE called up The Honky Tonk Man, not long removed from his stint managing Rockabilly. 

The #22 entrant also didn’t reach the ring for the Royal Rumble as Skull was attacked by Los Boricuas backstage in a case of mistaken identity as the faction believed they were laying out “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. This meant the Disciples of Apocalypse’s faction member never entered the match, and he wasn’t replaced either, leaving just 29 participants in the Rumble.

10. Headbanger Mosh - 1999

One half of The Headbangers was originally scheduled to be in the 1999 Royal Rumble, but he never made it onto the entrance ramp. When #11 came up, Mosh was nowhere to be seen and the broadcast cut backstage to show him being laid out by Mabel. 

Mabel then took Mosh’s place, but this didn’t end well for the soon-to-be Viscera as he was sent over the top rope by Bradshaw, Faarooq and Mideon, before he was taken to the back to become a member of the Ministry of Darkness.

9. Test - 2004

Test was scheduled to be an entrant in the 2004 Royal Rumble, but he was laid out in an unseen backstage attack.

Instead of the former Intercontinental Champion entering the match, Mick Foley replaced him and looked to exact revenge on Randy Orton, with Foley continuing his programme with the Legend Killer as he eliminated Orton and himself from the match after haymaker after haymaker.

8. Nunzio - 2005

Nunzio went missing from the Royal Rumble match, but that was simply because the Full Blooded Italians member was too scared. 

After Kurt Angle had failed to capture the WWE Championship earlier in the night, he stole Nunzio’s number in the Rumble and dared the ECW original to take it back. Little Guido, of course, just resigned himself to his fate. 

Angle forcing his way into the Rumble led to one of the best WrestleMania matches of all time as he ran wild until The Wrestling Machine was sent over the top rope by Shawn Michaels. Despite being eliminated, Angle ran back into the ring and tossed out HBK. 

7. Chavo Guerrero - 2009

Official Royal Rumble entrant Chavo Guerrero wasn’t even doing double duty in 2009 when he got pulled from the Rumble match due to being unfit to compete.

This came after Chavo had taken a big splash through the announce table after trying to interfere on Edge’s behalf in the La Familia member’s No Disqualification WWE Title match with Jeff Hardy, which was enough to bench him.

Guerrero was replaced by Jim Duggan, with the first-ever Royal Rumble winner entering as a surprise at number 29.

6. William Regal - 2010

William Regal was involved at the 2010 Royal Rumble, accompanying Ezekiel Jackson to the ring for his ECW World Heavyweight Title defence, only to be ejected during the contest. This would have seen Regal pull double duty, as he had already been announced for the Rumble match on WWE TV and the company’s website, but he failed to appear in the Rumble when the match took place. 

It’s unclear why Regal didn’t end up being in the match. He didn’t appear to be injured as he wrestled five nights earlier on ECW TV, and he continued to work house show matches in and around the Royal Rumble. 

There were also no outside surprise entries, as the only surprises were Edge and Beth Phoenix.

5. Cody Rhodes, David Hart Smith & Darren Young - 2011

The 2011 Royal Rumble was a mega edition of the match, featuring 40 entrants, but WWE still couldn’t find space for Cody Rhodes, David Hart Smith, and Darren Young. 

All three were announced for the Rumble, but Cody pulled himself out of the match after his “Dashing” face was smashed by Rey Mysterio on SmackDown ahead of the Rumble.

There was no storyline reason for the absences of Young and Smith, though, and they just weren’t in the match.

4. Justin Gabriel & Los Matadores - 2015

Justin Gabriel was scheduled for the 2015 Royal Rumble, but he failed to appear at the pay-per-view after quitting WWE just 24 hours before the pay-per-view. 

Gabriel by this point was doing little on WWE TV, wrestling nothing matches on Main Event while also working under the Bunny costume alongside Adam Rose. 

It is unknown exactly who replaced Gabriel in the match, but he wasn’t the only talent who was in and then out, as Los Matadores were also listed as official participants until the day before the show when they, too, were cut from the field.

3. Alicia Fox - 2018

The 2018 Royal Rumble was a historic occasion, as it was the first time WWE presented an all-female Rumble match. 

As well as current main roster stars and women from NXT, WWE Hall of Famers and other names from the past showed up for the match, which was given the headline spot on the night. 

With so much pressure to get things right and give a good first impression, it’s understandable that WWE would stage a rehearsal the day before, especially with the expected rustiness of some of the performers involved.

Alicia Fox, who was planned for the match, broke her tailbone during the walkthrough, and she was ruled out of the contest. She would be sidelined for close to six months. 

Called at the last minute, NXT’s Kairi Sane took Alicia’s spot in the match. The Sky Pirate entered the fray at #6 and lasted just under five minutes before being eliminated by Dana Brooke.

2. Bobby Lashley, Rusev, Otis, Tucker & Buddy Murphy - 2020

As of January 3, 26 names had already declared for the men’s Royal Rumble match, including Bobby Lashley, Rusev, Buddy Murphy, and Otis & Tucker of Heavy Machinery. None of them actually ended up competing in the Rumble match, however. 

The reason for Lashley and Rusev missing the Rumble was easily explained as they were involved in a brawl with each other before the Rumble pay-per-view, as they continued their programme that kicked off in 2019 when Lana revealed Lashley was her new boyfriend after a split with Rusev. 

Otis and Tucker’s absences may have simply been a change of plans, as Otis got involved in the Women’s Royal Rumble, saving Mandy Rose from elimination by lying down at ringside, allowing Rose to avoid having her feet touch the floor in one of the match’s most innovative saves in show history.

Buddy Murphy, meanwhile, worked alongside AOP to help their faction leader Seth Rollins after he entered at #30, assisting Rollins with eliminations until they were chased off by Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe. 

1. Madcap Moss - 2023

Riddick Moss only ever competed in one Royal Rumble - the 2022 edition of the match - but he was originally scheduled to enter another 30-man over-the-top battle Royale

During his Madcap days, Moss was announced as an entrant in the 2023 Royal Rumble during the Kickoff Show before the pay-per-view. Yet, just hours later, he didn’t end up being one of the 30 entrants in the contest. 

Moss would tread water in WWE until his release in September 2023.