Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble match to earn a WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31.
While some Royal Rumble outcomes are genuinely surprising, Reigns’ triumph definitely wasn’t. Eight months before the event, Dave Meltzer reported (H/T Wrestle Zone) that higher-ups wanted The Big Dog to win the Rumble.
According to Meltzer, WWE’s creative team also discussed Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins having starring roles in the Rumble match. The idea would have led to an all-Shield final three, with Reigns overcoming his former stablemates to emerge victoriously.
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The Shield idea might have sounded exciting on paper, but it never came to fruition. Ambrose was the 26th person to be eliminated, while Rollins competed against Brock Lesnar and John Cena earlier in the show.
Roman Reigns eliminated Rusev at the end of the dramatic 30-man match after receiving help from his cousin, The Rock. Fans in Philadelphia reacted furiously to the outcome, with Reigns receiving loud boos as he celebrated his first milestone win as a singles competitor.
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About the author
Danny Hart
Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.
Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.
Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.
When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.
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