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The Royal Rumble is always the most anticipated match of the year, not usually the most exciting match of the year but always the one everyone is most looking forward to.
We have surprise entries from legends and new stars, unexpected eliminations, stare downs and physical action from superstars who wouldn't normally share the same ring and so much more. Something that is surprisingly overlooked every year by fans is the individual performances from the entries. Superstars can often enter very early and survive for the majority of the match while others can provide fantastic moves and eliminations.
Here we have what may be the 10 best performances in Royal Rumble history.
#10 Randy Orton - 2009
Randy Orton won his first of two Royal Rumble matches in 2009. Many fans knew going into the match that Orton was the likely winner, not due to leaked spoilers but because of what happened in the prior episode of RAW. Randy kick-started, literally, a big angle when he punted Vince McMahon in the head, and what better way to make this angle even bigger than for Randy to win the Rumble.
Randy entered the match at the match at number #8 and lasted just over 48 minutes before last eliminating Triple H to take home the victory. Although Randy would eliminate just 3 superstars during his 48 minute + performance, there was barely a moment where he wasn't in on the action and that comes a long way into making it a great performance.
#9 Vince McMahon - 1999
Now, this is a choice that not many others would have made, but I have my reasons. WWE CEO Vince McMahon entered the 1999 Royal Rumble at number #2, opposite bitter rival Stone Cold Steve Austin who came in at number #1.
Both McMahon and Austin lasted the full length of the Rumble which went on for 56 minutes and 38 seconds, however, neither man was actually in the ring for the full length. McMahon lured Austin away where he was beaten up by the Corporation and taken to hospital. Vince eventually returned and provided commentary for about 30 minutes before being forced back into the ring by the returning Austin.
McMahon takes his place here on this list because of all this and more. It's Sports Entertainment, not just wrestling, and Vince McMahon provided much entertainment with his commentary and lack of defense before The Rock helped him to secure his fluke win and in turn, also made both the McMahon vs Austin and Rock vs Austin feuds more entertaining.
#8 Chris Jericho - 2003
When talking about the best performances in Royal Rumble history, this one is for sure the most underrated. Chris Jericho won a four-man battle royal to choose his own number and chose to enter at number #2, as Shawn Michaels, who Jericho had just begun to feud with, chose to enter at number #1 in hopes of repeating his 1995 milestone.
Thanks to a fake entrance from his buddy Christian, Jericho would sneak attack HBK and bloody him up with a number of chair shots to his head, and would then toss him over before the 3rd entrant came out. From this great angle, Jericho would be the longest survivor lasting just under 39 minutes and would make 6 eliminations along the way. Jericho barely took any time to rest before he was suddenly and surprisingly eliminated by Test following interference from the eliminated Shawn Michaels.
#7 - Shawn Michaels - 1995
This is still probably the most famous Royal Rumble victory. The first of only two occasions where someone entered at number #1 and went the distance and also gave us one of the most famous lines in WWE history, ''Only one of Shawn Michaels feet hit the floor''.
Going toe to toe for the full match with entrant number #2 the British Bulldog, Shawn eliminated 8 other men to take the win. WWE look back at this as possibly the greatest Rumble performance ever, but it only makes number #7 on my list due to this being the shortest Royal Rumble in history, at 38 minutes and 41 seconds. That said it was still a very entertaining match where Shawn earned his WrestleMania main event.
#6 Triple H - 2006
Everyone looks back at the 2006 Royal Rumble for the solid performance by winner Rey Mysterio, but he wasn't the only one to give a tremendous job as the number #1 entrant Triple H went just over an hour almost every step of the way with Rey.
The Game took home 5 eliminations before being the second last man eliminated by eventual winner Rey Mysterio. Although many saw the Mysterio win coming, Triple H also stood a strong chance as many knew he was the planned opponent for WWE Champion John Cena for WrestleMania 22 and the Game gave such a good performance that for a while, it seemed highly possible he would win.
#5 Roman Reigns - 2014
'The Big Dawg' Roman Reigns entered the 2014 Royal Rumble with so much momentum behind him. WWE was ready to begin building him to portray the new big bad-ass in town. Roman had broken a record at Survivor Series 2 months earlier, eliminating all 5 of his team's opponents on the opposite side and here, he looked to take another.
Roman would break the record for most eliminations in a single Royal Rumble match, a record that had been held by Kane for 13 years. Roman took it with just one elimination over Kane's 11 eliminations, with 12. Reigns entered halfway through at #15 and lasted more than 33 minutes before being the last eliminated by winner Batista.
Roman was actually incredibly over with the live audience, which makes it even more of a shame that he couldn't repeat that when he would win the Rumble match the following year.
#4 Kane - 2001
Roman Reigns may have broken Kane's elimination record 13 years later, but the Big 'Red Machines' performance is still far superior. Kane eliminated his 11 superstars with far more brute force than Roman and even provided some fun comedic moments with surprise entries Drew Carey and The Honky Tonk Man.
Kane entered at number #5 and lasted just over 53 minutes before being the last man eliminated by winner Stone Cold Steve Austin. Although Austin provided a very popular victory, some were disappointed that Kane came up short as his performance had been arguably the best Rumble performance ever by that point, and the best Rumble performance ever by someone who didn't go on to win.
#3 Rey Mysterio - 2006
The biggest underdog in WWE history did what no one thought he would ever do, especially for a man his size, and won the WWE 2006 Royal Rumble. Rey entered at number #2 and not only won but broke the record for the longest time spent in Royal Rumble history, a record which still stands today. Rey eliminated 6 men along the way before last eliminating Randy Orton to take home the win.
Many fans look at this as being the best performance in Royal Rumble history, but it comes in at number #3 for me. Firstly, the win, unfortunately, is always tainted by the death of his best friend and wrestling icon Eddie Guerrero.
Another factor is that due to the performance lasting over an hour, there were several points in the match where Rey was laying in the ring pretty lifeless. This is highly understandable due to the toll a match like this would be taking on his body but there have been others to go the distance and have taken less 'breaks' than Rey.
#2 Ric Flair - 1992
After being the flagship performer of the NWA throughout the 80's, the 'Nature Boy' Ric Flair shockingly came to the WWE after a fall out with WCW boss Jim Herd. Just a few months after his debut, Ric would enter the 1992 Royal Rumble match, which would feature something a little different that year, instead of advancing to face the WWE Champion at WrestleMania, this match was for the then vacated WWE Championship.
Ric Flair entered the match at number #3 and eliminated 5 men over the course of 1 hour to win the match and his first WWE Championship. This was the first time someone would enter the match so early and go the distance. Flair entered one of the best if not arguably the best performance of his career and upstaged the like of Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Randy Savage and more.
#1 Chris Benoit - 2004
It really is such a shame, in my opinion, the best Royal Rumble performance in history will be forever ignored by WWE due to the events that took place during one horrible weekend in July 2007.
Chris Benoit had been the most underrated, card placement wise, superstar in all of WWE at this time. After an intense and blinding battle with Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship on Smackdown in 2003, Chris Benoit began a feud with Smackdown General Manager Paul Heyman over Benoit not being good enough too ever be a Heavyweight Champion in WWE. At the time, the plan was seemingly for RAW star Goldberg to win the Royal Rumble and make the jump to Smackdown to face Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 20. These weren't Goldberg's plans however as he heavily implied to WWE management in early 2004 that he likely wouldn't be re-signing with WWE in March 2004. This changed everything.
Suddenly the Royal Rumble winner could be anyone and then Paul Heyman told Chris Benoit he was making him the number #1 entrant in the Royal Rumble match. Could he do it? He was never tall and had a WWE career of being in and out of the main event scene but could he really do it?
Chris Benoit entered the 2004 Royal Rumble match at number #1 and went just over 1 hour to become the second man ever to win the Rumble as the first entry. Benoit eliminated 6 men, with last eliminating the Big Show to come out on top. What separates Benoit's performance over Rey Mysterio's record-breaking one, and especially Shawn Michaels in 1995, was that Benoit barely took a moment to breathe. He took everything for everyone and gave the performance of his life to earn is a well deserved main event and World Championship match at WrestleMania 20.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
