WWE Royal Rumble 2023: 5 botches you probably missed
The annual Royal Rumble match kicked off the year and the Road to WrestleMania in WWE, and as ever, there were a number of botches that are worth sharing.
The show saw more stars on the card than any other event this year, and with 30 men and 30 women battling it out for one championship match, there were bound to be some issues.
The following list looks at just five of the biggest botches from this year's show.
#5. Kevin Owens falls on Roman Reigns
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Kevin Owens took on Roman Reigns in the main event, and even though both men are usually immune to botches, there was a slight issue when KO fell off the top rope and landed on The Tribal Chief.
Owens was going for his jumping moonsault, and it appeared that the ropes were a little slippery as he fell off the top rope. Reigns tried to roll out of the way but wasn't quick enough and was stuck under Owens when he fell.
#4. The Men's Royal Rumble match contained several botches
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When there are a number of wrestlers in the ring at any one time, there are always some issues, this year's match was no different from those before it, and there were several botches that are worth sharing.
Gunther and Xavier Wood's exchange in the opening minutes of the match was one that stood out before Kofi Kingston botched his near elimination and collided with the announce table without actually being eliminated.
It was later decided that Kingston was eliminated, and he played no further part in the match that was later won by Cody Rhodes.
#3. Uncle Howdy botches his elbow drop on LA Knight
: @emilymaeheller#RoyalRumble botch, Uncle Howdy complexly missed his mark #BrayWyatt #WWERoyalRumble twitter.com/skwrestling_/s…
Uncle Howdy made a surprise appearance as part of the Pitch Black match at the Royal Rumble and looked to add his own offense. The masked man dived from the top of the arena onto LA Knight after Bray Wyatt's win, but a video from the fans in the arena showed that he was miles away from his target.
The stage then exploded, which made it hard to see that it was a botch from the initial camera angle, but fan footage, as shown above, proves that he was nowhere near LA Knight.
Instead, Howdy hit the ground, and Knight is then seen having to roll over to him, which is why the other camera angle makes the move look much closer.
#2. Women's Royal Rumble Match was filled with botches
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The women of WWE were given their own Royal Rumble match again this year, and the botches started early on when Rhea Ripley and Dana Brooke mistimed a move and fell on each other.
There were several other near misses throughout the match, with Michelle McCool almost falling off the barricade as she made her entrance from the crowd. Interestingly, despite several botches throughout the match, it was Rhea Ripley who came out on top.
#1. Nia Jax's WWE return is botched
RIPTIDE TO NIA JAX!
@RheaRipley_WWE wows us all in the 2023 Women's #RoyalRumble Match! https://t.co/0WydgHhhnQ
Nia Jax made her return to WWE as part of the Women's Royal Rumble match, but the company botched her entrance when they played her music when there were still seven seconds on the clock.
Jax headed out to the ring at number 30 before it then took eleven women to eliminate her from the match and send her back up the ramp several seconds later.
While she was in the ring, as seen from the video above, she was even able to botch the Riptide from Rhea Ripley, which eventually led to her elimination.