10 WWE Superstars who didn't headline WrestleMania after winning the Royal Rumble

It has been over 30 years since the first Royal Rumble event took place. The free-for-all has been a yearly staple in WWE ever since its inception and is deemed by many as the most exciting bout in all of wrestling. Over the course of the past several years, a string of WWE Superstars have won the match to go on to compete for the top title at WrestleMania. On the other hand, there have been cases where a Superstar won the big match, but still didn't headline WrestleMania that year. Let's take a look at 10 such Superstars.

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#10 Rey Mysterio, 2006

The Royal Rumble Match in 2006 didn't even headline its own PPV, as Kurt Angle vs Mark Henry for the World title closed the show. Rey Mysterio won the match in an emotional moment, dedicating his win to the late Eddie Guerrero.

At WrestleMania 22, John Cena vs Triple H's WWE Championship match closed the show, while Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle vs Randy Orton for the World title was placed third to the last.

#9 Shinsuke Nakamura, 2018

The 'King of Strong Style' eliminated Roman Reigns at the 2018 Royal Rumble to win the whole thing. He immediately announced that he would be challenging AJ Styles for the WWE Championship At 'Mania. Styles retained his title, resulting in Nakamura turning heel.

The main event featured the Superstar who was eliminated by Nakamura to win the Rumble, Roman Reigns. 'The Big Dog' faced Brock Lesnar for the Universal title.

#8 Shawn Michaels, 1995

The mid-90s was all about Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, two of the biggest stars in WWE, at the time. Michaels won the Rumble match in 1995, last eliminating The British Bulldog. He didn't bag the last match of WrestleMania 11 though.

Michaels met Diesel for the WWE title at 'Mania, in a losing effort. This match was followed by the main event, featuring Bam Bam Bigelow and NFL star Lawrence Taylor.

#7 Randy Orton, 2017

At this time, Randy Orton was aligned with The Wyatt Family and the duo helped SmackDown LIVE defeat Monday Night RAW at Survivor Series. Orton went on to win his second Royal Rumble by last eliminating Roman Reigns. Orton's success inevitably led to tension between Orton and Bray Wyatt.

At WrestleMania 33, Orton met Wyatt in a match that was placed in the middle of the card. The main event saw Roman Reigns defeat The Undertaker in The Phenom's second 'Mania loss.

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#6 Sheamus, 2012

In one of the most nail-biting endings to the Rumble match, Sheamus collided with Chris Jericho before finally eliminating him to win the whole thing. The Celtic Warrior met Daniel Bryan for the World title at WrestleMania 28, but this wasn't the main event.

The match not only opened the show, it lasted less than 30 seconds! The main event was John Cena vs The Rock, which had been built up over the course of an entire year.

#5 Edge, 2010

The 'Rated R Superstar' made his long-awaited return to WWE at the Royal Rumble 2010, much to the shock of Chris Jericho, who berated him when he was injured a year prior. Edge eliminated John Cena to win the match and garner a shot at the World title at 'Mania.

Edge failed in his efforts to defeat Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 26 and the event ended with Shawn Michaels retiring from active competition.

#4 Ric Flair, 1992

The 1992 Royal Rumble Match was a history making one, as it was the first time the WWE title was on the line and not a WrestleMania shot. Ric Flair gave one of the greatest performances of his career and won the match after last eliminating Sid Justice.

At WrestleMania 8, Hulk Hogan wrestled Justice in the final match, while Flair met Randy Savage in the 6th match on the card.

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#3 Stone Cold Steve Austin, 1997

After Steve Austin eliminated Bret Hart to win the match, controversy ensued. Hart earlier eliminated Austin, but the referees did not see it. This led to 'Stone Cold' wrestling Hart in a classic Submission Match at WrestleMania.

Shawn Michaels vacated the WWE title soon after the Rumble, which led to a Fatal 4-Way for the vacant championship. Bret Hart won the WWE Championship in that Fatal 4-Way Match, but lost the title to Sid Justice the next night on RAW, due primarily to Steve Austin's interference.

At WrestleMania, the main event featured The Undertaker taking on Justice, while Hart would secure his revenge against Austin on the 6th match of the card.

#2 The Undertaker, 2007

The final two men in the 2007 Royal Rumble are possibly the two greatest Superstars in WWE history: The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. A short back and forth between the two ended with The Undertaker eliminating Michaels to win the whole thing. At 'Mania, The Deadman defeated Batista to win the World title.

Michaels, despite losing the match, went on to meet John Cena for the WWE title in the final match of the night. The 'Heart Break Kid' didn't win the title though, as Cena left the arena with the WWE Championship still on his shoulders.

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#1 John Cena, 2008

John Cena's return as the #30 entrant at the Royal Rumble 2008 PPV was a genuine shocker that no one was anticipating. The final trio of Cena, Batista, and Triple H blew the roof off MSG. Cena won the match by last eliminating The Game.

At WrestleMania 24, Edge defended his World title against The Undertaker in the main event, while Cena, Randy Orton, and Triple H fought for the WWE title in the 8th match of the show.

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