The 2016 Royal Rumble is notable for various reasons; AJ Styles debuted in WWE, Triple H won his 14th World title, and Brock Lesnar was eliminated bizarrely despite being one of the top picks to win.
When Brock Lesnar entered the Battle Royale at number 23, he was not only one of the top picks but also stood a chance to be the World Champion, as then-World Champion Roman Reigns was also in the match.
All was going well for “The Beast Incarnate” as he eliminated Jack Swagger and the Wyatt Family (minus Bray Wyatt). However, things changed as soon as Wyatt entered the match.
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The eliminated trio of Braun Strowman, Luke Harper, and Eric Rowan came back to eliminate Lesnar even though they were not officially in the match anymore.
Within seconds of Bray entering the match, the Wyatt Family ganged up on Lesnar. Although the former UFC Champion tried to fight back, he was outnumbered and soon went over the top rope.
Later on, Wyatt got eliminated by the eventual winner, Triple H. Even though Brock couldn’t win the match, there was one Superstar whom he left an indelible impact on.
Jake Hager revealed his favorite Royal Rumble moment was when Brock Lesnar eliminated him
Jack Swagger (who now goes by Jake Hager in AEW) recently spoke to Fightful and revealed his favorite moment from his time in the battle royale. It was also from 2016, where Lesnar threw him out within minutes of his entrance.
“The time I was in there was the shortest where Lesnar just threw me out. I really think that was my favorite because that was the most I got paid for a Royal Rumble with the shortest time,” Hager revealed.
“It was literally seven seconds. It was like duck a clothesline, F-5, see ya. Mike Chioda came running over to me, he was so upset. He was like, “Swags, what was that?” I just turned to him and said, “I just got tagged, Chi-chi. What do you want?” Hager laughed.
Well, it is not something new! Reportedly, WWE often pays its talents more if they make others look good. Hager also gave his honest opinion on the match itself and the importance of building each other up.
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“They say every pro wrestling match is different, and every gimmick is definitely different. Being in the Royal Rumbles definitely helped me prepare with that and helped other people set their stuff up,” said Hager.
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People want to be in the spotlight but often have to think about others, especially in a match like the Royal Rumble.
What are you looking forward to at this year’s Royal Rumble? Let us know in the comments below.