5 best WWE heel superstars to win the Royal Rumble

Royal Rumble is one of the biggest pay-per-views for WWE since 1985. Its unique stipulation catches the eye of the audience and is a fan favorite. 30 Men enter to earn an opportunity to main event WrestleMania. Among the 30 men, there are some surprise returns and debuts, which make the show more exciting.

Over the years, many babyfaces have won the Rumble. Heels have rarely been booked to win the Rumble. The reaction has been mixed when a heel wins the Rumble as fans want babyfaces to emerge victorious. Surprisingly, sometimes, a heel is a more deserving performer than a babyface.

Some of the greatest heels in WWE history have won the Royal Rumble with memorable performances. Here are the top five WWE heel superstars to win the Royal Rumble.

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#5. WWE's Viper wins the Rumble

Randy Orton became a two-time Royal Rumble winner after eliminating Roman Reigns at San Antonio's Alamodome. Orton was a heel when he won the Rumble but later turned face when he challenged Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33. It was an unpredictable win as Randy aligned with Bray and lost the tag titles. He won the WWE Championship by defeating Bray at WrestleMania 33.

Orton's win at Royal Rumble was historic as he was the only wrestler to win the Royal Rumble twice as a heel. His previous win was at Royal Rumble 2009. Randy challenged Triple H at WrestleMania 25 but failed to win.

#4. WWE's Nature Boy wins his first championship

At Royal Rumble 1992, the winner was to win the vacant world championship. Ric Flair entered the match at #3 and lasted an hour to win the Rumble and his first title in WWE. He was going strong as a heel and won the title at Royal Rumble.

The Nature Boy's win is memorable as he faced legends like The Undertaker, Randy Savage, and Ted DiBiase. Ric's win is often remembered as one of the greatest Royal Rumble in history.

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#3. "The Animal" Batista

Batista's 2005 Royal Rumble win is remembered for many reasons. First, he was a heel who was about to turn face by betraying Evolution member Triple H. Despite his heel persona, Batista was cheered throughout the match.

The second reason is the climax of the match where Cena and Batista were the final two stars remaining. They accidentally eliminated each other with both their feet simultaneously hitting the ground. But after restarting the match with John, Batista emerged victorious. He challenged Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21 and won the title.

#2. Stone Cold Steve Austin

Steve Austin has won three Royal Rumbles. His first win came in 1997 when he was a heel. He entered the match at #5 and eliminated many superstars before getting thrown out by Bret Hart. The referees failed to see Austin's elimination, and he re-entered the match, eliminating The Undertaker, Bret Hart, and Vader.

He wasn't given a direct title shot at WrestleMania 13 because of the controversial nature of his win.

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#1. WWE's King of Kings

At Royal Rumble 2016, the winner was being rewarded with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The champ before the Rumble Match was Roman Reigns, who was forced to defend the title as the #1 entrant. Triple H entered the match at #30, winning the Rumble and the championship after eliminating Dean Ambrose.

After The Cerebral Assasin's win, he was booed out of the building as fans didn't like a part-timer winning. Reigns took his title back from The Game at WrestleMania 32.