On Sunday, January 29th 2017, the WWE presents its annual Royal Rumble event. The event will see competitors hit each other with some of the most incredible moves on this first major event of 2017.
Throughout the Royal Rumble's history, there have been memorable moments that have stood out.
Whether it was the shocking return of John Cena at the 2008 event, or the shocking return of Triple H in 2015, who ended up capturing the WWE World Heavyweight championship, the event has turned a lot of heads.
The general focus of the event is the 30-man Rumble where the winner normally gets to face the champion of their choice at Wrestlemania. At this point, who will win this year's event is really anyone's guess.
What isn't often talked about, however, are the singles, tag team or triple threat matches that have taken place on the pay per view as well.
While the Rumble match gets all the headlines, that doesn't mean that it's the best match of the night. But with so many elements in the main event, something which occurred earlier can be missed by fans.
What exactly are the five best non-Rumble matches at the Royal Rumble? Which ones stood out? Here are our choices for the five best matches in the Royal Rumble's history.
#5 2000 – Triple H vs. Cactus Jack
The attitude era may have seen the birth of Mankind, but it could be said that Cactus Jack defined this era before the era was ever a thought! As Cactus Jack, Mick Foley feuded with Triple H time and time again.
It was their feud that turned Triple H from a main event superstar to a must see star in the company. Their match at the 2000 Royal Rumble was for the WWE Heavyweight championship, and was fitting for the Cactus Jack character, as it was a street fight.
Also read: 5 Integral numbers that define The WWE Royal Rumble Match
The contest was so brutal that if seen today it would have to be shown in black in white for the PG audience, given the amount of blood that was shed by the competitors.
There were countless chair shots by both men, a pedigree onto a spilled sack of thousands of thumbtacks, and the infamous table piledriver. As is often said, the match was a hellacious affair!
It can never be duplicated, and we can be grateful for the time spent to assemble this match into something that was an incredible sight to see. All that was missing was a flaming table, but it's possible that it was a consideration.
#4 2015 – Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena vs. Seth Rollins
This match was without a doubt a perfect storm of events. Since Brock and Cena had faced each other a few months earlier, having them face one another again ran the risk of the story being rather stale.
Thus, Seth Rollins was entered into the mix, and his ability to sell each and every move as though it was the end for him meant something. Rollins' cavalier and brash character also provided a different dynamic to the match.
The match was bell-to-bell action. Whether it was an attitude adjustment, F5 or pedigree, a number of key moves were used throughout this contest.
After the beating Cena had taken from Lesnar months earlier, one had to wonder if we would see a repeat performance on this evening, but that wasn't the case, it was much more competitive.
One of the concerns was whether or not Lesnar had the conditioning to be a part of a long match. He certainly was prepared, and it got a big reaction from the crowd when he was seemingly taken out and laid on a broken announce table.
But Lesnar sprang up and came into the ring, immediately hitting an unsuspecting Rollins with an F5 for the pin and the win.
#3 2003 – Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
When the word wrestling is used, especially pertaining to the start of the 2000s, two men's names come to mind, Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle. When Benoit first came to the WWE he was a midcard wrestler, and for some that would be good enough.
In the case of Benoit, his work ethic suggested he should be more. During the lead up to his 2003 WWE championship match against former Olympic gold medallist Kurt Angle, the focus was less on their rivalry for the title, but rather on Angle's impending match against Brock Lesnar.
Regardless of how the match was being booked leading up to their confrontation, the result was amazing. Angle and Benoit put on a twenty-minute classic that told a tale of anguish, near falls and eventual triumph.
There were countless counter holds applied by both wrestlers on one another, building to the eventual climax of the match. Despite trying his best efforts to escape the Ankle lock, Benoit couldn't help but tap.
While Angle left as the conquering hero, Benoit's in-ring performance left the crowd hungry for more. It was an incredible effort by both champion and challenger.
#2 2001 – Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit
Before they earned notoriety facing the likes of The Rock and Kurt Angle, the dueling Chrises came together to show that Canadian wrestlers rule! This grueling ladder match was for the Intercontinental championship.
Any ladder match comes with some form of trepidation on the part of both the viewers and the performers, as one wrong step could mean that wrestler may never be able to compete again.
At the time Benoit was holding the championship, so one would anticipate that a hungry Jericho would be clamouring to walk away with the title.
The ladder match, despite all the fear attached to it, can limit a wrestler's moves and creativity. But this match didn't disappoint as it once again demonstrated innovation in various spots throughout, including the often recalled Walls of Jericho applied on the top of the ladder.
These types of moves made the match as memorable as it was. Many were well aware of how good Benoit was, but his dives from the top of the ladder are also remembered by many fans to this day.
Jericho eventually walked away the winner with Benoit once again coming up short, but that didn't diminish the quality of the match.
#1 2002 – Chris Jericho vs. The Rock
It's incredible to believe that this match was over fourteen years ago, but it's true. All those years ago, the current best friend of Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, faced off against one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood today.
The match stipulation was that it was for the Undisputed Heavyweight championship, which Jericho had won by defeating both The Rock and Steve Austin on the same night. The match was tremendous, as the men managed to tell a story in the ring through their great commitment.
It caught a lot of fans off guard when Jericho had captured the title in the first place, so combining that with how well they worked together led to the match being as good as it was.
No one can deny Jericho's ability, but based on popularity, The Rock was on a completely different plane. The buildup to the match consisted of a back and forth verbal barrage by both men.
If there is a criticism of the match, it was the finish as fellow Canadians Christian and Lance Storm came out, causing the referee to be distracted when Jericho was tapping out. Even though Jericho won in the end, it took a lot to stop The Rock.
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