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Winning the Royal Rumble guarantees you a match for a major championship at WrestleMania. Even if you don’t win the title then, most Rumble winners have been a major title holder in the WWE at some point. If you don’t win, one good performance is enough to cement a legacy. Stone Cold Steve Austin’s record third Rumble win was overshadowed by Kane eliminating 11 opponents in the same match.
With every legacy there is some infamy. Many people believe that the #14 position is cursed. Even veterans have noticed that people who follow #13 suffer major misfortunes. These include careers ending, injuries occurring and even deaths. But is the curse real? Or are some people looking too closely at a bunch of coincidences? Decide for yourself.
Evidence for the Curse
1988 – Ron Bass
This was Bass’ final WWE match. He struggled on the independent circuit until his retirement in 1991.
1989 – Marty Jannetty
Shawn Michaels often claims that he ended his tag team with Marty Jannetty because he wanted to move on to bigger things. The truth is, Vince McMahon lost faith in Jannetty. The Rockers finally won the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1990. But because a ring rope broke during the match, McMahon later dismissed it. The Rockers would never officially hold the titles. In December of that year, Jannetty performed his Rocker Dropper finisher on a jobber called Charles Austin. Austin’s neck was broken by the move. He successfully sued Jannetty and Titan shorts for over $26 million. McMahon broke up the Rockers and pushed Michaels. Jannetty would go on to have the unfortunate distinction of being the WWE’s “most fired manâ€. He would have a record 9 contracts terminated by the WWE.
1990 – Haku
Haku left the company in 1992. During his time in WCW, the once promising main-eventer plateaued and never became a main-eventer. One of his most memorable matches was competing for the Cruiserweight Championship (which he was too heavy to challenge for) against a woman. He rarely featured in storylines, and his 2001 return to the WWE only lasted a few months.
1991 – “The British Bulldog†Davey Boy Smith
Smith’s second stint in the WWE ended later that year for receiving hormone shipments (which he used as body-building steroids). His third stint ended when he quit after the Montreal screw-job with most of the Hart family. During a WCW match, he broke his spine on a hidden trap door and was nearly paralysed. WCW did not believe he was hurt and repeatedly fined Smith, and reduced his pay. He developed a terrible painkiller addiction. His fourth and final run in the WWE lasted less than 1 year. He died in 2002, aged 39. Since then, his widow, Diane, and his son, Harry, would be messed around by the WWE. One ongoing case involves the WWE claiming that they have the rights to a lot of Smith’s possessions (which are now the legal property of Diane).
1992 – Hercules
Hercules was released from the WWE shortly after this match. He had a brief stint in WCW. He died in 2004, aged 47.
1993 – The Berzerker
The Berzerker left the WWE soon after. He had a brief run in WCW. He would retire in 1997. He is often brought up in “Worst Wrestler†and “Worst Gimmick†discussions.
1994 – Doink The Clown (Matt Bourne)
Bourne was fired after a series of substance abuse incidents. He would struggle in the independent circuit because other wrestlers were portraying the character in WWE. Bourne and WWE never agreed on who actually owned the rights to the character (WWE legally owned the name, the look and a specific version of the character). Bourne died in 2013.
1995 – Jacob Blu
The Blu Brothers are better known as the Harris Twins. The Blu Brothers didn’t work out. The pair would use a lot of gimmicks (mostly based on the fact that they were identical twins), and bounced around companies. But they never really achieved major success anywhere.
1996 – Doug Gilbert
This was Gilbert’s only WWE match, and his biggest career highlight.
1997 – Goldust
Goldust was released in 1999 after the WWE ran out of possible storylines for him. Goldust would bounce around different companies, including the WWE, for the remainder of his career. Most of his gimmicks centered around the fact that he was the son of Dusty Rhodes, or were variations of the Goldust character. He would lose most of his career matches from then on, and never really ascended above mid-card level.
1998 – Ken Shamrock
Shamrock left the WWE in 1999. His numerous injuries eventually forced him to retire from MMA fighting. His return to professional wrestling was ruined by requesting too much money, and criticising big names in the major companies.
1999 – Kurrgan
Kurrgan continued his transformation from a monster to a comedic jobber. He was released by the WWE after they run out of storylines for him, and he struggled to get taken seriously outside of the company.
2000 – Bob Backlund
He was running for congress at the time. Many feel that his involvement with the WWE during the Attitude Era cost him the election. His run in the WWE only lasted 2 months.
2001 – The Goodfather
The Right To Censor stable dissolved due to backstage incidents and complaints from sponsors. He returned to his previous Godfather character, but most of his trademarks had been removed, so it didn’t take off. He was released that year. Unable to use any of his former WWE gimmicks, he quickly retired.
2002 – Diamond Dallas Page
During a match with Hardcore Holly, Holly struck DDP with a stiff clothesline. The metal plate in Holly’s arm hit DDP’s head and caused a concussion. The dizzy DDP still attempted a planned superplex, but landed on his neck. He was forced to retire and never wrestled for the WWE again.
2003 - Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero died suddenly in 2005.
2004 – Rikishi
Rikishi was released later that year. The WWE felt that he was not taking his weight and health issues seriously.
2005 – Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan would become infamous for underperforming. His most famous match involves losing the WWE United States Championship within 30 seconds. He was later released before launching a bisexual gimmick. He would debut the gimmick 5 years later in TNA Wrestling, but it didn’t work.
2006 – Joey Mercury
When MNM came to an end, his teammates received a major push while Mercury disappeared. When the group reunited, he suffered a horrific injury on pay-per-view. His nose and part of his face was broken, and his face was ripped open. He was then fired 2 months later after a 2nd drug test violation. He returned to become a part of the Straight Edge Society stable but suffered a broken arm very early on. The group disbanded and he disappeared.
2007 – Jeff Hardy
Hardy would be repeatedly punished for failing drug tests. He quit the WWE in 2009 and was quickly arrested for possession of a very high quantity of drugs. After becoming TNA Heavyweight Champion, he started making appearances at shows under the influence of drugs and unable to safely compete. Mr. Anderson suffered a severe and career threatening head injury when Hardy botched a dangerous stunt.
2008 – Umaga
Umaga was released in 2009 after a serious Wellness Policy violation. He later died in the same year.
2009 – Finlay
While the Miz was WWE Champion, Finlay suggested that he interrupted the national anthem at a live event to draw heel heat. Retired servicemen in the live crowd were offended, and Finlay was released.
2010 – MVP
MVP left the WWE later in the year.
2011 – Chris Masters
Masters was released later that year. Most of his bigger appearances saw him getting eliminated from battle royals in the exact same way; Masters would attempt a Master Lock submission while standing on the ring apron, and the opponent would counter and push him off the apron.
2012 – Jinder Mahal
Jinder Mahal disappeared before becoming a part of the jobber stable 3MB.
2013 – Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio would stay inactive for much of the next year because of repeated knee injuries and surgeries.
Evidence That the Curse Is Rubbish
• Haku would still be used consistently on television and pay-per-view for the next decade. While he was not often featured in storylines, he would win most of his matches in that time period. He may not have reached the main-event level, but he still had a solid career.
• “The British Bulldog†Davey Boy Smith would reach the highest points in his career after this match. When he got fired from WWE, he became a main eventer in WCW. When he returned to the WWE for his third stint, he won titles frequently and challenged the WWF Heavyweight Champion at pay-per-view quite often. While no-one would say that his broken back was a good thing, his recovery from almost being paralysed was spectacular. He is still considered one of the best wrestlers to have never won a major title, and one of the most iconic wrestlers from the European continent.
• “The Original Doink†would go on to become a cult favourite. Each time that Doink appeared on WWE television, Bourne would become more in demand on the independent circuit. Not to mention that he would sporadically appear for the WWE as Doink, thus increasing his marketability.
• The Blu Brothers would frequently win titles. On top of this, they provided invaluable assistance backstage for every company that they worked for. One of the ring ropes snapped just before TNA Wrestling’s first ever show, and it was the Blu Brothers who fixed it.
• Goldust overcame his drug and alcohol addictions. He also reconciled with his father Dusty Rhodes. Goldust became a cult favourite and remained massively popular, even when the character spent months (even years) off screen. While he may have been a jobber for much of the last decade, he has focused on training younger wrestlers. He is currently one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with his half-brother Cody Rhodes. He is repeatedly noted as being one of the best performers on the current roster despite being one of the oldest members.
• Ken Shamrock went on to become the first ever NWA World Heavyweight Champion of the TNA Wrestling era. He is also considered one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.
• Since 2007, Kurrgan has been doing very well by playing a monster in Hollywood movies.
• Backlund was already retired by 2000. He was a deserved Hall of Famer in 2013. Not to mention that he had a successful run in TNA Wrestling, despite only competing once.
• The Godfather still had a second business which was going successfully. He didn’t need to stay in wrestling. But he remains one of the iconic faces of the Attitude Era.
• DDP would make a full recovery and became a main eventer for 2 years in TNA Wrestling. The WWE has made DDP the positive face of WCW history. He also repeatedly helps former wrestlers with drug and alcohol dependency to recover. His own yoga program is helping older wrestlers return from injury faster and put on more physical matches.
• Guerrero would win the WWE Championship the next year, becoming the first luchadore to do so.
• Rikishi’s popularity kept him busy on the independent circuit. He was close to retirement anyway, so he did not need to stay in the industry much longer. He now helps other Samoan wrestlers train for a life in wrestling. He is the father of Jey and Jimmy Uso. He is also a cousin to Roman Reigns and the Rock.
• Joey Mercury had a very good career on the independent circuit after leaving WWE. He currently works as a trainer.
• Jeff Hardy would become a main-eventer and win multiple major championships. He would also become one of the biggest stars on the TNA Wrestling roster.
• MVP is currently doing very well in Japan.
• Mysterio’s knee injuries are far from new. So it is not fair to say that his current condition is because of the curse.
With every legacy there is some infamy. Many people believe that the #14 position is cursed. Even veterans have noticed that people who follow #13 suffer major misfortunes. These include careers ending, injuries occurring and even deaths. But is the curse real? Or are some people looking too closely at a bunch of coincidences? Decide for yourself.
Evidence for the Curse
1988 – Ron Bass
This was Bass’ final WWE match. He struggled on the independent circuit until his retirement in 1991.
1989 – Marty Jannetty
Shawn Michaels often claims that he ended his tag team with Marty Jannetty because he wanted to move on to bigger things. The truth is, Vince McMahon lost faith in Jannetty. The Rockers finally won the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1990. But because a ring rope broke during the match, McMahon later dismissed it. The Rockers would never officially hold the titles. In December of that year, Jannetty performed his Rocker Dropper finisher on a jobber called Charles Austin. Austin’s neck was broken by the move. He successfully sued Jannetty and Titan shorts for over $26 million. McMahon broke up the Rockers and pushed Michaels. Jannetty would go on to have the unfortunate distinction of being the WWE’s “most fired manâ€. He would have a record 9 contracts terminated by the WWE.
1990 – Haku
Haku left the company in 1992. During his time in WCW, the once promising main-eventer plateaued and never became a main-eventer. One of his most memorable matches was competing for the Cruiserweight Championship (which he was too heavy to challenge for) against a woman. He rarely featured in storylines, and his 2001 return to the WWE only lasted a few months.
1991 – “The British Bulldog†Davey Boy Smith
Smith’s second stint in the WWE ended later that year for receiving hormone shipments (which he used as body-building steroids). His third stint ended when he quit after the Montreal screw-job with most of the Hart family. During a WCW match, he broke his spine on a hidden trap door and was nearly paralysed. WCW did not believe he was hurt and repeatedly fined Smith, and reduced his pay. He developed a terrible painkiller addiction. His fourth and final run in the WWE lasted less than 1 year. He died in 2002, aged 39. Since then, his widow, Diane, and his son, Harry, would be messed around by the WWE. One ongoing case involves the WWE claiming that they have the rights to a lot of Smith’s possessions (which are now the legal property of Diane).
1992 – Hercules
Hercules was released from the WWE shortly after this match. He had a brief stint in WCW. He died in 2004, aged 47.
1993 – The Berzerker
The Berzerker left the WWE soon after. He had a brief run in WCW. He would retire in 1997. He is often brought up in “Worst Wrestler†and “Worst Gimmick†discussions.
1994 – Doink The Clown (Matt Bourne)
Bourne was fired after a series of substance abuse incidents. He would struggle in the independent circuit because other wrestlers were portraying the character in WWE. Bourne and WWE never agreed on who actually owned the rights to the character (WWE legally owned the name, the look and a specific version of the character). Bourne died in 2013.
1995 – Jacob Blu
The Blu Brothers are better known as the Harris Twins. The Blu Brothers didn’t work out. The pair would use a lot of gimmicks (mostly based on the fact that they were identical twins), and bounced around companies. But they never really achieved major success anywhere.
1996 – Doug Gilbert
This was Gilbert’s only WWE match, and his biggest career highlight.
1997 – Goldust
Goldust was released in 1999 after the WWE ran out of possible storylines for him. Goldust would bounce around different companies, including the WWE, for the remainder of his career. Most of his gimmicks centered around the fact that he was the son of Dusty Rhodes, or were variations of the Goldust character. He would lose most of his career matches from then on, and never really ascended above mid-card level.
1998 – Ken Shamrock
Shamrock left the WWE in 1999. His numerous injuries eventually forced him to retire from MMA fighting. His return to professional wrestling was ruined by requesting too much money, and criticising big names in the major companies.
1999 – Kurrgan
Kurrgan continued his transformation from a monster to a comedic jobber. He was released by the WWE after they run out of storylines for him, and he struggled to get taken seriously outside of the company.
2000 – Bob Backlund
He was running for congress at the time. Many feel that his involvement with the WWE during the Attitude Era cost him the election. His run in the WWE only lasted 2 months.
2001 – The Goodfather
The Right To Censor stable dissolved due to backstage incidents and complaints from sponsors. He returned to his previous Godfather character, but most of his trademarks had been removed, so it didn’t take off. He was released that year. Unable to use any of his former WWE gimmicks, he quickly retired.
2002 – Diamond Dallas Page
During a match with Hardcore Holly, Holly struck DDP with a stiff clothesline. The metal plate in Holly’s arm hit DDP’s head and caused a concussion. The dizzy DDP still attempted a planned superplex, but landed on his neck. He was forced to retire and never wrestled for the WWE again.
2003 - Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero died suddenly in 2005.
2004 – Rikishi
Rikishi was released later that year. The WWE felt that he was not taking his weight and health issues seriously.
2005 – Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan would become infamous for underperforming. His most famous match involves losing the WWE United States Championship within 30 seconds. He was later released before launching a bisexual gimmick. He would debut the gimmick 5 years later in TNA Wrestling, but it didn’t work.
2006 – Joey Mercury
When MNM came to an end, his teammates received a major push while Mercury disappeared. When the group reunited, he suffered a horrific injury on pay-per-view. His nose and part of his face was broken, and his face was ripped open. He was then fired 2 months later after a 2nd drug test violation. He returned to become a part of the Straight Edge Society stable but suffered a broken arm very early on. The group disbanded and he disappeared.
2007 – Jeff Hardy
Hardy would be repeatedly punished for failing drug tests. He quit the WWE in 2009 and was quickly arrested for possession of a very high quantity of drugs. After becoming TNA Heavyweight Champion, he started making appearances at shows under the influence of drugs and unable to safely compete. Mr. Anderson suffered a severe and career threatening head injury when Hardy botched a dangerous stunt.
2008 – Umaga
Umaga was released in 2009 after a serious Wellness Policy violation. He later died in the same year.
2009 – Finlay
While the Miz was WWE Champion, Finlay suggested that he interrupted the national anthem at a live event to draw heel heat. Retired servicemen in the live crowd were offended, and Finlay was released.
2010 – MVP
MVP left the WWE later in the year.
2011 – Chris Masters
Masters was released later that year. Most of his bigger appearances saw him getting eliminated from battle royals in the exact same way; Masters would attempt a Master Lock submission while standing on the ring apron, and the opponent would counter and push him off the apron.
2012 – Jinder Mahal
Jinder Mahal disappeared before becoming a part of the jobber stable 3MB.
2013 – Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio would stay inactive for much of the next year because of repeated knee injuries and surgeries.
Evidence That the Curse Is Rubbish
• Haku would still be used consistently on television and pay-per-view for the next decade. While he was not often featured in storylines, he would win most of his matches in that time period. He may not have reached the main-event level, but he still had a solid career.
• “The British Bulldog†Davey Boy Smith would reach the highest points in his career after this match. When he got fired from WWE, he became a main eventer in WCW. When he returned to the WWE for his third stint, he won titles frequently and challenged the WWF Heavyweight Champion at pay-per-view quite often. While no-one would say that his broken back was a good thing, his recovery from almost being paralysed was spectacular. He is still considered one of the best wrestlers to have never won a major title, and one of the most iconic wrestlers from the European continent.
• “The Original Doink†would go on to become a cult favourite. Each time that Doink appeared on WWE television, Bourne would become more in demand on the independent circuit. Not to mention that he would sporadically appear for the WWE as Doink, thus increasing his marketability.
• The Blu Brothers would frequently win titles. On top of this, they provided invaluable assistance backstage for every company that they worked for. One of the ring ropes snapped just before TNA Wrestling’s first ever show, and it was the Blu Brothers who fixed it.
• Goldust overcame his drug and alcohol addictions. He also reconciled with his father Dusty Rhodes. Goldust became a cult favourite and remained massively popular, even when the character spent months (even years) off screen. While he may have been a jobber for much of the last decade, he has focused on training younger wrestlers. He is currently one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with his half-brother Cody Rhodes. He is repeatedly noted as being one of the best performers on the current roster despite being one of the oldest members.
• Ken Shamrock went on to become the first ever NWA World Heavyweight Champion of the TNA Wrestling era. He is also considered one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.
• Since 2007, Kurrgan has been doing very well by playing a monster in Hollywood movies.
• Backlund was already retired by 2000. He was a deserved Hall of Famer in 2013. Not to mention that he had a successful run in TNA Wrestling, despite only competing once.
• The Godfather still had a second business which was going successfully. He didn’t need to stay in wrestling. But he remains one of the iconic faces of the Attitude Era.
• DDP would make a full recovery and became a main eventer for 2 years in TNA Wrestling. The WWE has made DDP the positive face of WCW history. He also repeatedly helps former wrestlers with drug and alcohol dependency to recover. His own yoga program is helping older wrestlers return from injury faster and put on more physical matches.
• Guerrero would win the WWE Championship the next year, becoming the first luchadore to do so.
• Rikishi’s popularity kept him busy on the independent circuit. He was close to retirement anyway, so he did not need to stay in the industry much longer. He now helps other Samoan wrestlers train for a life in wrestling. He is the father of Jey and Jimmy Uso. He is also a cousin to Roman Reigns and the Rock.
• Joey Mercury had a very good career on the independent circuit after leaving WWE. He currently works as a trainer.
• Jeff Hardy would become a main-eventer and win multiple major championships. He would also become one of the biggest stars on the TNA Wrestling roster.
• MVP is currently doing very well in Japan.
• Mysterio’s knee injuries are far from new. So it is not fair to say that his current condition is because of the curse.
