'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Royal Rumble is the single most exciting match in the WWE year bar none. It is an hour-long ordeal with a new wrestler entering the match every 90 seconds or two minutes. It is so simple, yet so exciting. This simple concept has built up so much intrigue over the years, causing fans to wait in anticipation. 30 Superstars, 40 in one case, would make their way down to the ring and fight it out until only one remains. The Royal Rumble sets the tone for WrestleMania, playing its part perfectly as the ultimate excitement machine.
However, not every single Rumble could be the excitement machine. Some of them are good and some of them are bad. Various booking decisions among other factors could contribute to the lack of quality and excitement in a Royal Rumble match. A single moment could ruin the entire hour-long match, as has been proven multiple times. There have been 32 Rumble matches, not counting that 50-man one in Saudi Arabia.
It had taken some time for WWE to do the Rumble right, with the 1992 match involving the WWF Championship still standing as one of the greatest Royal Rumble matches of all time. The 90s focused on building new stars more than ever. Shawn Michaels and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin both won back-to-back Royal Rumbles one after the other, with Mr McMahon winning the final one of the 20th century. Since the start of the new millennium, there have been 20 of these crazy star-studded bouts. But which ones were the best and which ones were the worst?
Here are the last 20 Royal Rumble matches ranked from worst to best.
#20 2015
This might be the worst Royal Rumble match of all time. Overall, it was a mess. WWE clearly knew what they were doing and was adamant about Roman Reigns getting the win and main eventing WrestleMania 31. However, the way they did it was painfully horrific and downright lazy. The overwhelming crowd favourite Daniel Bryan entered at number 10 after a decent start to the Rumble, as we got somewhat of a Wyatt Family reunion and surprise entries from Bubba Ray Dudley and the Boogeyman. Bryan only lasted for ten minutes before being unceremoniously dumped out by Bray Wyatt. And that's when the match fell off a cliff. The fans booed the rest of this match like never before, only stopping to cheer the arrivals of other favourites like Damien Mizdow and Dean Ambrose. WWE did not do anything to induce them to change their opinion of the match and it showed. Even Kofi Kingston's elimination escape spot was extremely lazy, as he landed on the Rosebuds, who carried him across the ring before he immediately got dumped out by Rusev.
The Bulgarian had an impressive showing in the match, entering at 15 and eliminating a handful of competitors. However, everybody knew that Reigns was winning the Rumble as soon as Bryan's feet touch the floor. It was a pitiful mess. The ending was also by far one of the worst in WWE history. Kane and the Big Show, yesteryear's giants, went on a rampage and eliminated the remaining crowd favourites. They threw Dolph Ziggler, Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose with such ease, that it made the Big Dog's eventual victory much more bitter. He would eliminate both of them at the same time, before they returned to the ring to attack him post-elimination. Then out came The Rock, to save his cousin and try to transfer some of his popularity over to Reigns. It was a blatant and desperate move from the company, that backfired on them massively. "We want refunds" echoed around the Wells Fargo Center, even when the match was going on.
This Royal Rumble was so bad, that it made the fans boo the People's Champion and demand for refunds. Roman Reigns has had many stellar nights and moments in his career. Unfortunately, though, his Rumble victory was so painful to watch.
#19 2012
This was one of the weirdest Royal Rumble matches of all time. There were close to ten surprise entrants, but they were not particularly exciting. There were the nostalgic surprises like "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and Road Dogg, along with the downright shocking in Kharma. However, this match will forever be remembered for the fact that all three commentators entered the Rumble. Jerry Lawler and Booker T were acceptable additions to the match because of their prior experience in the ring, but Michael Cole entering at number 20 was a travesty. At least he got the sense knocked out of him by Kharma, the third female to ever enter a Rumble match. Aside from them, the likes of Mick Foley (in 2012) and Ricardo Rodriguez are groan-inducing presences in such a match. Foley and Santino Marella had a comedic battle of the socks, with Mr Socko and the Cobra.
That was what this match was reduced to. It was one goofball of a Rumble to say the least. There were some cool moments though. Cody Rhodes was the star of the show, lasting over 40 minutes and eliminating 6 men. Joining him was The Miz, who started the match and lasted until the end with Rhodes. Kofi Kingston began his annual Royal Rumble tradition of coming up with innovative ways to avoid elimination. He started off big by walking on his hands at ringside. It was incredible from the current New Day member and a perfect sign of things to come. The hometown pop for Randy Orton was immense, as he finished in third place after getting eliminated by the returning Chris Jericho. Y2J was the overwhelming favourite to win the Rumble, but was thwarted in an upset by Sheamus. Not as great as Jericho, but a good winner nevertheless.
Jericho and Sheamus fought hard in a nail-biting finishing sequence to the 2012 Royal Rumble match, one of the better endings to such a match. However, this Rumble's legacy will always be that all three commentators competed in it, especially Michael Cole.
#18 2011
This was the biggest Royal Rumble in history (before Saudi came calling) but the match did not exactly feel like such. The extra ten participants were added to provide for the members of the Corre and New Nexus. The two byproducts of the Nexus would brawl before the match even began, after CM Punk made his entrance as number 1. He, alongside his New Nexus followers, dominated the first half of the Rumble. Punk got eliminated at around the halfway point by John Cena, who would go on a dominant run with Hornswoggle of all people. A lot of the spots in this match were given to the mid-card of both Raw and Smackdown, making for a slightly boring period in between. It made the 40-man adjustment seem unnecessary.
We did see some great moments as well. John Morrison used Parkour to escape from certain elimination in the most incredible way, while we saw some shocking returns. Booker T and Diesel entered the match, much to the excitement of commentator Matt Striker, who called Booker's surprise appearance a “mark out moment” live on air and said “Holy s***” upon Diesel entering the match. WWE also pulled a fast one on us, making us believe that Santino Marella was going to win the 2011 Royal Rumble match. However, a last-ditch Cobra was not enough as Alberto Del Rio eliminated him to send him en route to his destiny at WrestleMania. An unpredictable winner, sure, but it was a real task to get there.
The 2011 Rumble match would have been much better if there were only 30 entrants. 40 ended up being a bit too excessive, especially since WWE didn't do much with them anyway. That really damaged this match.
#17 2000
This was one of the most controversial Royal Rumble matches of all time solely because of the finish. The rest of the match was perfectly average for a Rumble, filled with a who's who of Attitude Era mid-carders. One of the most fun moments of the match came when all three members of Too Cool were in the ring together performing their signature dance, before Rikishi eliminated both Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty on his way to a dominant run in this match. We also saw a surprise appearance from Bob Backlund at number 14, a moment that garnered a huge pop from the Madison Square Garden crowd, and Chyna's second consecutive Royal Rumble showing.
Another running theme throughout the 2000 Rumble was the constant interference, particularly from Kai En Tai and the Mean Street Posse, with Taka Michinoku taking a scary bump where he landed straight on his face following his "elimination". There was a minimal amount of main eventers in this match, as it was overwhelming favourite The Rock against The Big Show in the final two. The Brahma Bull may have won the match but it was his feet that touched the floor first, meaning that the victory should have technically gone to the Big Show. The Giant was robbed here and should have had his hand raised.
Aside from that, this was a pretty average and nothing Royal Rumble match. A shame considering the excellent undercard on this pay-per-view, featuring the debut of Tazz, a wild Tag Team Tables Match and a legendary Street Fight between WWE Champion Triple H and Cactus Jack, in a match that made the former's career.
#16 2014
This was the precursor to the 2015 Rumble match, with the fans desperately wanting Daniel Bryan to win the match. However, they would be disappointed as he did not even enter the match this year. Bryan lost a hard-fought opener to Bray Wyatt, but was expected to make another appearance on the show to win the 2014 Royal Rumble match. Once the WWE Universe found out that he was not going to be in the match, they booed everyone mercilessly. However, the match was pretty fun before that happened. The Shield, particularly Roman Reigns, went on a dominant run. This was one of Reigns' first glimpses of superstardom in the WWE, as he eliminated a record-breaking 12 men from the match. He lasted until the final two alongside public enemy number one, the returning Batista.
Other fun moments saw Kofi Kingston jump from the barricade to the ring apron, for his annual Royal Rumble highlight reel. He was almost thrown off by Rusev, who made his first ever WWE main roster appearance here, still donning the Alexander first name. Sheamus returned from a lengthy injury and looked pretty good, faring well in the match. However, all the good was completely overshadowed by one single bad. The exclusion of Daniel Bryan. The reaction turned ugly when Rey Mysterio entered at number 30, possibly the first time he has ever been booed in the WWE. That entire episode ruined the match and Batista's seemingly babyface victory. Oh, and this was CM Punk's final WWE match. He entered at number 1 and was the iron man of the match before being eliminated by Kane, who had already been eliminated long before. That was the perfect representation of his feelings about his WWE career right there.
This match seemed decent until the boos started ringing in. It was part the fans and part the company to be blamed for the messy ending. But at least it all turned out good, when Daniel Bryan conquered the world to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 30.
#15 2006
The placement of this match on the Royal Rumble pay-per-view was weird, especially considering it contained possibly the greatest moment in the Rumble history. It came before the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship matches on the night. The reason for this was The Undertaker's show-closing return to confront World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle and put on a fireworks show. It was still a curious decision to have Kurt Angle vs Mark Henry as the main event of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Nevertheless, the 2006 Royal Rumble match started and ended in great fashion, with Triple H and Rey Mysterio. However, the middle portion of this match was extremely dull and lumbering, filled with a bunch of lower card wrestlers. We did see the surprise return of Tatanka though.
Rob Van Dam also returned to action in this match, entering at number 20 after missing over a year due to a knee injury, but it would not save it from the collective mediocrity throughout the match. It did pick up towards the end, with non-participant Shane McMahon eliminating Shawn Michaels from the match. Also, numbers 1 and 2 Triple H and Rey Mysterio survived until the end alongside the final entrant Randy Orton. The Ultimate Underdog would eliminate both heels to win the entire match and dedicate the victory to the late Eddie Guerrero, lasting a record-breaking 62 minutes in the process. It was an excellent performance from Mysterio, who has hardly seen a better day in his career.
The 2006 Royal Rumble match may have been bumped below Angle vs Henry and John Cena vs Edge, but it held possibly more emotional value than any other Rumble match in history.
#14 2017
In 2017, WWE presented the Royal Rumble from the Alamodome, the location for the 1997 Royal Rumble. 20 years later, we were promised the biggest and most star-studded Rumble match of all time. Even the really long ramp was telling us that. It was really unpredictable, probably the most a Royal Rumble has ever been. It was one which was carried by the solid workers of the midcard. After an early period of domination from Braun Strowman, guys like Dean Ambrose, Sami Zayn and The Miz held the bout together. Chris Jericho lasted for a full hour, accumulating the longest overall time spent in Royal Rumble matches in the process. A surprise appearance from the perfect 10 Tye Dillinger at, you guessed it, number 10 was wildly popular as was James Ellsworth showing up. He took a sickening bump as Strowman chokeslammed him from a terrifying height to the outside.
Also, Kofi Kingston almost impaled himself in an attempt to escape certain elimination, by jumping from the LED ring post and hanging from it. As the ring started to fill up and with five entrants to go, out came the heavy hitters. Brock Lesnar came out at number 26, followed by Goldberg at 28 who got the better of the Beast again. We then got a monumental face-off between the WCW legend and entrant 29, The Undertaker. 'Taker would end up eliminating Goldberg and wait for the final entrant. Everyone was expecting a big surprise like Samoa Joe or Finn Balor, but we got Roman Reigns. This is what brought the match down. Reigns had already competed on the show, losing a barn-burning Universal title match to Kevin Owens. His Rumble appearance was underwhelming and unnecessary. Reigns would remain until the final two, after eliminating the Deadman and fighting off Bray Wyatt. He was taken out by temporary Wyatt Family member, Randy Orton. A fourth repeat Rumble winner in five years, but one with a lot of storyline potential.
Aside from the final stretch, this Rumble match somewhat delivered to the hype. It just lacked that one defining shocking entrant that would have wowed the Alamodome. Also, Chris Jericho as the sneaky 60-minute man is perfect. Especially after he spent half an hour hanging above the ring in a shark cage earlier in the night.
#13 2013
Ever since The Rock announced his WWE Championship shot for Royal Rumble, the main storyline heading into WrestleMania 29 was probably the most predictable one in WWE history. He would win the title against CM Punk at the event while John Cena wins the Royal Rumble, setting up the "epic" rematch between the pair of icons. It was unnecessary and unbelievably predictable. The only salvageable fact was that this Royal Rumble match was actually really good. It was overshadowed by the main event match between Rock and Punk, but WWE made a proper effort to book a really great Rumble. Dolph Ziggler started at number 1 against Chris Jericho, who made a shocking return here after being written off WWE programming upon a defeat to the Showoff. It was one of the greatest Rumble returns of all time and an excellent way to kick things off.
Kofi Kingston continued his annual trend of finding innovative ways to avoid being eliminated from the Royal Rumble by using JBL's chair as a pogo stick from the announce table to the ring. He had an impressive showing, as did Cody Rhodes. However, one of the biggest impressions made on the night was from Bo Dallas. The then-NXT superstar got an opportunity to enter the match and had an excellent showing, lasting over 20 minutes and eliminating Intercontinental champion Wade Barrett. We got other great surprise entrants, as Goldust entered to do battle with his brother and the Godfather came in for a five-second cameo. In the end, it was down to Cena, Sheamus and the dominant Ryback. The Irishman also did himself proud, lasting from number 11. But the match was Cena's. A disappointingly obvious winner for a match that could have been much better, in all honesty.
WWE's decision to book Rock vs Cena II made some sense business-wise, but there were some casualties to it. CM Punk's record-breaking WWE Championship reign was the biggest one, but the 2013 Rumble match was also affected. It's a shame really, it was much better than it's counterparts from previous and future years.
#12 2018 (Women's)
Last year, WWE put on the first ever all-women's Royal Rumble match. There was a lot of scepticism on how the match would play out, especially when it was placed in the main event slot of the January supershow. It turned out to be a more than adequate history maker. A fun showcase of the past and present of the WWE's female roster, this match delivered in probably the best possible way. Despite having Stephanie McMahon as a commentator, the action was consistently great. There was a blend of the current women's division along with regular surprise entrants from past legends and Divas. We saw the likes of Molly Holly, Michelle McCool, Jacqueline and Beth Phoenix among others, including the two biggest stars in WWE's female past, Lita and Trish Stratus. There was also a glimpse into the future with appearances from NXT Superstars, Kairi Sane and Ember Moon. Along with these, even Vickie Guerrero made her return, screeching her signature "Excuse me" much to the delight of the wonderful Philly crowd.
Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, two of WWE's four horsewomen, started off the Rumble, a fitting way to begin the first ever match of its kind. The crowd was massively into all the dozen surprises, all well spaced out between full-time performers. There were loads of cool moments, from rivalries renewed to dream matches being teased. Old NXT rivals Asuka and Ember Moon went at it, while the final entrant Trish Stratus faced off against Mickie James, one of the best moments of the entire night, before having a great confrontation with Sasha Banks. The Legit Boss had a fantastic showing, lasting from the start until the final four and eliminating a bunch of participants, including best friend Bayley. The end saw the returning Bella Twins team up against the undefeated Asuka. The Empress would stand tall after last eliminating Nikki Bella. As she was being made to choose her WrestleMania opponent, Joan Jett's 'Bad Reputation' played on the speakers, signalling the astronomical arrival of Ronda Rousey to WWE. She made her debut after the 30-woman match, repeatedly pointing to the WrestleMania sign and seemingly stealing some of the thunder from the main event match.
A worthy celebration of the women in WWE followed by an Earth-shattering debut make this a Rumble to remember. It was a solid first ever all-female match, but the quality of such a match can only improve from here.
#11 2009
This was such a middle of the road Royal Rumble. It was not a bad match, but nothing particularly spectacular happened here. 2009 may have seen the most people share the ring in Royal Rumble history, with the match being really crowded at most times. As a result, there were many Superstars who enjoyed impressive runs here. From unlikely names like Mike Knox and Finlay to household main eventers like Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho, the early birds of the 2009 Rumble match were more successful. In fact, each of the final four competitors was in the first half of entrants in this match. Randy Orton won the match, a predictable but fairly good outcome nevertheless.
He was joined by his Legacy stablemates Ted Dibiase and Cody Rhodes shortly after entering at number 8, with both his proteges staying till the end with him. Rhodes even eliminated his brother Goldust. One moment that this Rumble is famous for is Santino Marella's quick elimination. The Milan Miracle was thrown out of the match a second after he entered, breaking the Warlord's previous record of 2 seconds. We also saw a surprise return from Rob Van Dam, who made his way and wowed the audience among the dense crowd in the ring. The final four consisted of the aforementioned trio of second generation Superstars, Legacy and entrant number 7 Triple H. The Game put up a great fight, eliminating Dibiase and Rhodes, before an opportunistic Orton struck from behind to secure his place in the main event of WrestleMania 25.
The Viper would face Triple H at the Show Of Shows, continuing the theme of the story of Orton tormenting the McMahon family. It was a more than worthy primary story to a perfectly adequate Royal Rumble match.
#10 2003
The Ruthless Aggression Era began in the wake of the original brand split in mid-2002. A whole new crop of stars came into prominence, particularly on Smackdown. It was on full show at the 2003 edition of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Kurt Angle successfully defended his WWE Championship against former tag team partner Chris Benoit, in a classic match that will be remembered as one of the best world title matches in the history of this event. The rest of the famously called 'Smackdown Six' were all in the Rumble. Rey Mysterio, Edge, Chavo Guerrero and Eddie Guerrero all had decent showings, proving that the future was here to stay.
We also saw impressive Royal Rumble debuts for future Hall Of Famers Batista and John Cena, with the former lasting until the final four. However, the star of the match was Chris Jericho, who lasted longer than anybody from the number 2 spot. He even eliminated Shawn Michaels at the start of the match following a distraction from Christian. The match was won by another new star, Brock Lesnar, who performed double duty on the night following his impressive victory over the Big Show in the opener. The Beast last eliminated The Undertaker, who made his surprise return at number 30. With the barrage of new talent in this Rumble, it certainly built towards the future.
These were exciting times for WWE, with so many future main event stars coming through the ranks here. Lesnar wasn't even on the WWE main roster for a year when he won the Rumble, certainly a bold but telling move made by the company at the time.
#9 2016
Similar to the 2013 Royal Rumble match, this one was pretty predictable but fun nevertheless. Roman Reigns defended his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against 29 other men here, with him starting off at number 1. This was at the height of WWE's 'One vs All' storyline with the Big Dog. He would immediately eliminate entrant 2 Rusev before a piece of unfamiliar music played for entrant number 3's arrival. It was AJ Styles, who made an incredible debut alongside Reigns and took the fight to him. The crowd reaction to him was unbelievable, indicative of the huge push he would receive over the rest of 2016. Around the halfway point of the match, Reigns was taken out of the ring under the bottom rope, being viciously attacked by the Leauge Of Nations. Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio and Rusev laid their shots in on Roman. He would be taken backstage for the rest of the match until the final ten or so minutes.
That angle really diminished this match in the eyes of many fans, touting WWE as lazy to make Reigns the iron man by having him sit out of the majority of the match. Besides that, Kofi Kingston would be saved by his New Day partner Big E, who took him on his shoulders and hung around at ringside before Chris Jericho dropkicked Kofi to the floor. WWE's other top heel faction, the Wyatt Family was dominant in this match, even collectively eliminating Brock Lesnar despite already being thrown out by him. Sami Zayn made a popular surprise appearance at number 20 and eliminated Kevin Owens. However, the main story was the predictable surprise return of Triple H. The Game entered at number 30, much to the "shock" of Roman Reigns, who had brutally attacked the COO at the previous month's TLC pay-per-view. Triple H would end up winning the Rumble and the belt, after eliminating Reigns and Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose. A decent moment, but one that telegraphed the entire main event of WrestleMania and its build.
The 2016 Rumble may not be that fondly remembered upon because of Reigns taking a mid-match break and Triple H's (not so) surprise return. It was still a really fun and underrated match. It was the start of an absolutely Phenomenal WWE career, and that's what it should be remembered for.
#8 2002
After the end of the Attitude Era at WrestleMania in 2001, WWE went through a lengthy transition phase. Their competition had essentially died, leaving the wrestlers of WCW and ECW to come work for Vince McMahon's Superstar Factory. The invasion angle was played out in an extremely disappointing way, but there was an influx of stars from other companies. The 2002 Royal Rumble saw the likes of Rob Van Dam, Booker T and Mr Perfect enter the match, as WWE was mixing the old up with the new. It was sort of a fun experiment. This match did not have a definitive match-long story, but there were various pieces throughout the hour-long bout.
The Undertaker dominated the early portion of the match after coming in at number 8, eliminating seven men. However, Big Evil would be dumped out of the match by Tough Enough Season 1 winner Maven, in what was one of the most shocking eliminations in Rumble history. The subsequent beatdown of the rookie by 'Taker was merciless and would define his career. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin also had a run of domination, but he was met with a returning Game. Triple H, who had been out for eight months, made a successful comeback to the ring and won the whole thing. It was a popular choice for the victor, albeit a bit predictable.
There was no long-form ironman performance in the 2002 Royal Rumble match, but that didn't take away from the action. A pretty fun showcase, with just the right amount of main event stars in it.
#7 2007
The only reason why the 2007 Royal Rumble match is this high on the list is the final ten minutes. The ending made this match significantly better, with a legendary final four, perhaps the greatest in Rumble history. The rest of the match was decent, if unspectacular. Edge had another great showing in this match, lasting for close to 45 minutes from the number 5 spot. His tag team partner at the time, Randy Orton also lasted a long time from number 16. Rated RKO was in full swing, as the World Tag Team Champions eliminated both Hardy Boyz among a couple others. Both of them lasted until the final four, alongside The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. This Rumble was also the first to feature the returning ECW brand, with wrestlers like Sabu and CM Punk making their Rumble bows. Punk, in particular, was mighty impressive.
The match completely picked up when The Great Khali entered at number 28 and dominated the entire Rumble field. He eliminated seven men, including The Miz within five seconds of his entry, before getting tossed out the final entrant, The Undertaker. After lengthy sequences of domination from Khali and then Rated RKO, it was down to 'Taker and Shawn Michaels. The San Antonio crowd was completely behind the Showstopper for this one, as we got a full-on match at the end of this Royal Rumble. Both legends went at it, giving their all to win and secure their place at WrestleMania 23. We saw Chokeslams, Sweet Chin Musics and much more, before it would be the Deadman who reigned supreme. It was a legendary moment, one filled with respect and one that will give you goosebumps every time you see it. It was the perfect way to end the 20th annual Royal Rumble match.
There has not been a better end sequence to a Rumble match since then and it will be extremely hard to top this one. Two years before their barn-burning WrestleMania match, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker stole the show in Texas.
#6 2005
This match happened at the peak of the Ruthless Aggression Era and the rivalry between Raw and Smackdown. The roster was well divided and we got various mentions of the brand divide here, with Jim Ross and Tazz on commentary. We saw a lot of up-and-comers, who had made various impacts in the WWE and the Royal Rumble so far, but they needed to take the next step. This was the case for John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Edge and Batista. These four made up a fantastic final four that built to the future. While the end would be much more memorable, the 2005 Royal Rumble match started off pretty well too. The two stars of WrestleMania 20, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit were the opening entrants to the match. It was a strong start, something Tough Enough winner Dan Puder could attest to. He got the life chopped out of him by Guerrero, Benoit and especially Hardcore Holly, before being put out of his misery and eliminated.
This Rumble saw so many excellent wrestlers make their way for decent showings, from Booker T to Chris Jericho among a couple of others. We got the setup to a marquee WrestleMania match, as Kurt Angle brutally attacked Shawn Michaels upon being eliminated from the match by him in a matter of seconds. Edge and Mysterio had excellent showings, lasting until the final four from numbers 7 and 8 respectively. Benoit himself lasted until the final six, before being thrown out by number 30 entrant Ric Flair. Flair's stablemate and massive rising star, Batista was left with United States Champion John Cena in the final two, before the drama unfolded. During a botched spot, both men fell out of the ring and hit the floor at the same time. This prompted a furious Mr McMahon to come out and blow both his quads while in the ring. The match was restarted and the Animal came out as the victor, but not without that great deal of controversy.
This match was indicative of WWE's former days as an absolute star-making machine, as none from Batista, Cena, Edge and Mysterio had won a world title at that point. They now have a combined total of 36 world championships to their collective names.
#5 2010
2010 was a really disappointing year for WWE. The Nexus storyline looked to have some real potential but it was badly derailed by John Cena. The main event scene on Smackdown primarily focused on the likes of Jack Swagger and Kane, while the overall quality of the product was pretty low. However, the year started off brilliantly. The entire first quarter of 2010, leading into WrestleMania, was WWE close to their finest. It started at the Royal Rumble, one of the best and most unpredictable ones of all time. There were so many memorable moments over here. The opening third of this match was dominated by CM Punk, who went on a sermon between entrants. He eliminated five Superstars, including Beth Phoenix. The Glamazon, at the time of writing, is the only WWE Superstar in history to enter both the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches, unless Kharma makes a surprise appearance in the Rumble. She shockingly eliminated the Great Khali as well.
Another primary story of this Rumble was Shawn Michaels and his quest to face the Undertaker at WrestleMania 26, following their epic show-stealer at the previous 'Mania. HBK entered the match and dominated, eliminating competitors left and right. He would even eliminate best friend and tag team partner, Triple H as he perfectly illustrated the desperation he was feeling to win the Royal Rumble. Michaels lasted until the final four before he was eliminated. Upon elimination, he took his frustration out on the officials at ringside before walking off in disappointment. However, this Rumble belonged to Edge. After spending the entire second half of 2009 on the shelf with a career-threatening injury, the Rated-R Superstar returned at number 29, and with a vengeance. He won the match, last eliminating John Cena, to set up World Heavyweight Championship date at WrestleMania. Aside from these, the 2010 Rumble match was really good because the ring was hardly crowded. The action came thick and fast, eliminating the problem of congestion and confusion. In a way, it was similar to the 2002 Royal Rumble match, which also emanated from Atlanta.
At no point during the match were there ten wrestlers or more in the ring. In fact, the final four was decided even before the number 30 entrant came out. It was a refreshing change, following the overcrowded Rumble in 2009. This would be the last satisfying Rumble match for many, many years.
#4 2004
WrestleMania 20 was a very big deal, with the Showcase of the Immortals returning to Madison Square Garden. This made the 2004 Royal Rumble match a big deal as well. None of the 30 men who entered the Rumble match had won it before, making it all the more special. We knew the number 1 and number 30 entrants beforehand, with Chris Benoit beginning the match and Goldberg rounding out the participants. Benoit was the glue that stuck this entire match together. He started the match with Randy Orton, who had an impressive showing here. There was a bunch of realistic main event candidates here, ranging from Benoit and Kurt Angle to Rob Van Dam and Chris Jericho.
One of the biggest moments of the match came when Mick Foley made his surprise return to thwart Orton, who had been torturing him. This would set up a star-making program for the Viper against Foley. Elsewhere, Kane would get eliminated after getting distracted by The Undertaker's gong, in the lead-up to the return of the Deadman at ‘Mania. In the end, it was Chris Benoit who lasted until the end and won the match. He ended a run of dominance from the Big Show, by using his legendary technical skill to eliminate the Giant. This was a great match that set up a lot of stuff for the Show of Shows in 2004, but it does not get spoken about for obvious reasons. Benoit's actions have put a dampener on everything he has done in the ring including this Royal Rumble match.
This truly was the forgotten Rumble. It is worth remembering though, especially if you can separate Benoit in the ring and in real life. His performance here may be one of the greatest in the history of the Royal Rumble.
#3 2018 (Men's)
Last year, the men's match was bumped down to the mid-card. It was the first time a Rumble match went on so early into the pay-per-view, but this was a real banger. It felt like every participant had a place in the match. The match began with the ever so popular Rusev and the incredibly over Finn Balor. From then, we were thoroughly entertained for an hour. A running gag in this match was Heath Slater, who got attacked by an already eliminated Baron Corbin before he could enter the match at number 5. Other entrants attacked him on their way to the ring until entrant number 11. Sheamus picked Slater up and tossed him into the ring, only to be eliminated by the One Man Band in two seconds. A satisfying payoff to a long-standing gag. Another fun bit was how Kofi Kingston survived elimination from the match. He was saved by Xavier Woods and then later, a plate of pancakes before Woods and Big E catapulted him back into the ring over Jinder Mahal, who had eliminated two-thirds of the New Day.
There are a couple of reasons why the 2018 men's Rumble was so well received. The surprise entrants were all great and were a perfect blend of the past and the future, with NXT champion Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Adam Cole (Baybay) showing up after their respective gruelling matches at the previous night's Takeover event. The Hurricane also entered, but the biggest surprise of all was Rey Mysterio, who looked incredible. It was such a great return that it makes up for the underwhelming showing by number 30 Dolph Ziggler, another surprise. The final four was a divisive one, involving John Cena, Roman Reigns, Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura. The Japanese legend overcame both Cena and Reigns to come out victorious, after an incredible showing. He lasted around 40 minutes after entering at number 14. Because of all these reasons collectively, this Rumble will always be fondly remembered. Nakamura might be damaged goods right now but back when he won the 30-man match last year, he was the star of the show. The fact that it started less than one hour into the event did not diminish it one bit.
WWE should honestly follow a similar formula to this for every Royal Rumble match they book from now on. A cohesive story, a role for everybody involved and a well-received winner. Simple.
#2 2001
This Royal Rumble match was one of the most star-studded matches of its type, making it making it one of the best ones of all time. This was during WWE's biggest boom business and quality wise. The amount of talent, past, present and future in this match was unbelievable. There were so many possible winners of this match, ranging from Kane and The Undertaker to The Rock and eventual winner, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. We saw a variety of great Royal Rumble moments from the hardcore portion of this match to the surprise returns of the Honky Tonk Man, the Big Show and Haku.
We saw a great celebrity moment when Drew Carey entered the Rumble at number 5 before Kane came in and took over the match. The Big Red Machine put in a career-high performance here, eliminating a then-record 11 men. It was the best Royal Rumble performance by a non-victor. Kane lasted for over fifty minutes and made it to the final two against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The Texas Rattlesnake entered at number 27 but was attacked, before he could make the ring, by Triple H, who wasn't a participant in the match. Austin was left bloody but would stand tall at the end, vanquishing the star of the show, Kane, to book his place in the main event of WrestleMania X7.
Evidently, it was a very eventful Royal Rumble match, one of the greatest of it's kind and at the heart of the greatest period in WWE's storied history.
#1 2008
The 2008 Royal Rumble match may just be the best one of all time. There are a plethora of reasons for it. The historic Madison Square Garden played host to this spectacular showdown. It was loaded with a balanced mixture of established main event stars, upper mid carders, up-and-coming Superstars and shocking entrants. This match started in the same way the previous one ended, with The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels entering at numbers 1 and 2, forming possibly the greatest opening pairing in Royal Rumble history. The pair dominated chunks of the match, but would not overstay their welcomes. 'Taker was eliminated by Michaels after over half an hour before HBK was eliminated himself by Mr Kennedy. One of the stars of the match was Batista, who entered at number 8 and lasted until the final three. ECW wrestlers John Morrison and CM Punk also had excellent showings, with both lasting over twenty minutes each.
But one of the biggest moments of the match was a blast from the past. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper made back-to-back surprise returns, before having an epic confrontation that caused the rest of the Rumble field to stop in their tracks. Hornswoggle also made an appearance, hiding under the ring before eliminating The Miz and then getting saved by Finlay, who got disqualified from the match for jumping the gun before his number was up. However, this Rumble belonged to only one person. And his name is John Cena!
Three months after suffering a torn pectoral muscle –an injury that was supposed to keep Cena on the shelf for 6 months– he made his epic return at number 30 and won the entire match, eliminating heavy favourite Triple H last. It was a legendary return by a legendary wrestler during a legendary match in a legendary building. And who could forget those doors at the stage entrance? Just legendary.
This match was already really good, containing lots of drama throughout, but the final entrant made it great. One could even say elite. John Cena's return in the 2008 match was quite possibly the greatest surprise return in Royal Rumble history.
