5 WWE matches that went off-script

#2 WWE Royal Rumble 2005

Yes, another John Cena match in WWE. This time, though, we're going all the way back to 2005, just before his meteoric rise into the man fans madly cheer and/or boo every time he steps foot inside a squared circle.

Leading up to the 2005 Royal Rumble, RAW and SmackDown were building up two new faces of their brands at the same time, something that's somewhat of a rarity in today's WWE.

Alberto Del Rio returning to WWE?

Batista was the meathead powerhouse of Evolution, but was on the verge of breaking away. Cena had captured the hearts of the younger generation of fans with his rapping gimmick and time with the WWE United States Championship.

It all came to a head at the 2005 Royal Rumble, with both Superstars, about to break out into legends in the company, were the last two men in the match. Batista had set Cena up for a Batista Bomb, but he fought his way to the ropes. Then, Cena managed to bring Batista over the top and to the floor with them.

Cena and Batista hit the floor at the exact same time. Going back and looking at slow-motion replays, they'd landed in sync with one another.

This led to referees from both brands raising the hands of their respective competitor before Vince McMahon came to the ring, visibly upset. As if this botched finish wasn't bad enough, McMahon also managed to blow out both quads on his way to the ring. It saw him sitting in the corner like a spoiled child while the events played out before him.

The match was restarted and Batista slammed Cena with a spinebuster before dumping him to the floor. Batista was always meant to win, of course, but it was a heck of a detour that we had to take thanks to sheer dumb luck.

About the author

Greg is a pro wrestling writer at Sportskeeda. He has been an avid wrestling fan since he was able to do elbow drops off bunkbeds at the age of three. He's gone through the highs and lows of the Attitude Era, Ruthless Aggression, and PG eras and lived to tell the tale, with his favorite wrestler of all time being Diamond Dallas Page. His other favorite star is the late great Bray Wyatt.

Greg has contributed to sites like Bleacher Report before joining Sportskeeda in 2017 as a content writer and editor. If you've ever checked out the various wrestling shows through our live coverage, chances are you've read Greg's work. Apart from the world within the squared circle, he also keeps track of other sports such as American football, baseball, golf, boxing, and MMA.

His goal with his writing is to be able to mentally take readers right into the action through his words. Greg strives to ensure his readers get nothing but the best and most accurate information by always checking and using only the best and most reliable sources.

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Edited by Alex Turk