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People used to talk about the cursed Number 14 in the Rumble. If you'd drawn Number 14, you'd soon find yourself injured, released, or worse. But is it true? Let's have a look.
I'm going to be looking at the Number 14 entrants into every Rumble, and I'm going to check their WWE career trajectories for the next three calendar years (so, the 2001 entrant would be analysed in 2001, 2002, and 2003). This will be used to determine if they had a good time in WWE, a mixed time in WWE, or a bad time in WWE.
Here we go.
1988 - Ron Bass
The Outlaw was relatively new to the WWF at the time, and actually entered the spot after the eventual winner, number 13, Hacksaw Jim Duggan. He'd win his way through the King of the Ring tournament but was paid off by Ted DiBiase to withdraw, and then feuded with Beefcake which caused him to lose his hair, He was only a jobber after that and left in March 1989. Verdict: bad time. For the record, he would go on to retire in 1991, ending a 20-year career.
1989 - Marty Jannetty
The original Jannetty had a pretty strong showing as half of the Rockers through to 1991, though it wasn't exactly all smiles. Especially not for Chuck Austin, who was paralysed after his botch, and successfully sued the WWF for $26.7 million. Verdict: mixed time. Just after this period, he'd get split from Shawn Michaels and released after his arrest, so the curse was a little late for that one.
1990 - Haku
WWF Tag Team Champion with Andre the Giant at the time, Haku would drop to Demolition the next WrestleMania and became the man of choice to lose to whoever WWF wanted to put over (Hercules, Ricky Steamboat, and IC champion Texas Tornado to name but three). He left amicably for Japan in 1992. Verdict: mixed time.
1991 - British Bulldog
Definition of a mixed time for Davey Boy. On one hand, he main evented at Wembley in 1992 and won the IC title (despite being "fooked"). On the other, he was unceremoniously dropped after an HGH bust. Verdict: mixed time.
1992 - Hercules
Got knocked out of this Rumble in under a minute. He never made another PPV appearance, Austin Aries'ing his final WWF match against Sid Vicious where he was squashed in a similarly short time. Verdict: bad time.
1993 - The Berzerker
You'd think, wouldn't you, that a guy whose entire gimmick was tossing men over the top rope would excel in a Rumble. No. John Nord managed only to eliminate Virgil and was gone in a month. Verdict: bad time.
1994 - Doink the Clown (Ray Apollo)
Yep, this was the second Doink, the shitty face Doink. He did get wins over Bam Bam Bigelow (sadly), but became a jobber after that and left by 1995. Verdict: bad time, as all face Doink appearances are a bad time.
1995 - Jacob Blu
I have no idea to this day which of the Harris Brothers was which. Maybe if one of them could have put their Neo-Nazi tattoo in a more obvious place. Anyway, he was a jobber among jobbers, making his debut, and was gone by October. Verdict: bad time.
1996 - Doug Gilbert
A USWA star who won a battle royal for the right to take part in this Rumble. His reward was a 3-minute annihiliation by Vader and being sent right back down. Verdict: bad time. In 1999, he went back to Memphis to work for another WWF developmental, Power Pro Wrestling, but got fired for accusing Jerry Lawler of raping a little girl. He didn't manage to give his thoughts on water being wet or the sky being blue.
1997 - Goldust
Dustin Rhodes saw steady employment with WWF through most of those 3 years, but most of it was absolute shit. From the Artist (whatever that was), to impersonations, to God-botherer Dustin Runnels, to feuding with Bluedust. Verdict: bad time. He wouldn't find significantly better creative in WCW.
1998 - Ken Shamrock
At last, it's someone who actually did quite well! King of the Ring, a key part of the Corporation, and generally being treated like a badass. He did leave in 1999, but that was to pursue his career of being a legit badass in MMA. Verdict: good time! Yay! Finally, a curse beater.
1999 - Kurrgan
Was gone in February along with the rest of the Oddities. Really not much to say about Kurrgan, he just was not very interesting. Verdict: bad time.
2000 - Bob Backlund
Backlund was making his return, and started to manage the Eurocontinental Champ, Kurt Angle. However, he was quickly split from Angle after booking him in the two-fall triple threat where he'd lose both belts, and didn't see a regular role again until 2016. Verdict: bad time.
2001 - The Goodfather
Godfather was coming up to the end of his career (retiring in late 2002), and Right to Censor wasn't great, but he always put in a respectable showing. So I'll not call this bad. Verdict: mixed time. Fun fact: the strip club he legit manages was investigated by the FBI after the 9/11 hijackers were found to have frequented it.
2002 - Diamond Dallas Page
Arguably, the curse had already befallen DDP the year prior, as he went from multi-time WCW Champion to rubbish stalker and then rubbish self-help guy. But it didn't get any better in 2002, being forced into retirement after getting a bad neck injury. Verdict: bad time.
2003 - Eddie Guerrero
In 2004, Eddie was raised to the level of top guy, becoming WWE Champion and capturing the attention of fans worldwide. But, ultimately, you can't call it a good time or even a mixed time, since he died in 2005. Verdict: bad time.
2004 - Rikishi
Rikishi didn't have a great time, despite winning tag team gold with Scotty 2 Hotty, as he was cut in July for refusing to lose weight. Verdict: bad time.
2005 - Orlando Jordan
Ah yes, Orlando Jordan. What's to like? This career lower-carder made it to the next year's Rumble, but was fired in 2006 for bringing possibly-underage boyfriends backstage, as you do. Verdict: bad time.
2006 - Joey Mercury
Sucked to be Joey Mercury in 2006. Dropped his tag team championship, briefly betrayed by Nitro and Melina in an angle that went nowhere, reformed, and smashed his face in that ladder match at Armageddon. He was released in 2007. Verdict: bad time.
2007 - Jeff Hardy
Similar case to the British Bulldog here. Jeff Hardy saw some of the highlights of his career (World Champ, that feud with CM Punk) but some of the lows too (his house burning down, getting injuries that would plague him for the rest of his career, and of course his drug bust. An absolute rollercoaster of a three years. Verdict: mixed time.
2008 - Umaga
Another death. I thought the idea of a curse would be proven wrong later on, but it's just getting more depressing. Eddie Fatu was cut in 2009 after being named in a drug bust, and died of a heart attack late that year. Verdict: bad time.
2009 - Finlay
Finlay was still with Hornswoggle at the time, and enjoyed steady employment as a trainer, road agent, and occasional wrestler in the two years after this Rumble, but was cut in 2011 after having Miz interrupt the national anthem at a house show, with National Guard in attendance. There's a lesson for you, kids. Don't mess with MURICA! Verdict: mixed time.
2010 - Montel Vontavious Porter
MVP had a bad year, spending most of it not winning, and being the mentor of Percy Watson on NXT (remember when Percy Watson wrestled? No you don't). His departure was best for him, as he went on to do pretty damn well for himself in NJPW. Verdict: bad time.
2011 - Chris Masters
Two same-year cuts in a row, as Masters was drafted to Raw in April 2011 but never appeared on that show, being released in August. His release was then mentioned by CM Punk on camera as an attack on John Laurinaitis. At least he didn't do a Liv Morgan and blame John Cena for the release. Verdict: bad time.
2012 - Jinder Mahal
He was a jobber from 2012-2014, but a well-liked jobber, and made TV. Verdict: mixed time. And since his return, he did pretty well for himself.
2013 - Rey Mysterio
This is a rough one. Rey got injured shortly after the Rumble, didn't appear again until the next Rumble, where he was met with absolute HATRED for not being Daniel Bryan, then wanted to leave only to find WWE had tacked an extra year on to his contract for the injury. Why would he come back? Verdict: bad time.
2014 - Diesel
Legend spot, but this can be judged as Kevin Nash did return in 2015, to inexplicably help Sting as part of the nWo in a moment that buried WCW harder than Nash himself did in 1999-2000. Verdict: bad time.
2015 - Diamond Dallas Page
DDP becomes the first 2-time Number 14. Legend spot, showed up again for the Andre the Giant Battle Royal in 2016. Verdict: bad time.
2016 - Stardust
Cody Rhodes joins his brother in entering at Number 14 and then coming into a blizzard of terrible booking. He was out before 2017. Verdict: bad time. I wonder what he's doing now. I bet it's not significant.
2017 - Kofi Kingston
Kofi didn't have much of an eventful time in 2017, 2018, or 2019, except (checks notes)... multi-time tag team champion with the New Day, and (checks notes again) first African WWE Champion. Yeah, he's fine. Verdict: good time!
2018 Men - Shinsuke Nakamura
Won it, which is a huge surprise. Considering Vince's attitude to Asian people and the spot he came in, you wouldn't be surprised if he got a Warlord/Santino spot in. But no, he won it. He never went on to be WWE Champion though, and was hit by some nasty injuries. He seems to be happy doing midcard shenanigans. Good for him. Verdict: mixed time.
2018 Women - Michelle McCool
Legends spot, who inexplicably got the most eliminations. Also appeared in the battle royal at Evolution, where she didn't last. Verdict: bad time, if only because she did basically nothing.
2018 GRR - Xavier Woods
Similar situation to Kofi, just without the WWE Championship. He's set for life, even if most of that is because WWE wants all the money from G4. Verdict: good time!
2019 Men - Dean Ambrose
Was soon announced to be leaving, and it was legitimate. At least he got a proper sendoff, but that wasn't before he had a feud teased with Nia Jax and indirectly buried EC3 6,000 feet under by being cheered as a heel. Verdict: bad time. I'll never forget the pop when Jon Moxley showed up at AEW. It was a sign that something big was about to begin.
2019 Women - Kairi Sane
After several injuries at the hands of unsafe worker Nia Jax and uncaring egomaniac Charlotte Flair, Kairi left to stay in Japan, for good. Verdict: bad time. I hope she's happier now.
2020 Men - Braun Strowman
Put in about as strong a performance as could be expected during the Brock Lesnar Rumble. 2020 and the first half of 2021 saw Braun being treated as a top guy, which is nice, until the Strowman Express came to a stop as that dreaded spectre budget cuts reared its head. Verdict: mixed time.
2020 Women - Tamina
2020 was the start of a turning point for Tamina, with COVID-related roster thinning seeing her get actual top programs and even winning her first belt in the Women's Tag Team Championship. Relative to the rest of her career, this can only be one thing... Verdict: good time! Shame she still can't wrestle though.
2021 Men - Damian Priest
Another actual good showing, being treated like a star in the Rumble itself, and 2021 was the Year of Priest. He benefitted greatly from the Bad Bunny appearance, and his US Title reign was very good, though he has turned heel now and that isn't as fun. Verdict: good time!
2021 Women - Rhea Ripley
In her NXT callup year, Rhea was also given the opportunity to shine, even going on to grab herself a RAW Women's Title at WrestleMania 37. She's also become Women's Tag Team Champion, thrown-together nothing team nonwithstanding. Let's hope she keeps the momentum in 2022. Verdict: good time!
OVERALL
In a total of 39 Rumbles so far, there have been:
So, even though curses aren't real, there's some merit to suggest that number 14 is not a good number to draw. 5 of the 6 good times were in the past five years, so it seems WWE's making an active effort to shake things up. Hopefully the number 14s this year are more Kofi Kingston and less Umaga.
I'm going to be looking at the Number 14 entrants into every Rumble, and I'm going to check their WWE career trajectories for the next three calendar years (so, the 2001 entrant would be analysed in 2001, 2002, and 2003). This will be used to determine if they had a good time in WWE, a mixed time in WWE, or a bad time in WWE.
Here we go.
1988 - Ron Bass
The Outlaw was relatively new to the WWF at the time, and actually entered the spot after the eventual winner, number 13, Hacksaw Jim Duggan. He'd win his way through the King of the Ring tournament but was paid off by Ted DiBiase to withdraw, and then feuded with Beefcake which caused him to lose his hair, He was only a jobber after that and left in March 1989. Verdict: bad time. For the record, he would go on to retire in 1991, ending a 20-year career.
1989 - Marty Jannetty
The original Jannetty had a pretty strong showing as half of the Rockers through to 1991, though it wasn't exactly all smiles. Especially not for Chuck Austin, who was paralysed after his botch, and successfully sued the WWF for $26.7 million. Verdict: mixed time. Just after this period, he'd get split from Shawn Michaels and released after his arrest, so the curse was a little late for that one.
1990 - Haku
WWF Tag Team Champion with Andre the Giant at the time, Haku would drop to Demolition the next WrestleMania and became the man of choice to lose to whoever WWF wanted to put over (Hercules, Ricky Steamboat, and IC champion Texas Tornado to name but three). He left amicably for Japan in 1992. Verdict: mixed time.
1991 - British Bulldog
Definition of a mixed time for Davey Boy. On one hand, he main evented at Wembley in 1992 and won the IC title (despite being "fooked"). On the other, he was unceremoniously dropped after an HGH bust. Verdict: mixed time.
1992 - Hercules
Got knocked out of this Rumble in under a minute. He never made another PPV appearance, Austin Aries'ing his final WWF match against Sid Vicious where he was squashed in a similarly short time. Verdict: bad time.
1993 - The Berzerker
You'd think, wouldn't you, that a guy whose entire gimmick was tossing men over the top rope would excel in a Rumble. No. John Nord managed only to eliminate Virgil and was gone in a month. Verdict: bad time.
1994 - Doink the Clown (Ray Apollo)
Yep, this was the second Doink, the shitty face Doink. He did get wins over Bam Bam Bigelow (sadly), but became a jobber after that and left by 1995. Verdict: bad time, as all face Doink appearances are a bad time.
1995 - Jacob Blu
I have no idea to this day which of the Harris Brothers was which. Maybe if one of them could have put their Neo-Nazi tattoo in a more obvious place. Anyway, he was a jobber among jobbers, making his debut, and was gone by October. Verdict: bad time.
1996 - Doug Gilbert
A USWA star who won a battle royal for the right to take part in this Rumble. His reward was a 3-minute annihiliation by Vader and being sent right back down. Verdict: bad time. In 1999, he went back to Memphis to work for another WWF developmental, Power Pro Wrestling, but got fired for accusing Jerry Lawler of raping a little girl. He didn't manage to give his thoughts on water being wet or the sky being blue.
1997 - Goldust
Dustin Rhodes saw steady employment with WWF through most of those 3 years, but most of it was absolute shit. From the Artist (whatever that was), to impersonations, to God-botherer Dustin Runnels, to feuding with Bluedust. Verdict: bad time. He wouldn't find significantly better creative in WCW.
1998 - Ken Shamrock
At last, it's someone who actually did quite well! King of the Ring, a key part of the Corporation, and generally being treated like a badass. He did leave in 1999, but that was to pursue his career of being a legit badass in MMA. Verdict: good time! Yay! Finally, a curse beater.
1999 - Kurrgan
Was gone in February along with the rest of the Oddities. Really not much to say about Kurrgan, he just was not very interesting. Verdict: bad time.
2000 - Bob Backlund
Backlund was making his return, and started to manage the Eurocontinental Champ, Kurt Angle. However, he was quickly split from Angle after booking him in the two-fall triple threat where he'd lose both belts, and didn't see a regular role again until 2016. Verdict: bad time.
2001 - The Goodfather
Godfather was coming up to the end of his career (retiring in late 2002), and Right to Censor wasn't great, but he always put in a respectable showing. So I'll not call this bad. Verdict: mixed time. Fun fact: the strip club he legit manages was investigated by the FBI after the 9/11 hijackers were found to have frequented it.
2002 - Diamond Dallas Page
Arguably, the curse had already befallen DDP the year prior, as he went from multi-time WCW Champion to rubbish stalker and then rubbish self-help guy. But it didn't get any better in 2002, being forced into retirement after getting a bad neck injury. Verdict: bad time.
2003 - Eddie Guerrero
In 2004, Eddie was raised to the level of top guy, becoming WWE Champion and capturing the attention of fans worldwide. But, ultimately, you can't call it a good time or even a mixed time, since he died in 2005. Verdict: bad time.
2004 - Rikishi
Rikishi didn't have a great time, despite winning tag team gold with Scotty 2 Hotty, as he was cut in July for refusing to lose weight. Verdict: bad time.
2005 - Orlando Jordan
Ah yes, Orlando Jordan. What's to like? This career lower-carder made it to the next year's Rumble, but was fired in 2006 for bringing possibly-underage boyfriends backstage, as you do. Verdict: bad time.
2006 - Joey Mercury
Sucked to be Joey Mercury in 2006. Dropped his tag team championship, briefly betrayed by Nitro and Melina in an angle that went nowhere, reformed, and smashed his face in that ladder match at Armageddon. He was released in 2007. Verdict: bad time.
2007 - Jeff Hardy
Similar case to the British Bulldog here. Jeff Hardy saw some of the highlights of his career (World Champ, that feud with CM Punk) but some of the lows too (his house burning down, getting injuries that would plague him for the rest of his career, and of course his drug bust. An absolute rollercoaster of a three years. Verdict: mixed time.
2008 - Umaga
Another death. I thought the idea of a curse would be proven wrong later on, but it's just getting more depressing. Eddie Fatu was cut in 2009 after being named in a drug bust, and died of a heart attack late that year. Verdict: bad time.
2009 - Finlay
Finlay was still with Hornswoggle at the time, and enjoyed steady employment as a trainer, road agent, and occasional wrestler in the two years after this Rumble, but was cut in 2011 after having Miz interrupt the national anthem at a house show, with National Guard in attendance. There's a lesson for you, kids. Don't mess with MURICA! Verdict: mixed time.
2010 - Montel Vontavious Porter
MVP had a bad year, spending most of it not winning, and being the mentor of Percy Watson on NXT (remember when Percy Watson wrestled? No you don't). His departure was best for him, as he went on to do pretty damn well for himself in NJPW. Verdict: bad time.
2011 - Chris Masters
Two same-year cuts in a row, as Masters was drafted to Raw in April 2011 but never appeared on that show, being released in August. His release was then mentioned by CM Punk on camera as an attack on John Laurinaitis. At least he didn't do a Liv Morgan and blame John Cena for the release. Verdict: bad time.
2012 - Jinder Mahal
He was a jobber from 2012-2014, but a well-liked jobber, and made TV. Verdict: mixed time. And since his return, he did pretty well for himself.
2013 - Rey Mysterio
This is a rough one. Rey got injured shortly after the Rumble, didn't appear again until the next Rumble, where he was met with absolute HATRED for not being Daniel Bryan, then wanted to leave only to find WWE had tacked an extra year on to his contract for the injury. Why would he come back? Verdict: bad time.
2014 - Diesel
Legend spot, but this can be judged as Kevin Nash did return in 2015, to inexplicably help Sting as part of the nWo in a moment that buried WCW harder than Nash himself did in 1999-2000. Verdict: bad time.
2015 - Diamond Dallas Page
DDP becomes the first 2-time Number 14. Legend spot, showed up again for the Andre the Giant Battle Royal in 2016. Verdict: bad time.
2016 - Stardust
Cody Rhodes joins his brother in entering at Number 14 and then coming into a blizzard of terrible booking. He was out before 2017. Verdict: bad time. I wonder what he's doing now. I bet it's not significant.
2017 - Kofi Kingston
Kofi didn't have much of an eventful time in 2017, 2018, or 2019, except (checks notes)... multi-time tag team champion with the New Day, and (checks notes again) first African WWE Champion. Yeah, he's fine. Verdict: good time!
2018 Men - Shinsuke Nakamura
Won it, which is a huge surprise. Considering Vince's attitude to Asian people and the spot he came in, you wouldn't be surprised if he got a Warlord/Santino spot in. But no, he won it. He never went on to be WWE Champion though, and was hit by some nasty injuries. He seems to be happy doing midcard shenanigans. Good for him. Verdict: mixed time.
2018 Women - Michelle McCool
Legends spot, who inexplicably got the most eliminations. Also appeared in the battle royal at Evolution, where she didn't last. Verdict: bad time, if only because she did basically nothing.
2018 GRR - Xavier Woods
Similar situation to Kofi, just without the WWE Championship. He's set for life, even if most of that is because WWE wants all the money from G4. Verdict: good time!
2019 Men - Dean Ambrose
Was soon announced to be leaving, and it was legitimate. At least he got a proper sendoff, but that wasn't before he had a feud teased with Nia Jax and indirectly buried EC3 6,000 feet under by being cheered as a heel. Verdict: bad time. I'll never forget the pop when Jon Moxley showed up at AEW. It was a sign that something big was about to begin.
2019 Women - Kairi Sane
After several injuries at the hands of unsafe worker Nia Jax and uncaring egomaniac Charlotte Flair, Kairi left to stay in Japan, for good. Verdict: bad time. I hope she's happier now.
2020 Men - Braun Strowman
Put in about as strong a performance as could be expected during the Brock Lesnar Rumble. 2020 and the first half of 2021 saw Braun being treated as a top guy, which is nice, until the Strowman Express came to a stop as that dreaded spectre budget cuts reared its head. Verdict: mixed time.
2020 Women - Tamina
2020 was the start of a turning point for Tamina, with COVID-related roster thinning seeing her get actual top programs and even winning her first belt in the Women's Tag Team Championship. Relative to the rest of her career, this can only be one thing... Verdict: good time! Shame she still can't wrestle though.
2021 Men - Damian Priest
Another actual good showing, being treated like a star in the Rumble itself, and 2021 was the Year of Priest. He benefitted greatly from the Bad Bunny appearance, and his US Title reign was very good, though he has turned heel now and that isn't as fun. Verdict: good time!
2021 Women - Rhea Ripley
In her NXT callup year, Rhea was also given the opportunity to shine, even going on to grab herself a RAW Women's Title at WrestleMania 37. She's also become Women's Tag Team Champion, thrown-together nothing team nonwithstanding. Let's hope she keeps the momentum in 2022. Verdict: good time!
OVERALL
In a total of 39 Rumbles so far, there have been:
- 6 wrestlers who had a good time in WWE over the next three years.
- 9 wrestlers who had a mixed time in WWE over the next three years.
- 24 wrestlers who had a bad time in WWE over the next three years.
So, even though curses aren't real, there's some merit to suggest that number 14 is not a good number to draw. 5 of the 6 good times were in the past five years, so it seems WWE's making an active effort to shake things up. Hopefully the number 14s this year are more Kofi Kingston and less Umaga.
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