A night of boos and controversy at the 2014 Royal Rumble
In short: The 2014 Royal Rumble is often cited as one of WWE's worst pay-per-view events. Despite the high stakes of a WrestleMania XXX title shot, the Pittsburgh crowd reacted with overwhelming negativity, booing the winner and chanting for performers not even in the match.
The 27th annual Royal Rumble, which occurred on January 26, 2014, at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Consol Energy Center, marked a major shift for WWE. It was the first time the event was hosted in Pittsburgh and the first WWE pay-per-view held at this specific venue. The event was also unique for its championship structure; following the unification of the World Heavyweight and WWE Championships at TLC the previous month, this was the first Rumble since 2002 where the winner faced only one eligible title at WrestleMania XXX: the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
The main event saw the return of Batista, who had been absent from WWE for nearly four years. Batista won the 30-man battle royal by last eliminating Roman Reigns, becoming a two-time winner and only the fifth multi-time winner in history, joining legends like Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels. However, the victory was met with heavy boos from the audience, who instead chanted for Daniel Bryan and Reigns. This tension reflected a broader dissatisfaction with the scripted storylines, which are predetermined by WWE writers.
The event was also marked by significant departures and shifts in the industry. It served as the final WWE appearance for CM Punk, who left the company on bad terms the following day, leading to a seven-and-a-half-year retirement from wrestling. Additionally, the 2014 event was the final Royal Rumble to air exclusively via traditional pay-per-view, as the WWE Network streaming service launched the following month. The event drew 467,000 buys, an 8.8% decrease from the 512,000 buys recorded the previous year.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Royal Rumble (2014)
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