Who Were the Runners Up in the 1997-2007 Royal Rumble Matches?

#2 Royal Rumble Runner Ups 2000-02

Stone Cold eliminates Kane to win the 2001 Royal Rumble

2000 - Bigshow

In 2000, the Royal Rumble match was built around two men, The Rock and the man who had just weeks earlier lost the WWE Championship, the Big Show.

Rock reversed a Big Show elimination attempt to win the match. However, replays would later show that Rock's feet did, in fact, hit the mat first and Show was the rightful winner.

Show earned an opportunity to fight Rock at the February pay per view, No Way Out where he won the bout and was inserted into the 'Mania headline bout.

Show was, therefore, one quarter of a Fatal 4 Way main event, consisting of him, Rock, Mick Foley, and Triple H.

Unfortunately for Show, he was the first man eliminated, by The Rock.

2001 - Kane

No one pegged Kane to win the 2001 Royal Rumble but his 58-minute ironman performance impressed and he also broke the record for most eliminations in a single 'Rumble match which lasted for over a decade.

However, it was to be recently returned Stone Cold who would instead eliminate Kane to win the match.

Kane was nowhere near the headline bracket in 2001 and would challenge for (and win) the Hardcore Title at Wrestlemania instead.

2002 - Kurt Angle

Everyone expected the recently returned Triple H to win the 2002 'Rumble match and so it proved. Great rival, Kurt Angle thought he had ejected "The Game" and began celebrating but Triple H held onto the ropes and re-entered the ring and dumped out Angle.

However, Angle would defeat Triple H at No Way Out, the following month to win the title shot, but "The Game" would regain it on Raw.

Angle had his chances but the 'Rumble loss ultimately saw him fight Kane in a mid-card bout at Wrestlemania X-8. However, a main event bout between Angle and Jericho would likely have made for a much better match.