With the Royal Rumble taking place tonight, we take a look back at one of the best comedic segments in the event’s 36 year long history.It involved Ric Flair and Eddie Guerrero, two of the best all-rounders in WWE history, and two men whose comedic timing made anything they did exceptional. Put the two together and you had magic both inside and outside the ring.It was a case of the dirtiest player in the game Flar being outdone by Latino Heat at the 2005 Rumble.
The backstage segment was brilliantly done
The segment kicked off with Eric Bischoff and Teddy Long, respective General Managers of Raw and Smackdown, in a backstage area with Torrie Wilson and Christy Hemme, ready to hand wrestlers out their entrant numbers for the 30-man event.
The first two men to pull their numbers out were the legendary duo of Ric Flair and Eddie Guerrero. Flair took it upon himself to go first as the 16-time World Champion and pulled himself a winner, or so he thought at first.
Eddie went next, with his reaction being the complete opposite to Flair’s, who was parading around the room and dancing with Torrie.
In a moment of quick and devious thinking, Eddie put aside his disappointment and hatched a plan to steal Flair’s number in classic style.
A hug and a good luck wish between the pair came and Eddie departed the room. Ric showed his number to the rest of the room, who were bemused at his joy.
It was only when Flair rechecked his number that he realised he had been duped and Guerrero had made off with his number.
Take a look at the full clip below of a delighted then incredulous Flair and a disappointed then deviously brilliant Guerrero (shared on Twitter by @WrestleClips)
VIDEO: Eddie steals Ric Flair’s Rumble entrant number
The segment suited both men’s characters expertly
As mentioned, both Flair and Guerrero are two of the all-time best at all aspects of wrestling, and the “Dirtiest Player in the Game†moniker of Ric was beyond perfect for the “Lie, Cheat, Steal†motto of Eddie. The latter’s actions were something Flair would have been proud of himself.
The comments left on the clip are reflective of much of the commentary here, with love for the segment and sadness that Eddie is not with us anymore.
Ric Flair Eddie Guerrero
Ric Flair Eddie Guerrero
Ric Flair Eddie Guerrero
What happened next?
Flair and his Evolution teammates Triple H and Batista implored Bischoff to resolve the issue, which eventually led to the numbers being swapped back, as well as Guerrero returning Teddy Long’s wallet hilariously.
The numbers they had actually drew? Guerrero entered at No.1 while Flair at No.30. Neither men would win the match, with Batista instead being the 2005 Rumble winner.
This was sadly Eddie’s final Rumble match as he tragically passed away in November of the same year, which makes this segment all the more special.