5 of the most underrated Royal Rumble performances

The Royal Rumble match has been a staple of WWE's programming for over 30 years. Ever since 1988, the annual spectacle has produced various unforgettable moments and has turned superstars into megastars. From Ric Flair's WWE Title victory in the Rumble match in 1992 to Kane's elimination rampage in 2001. From Rey Mysterio's memorable ironman performance in 2006 to Santino Marella's 1-second stay in 2009, The Royal Rumble match is not short of performances that will stay in the memories of fans for a long long time. However, there were some performances that fans don't recall that well, maybe because they were overshadowed by some more important event or a more impressive performance.

#5 Triple H (2006)

One of the best performances by Triple H in his WWE career

Royal Rumble 2006 is famous for Rey Mysterio's emotional win from the #2 slot. But only a few fans recall the fact that the man who came in at #1 was the second to last to be eliminated. Many fans don't recall this impressive one hour and 16 seconds marathon performance by WWE's current CEO. Before being eliminated by Rey Mysterio, Triple H eliminated five men, which included the likes of Kane, Big Show and his mentor Ric Flair. The Royal Rumble match of 2006 stands as the only match of its kind to have two different one-hour performances and Triple H sure doesn't get enough praise for this stellar performance.

#4 Cody Rhodes (2012)

Probably the finest performance for 'The Dashing One'The 2012 Royal Rumble match is not one that is fondly remembered by the fans. The main reason being that it had all the three commentators as participants (even Michael Cole) and had the wrong guy winning the Rumble (Jericho should have won). The only saving grace was the return of Kharma and the performances of The Miz and Cody Rhodes. Rhodes, especially, gave the performance of his lifetime. He lasted over forty-one minutes in the match and eliminated six superstars, which included Mick Foley and The Great Khali. Unfortunately, this underrated performance by Rhodes is often forgotten by the fans, who easily recall his performance, along with Ted DiBiase, in 2009, which helped Randy Orton win the match. However, in 2012, Rhodes was his own man and was the glue that, along with The Miz, held the match together.

#3 Edge (2005)

Edge's rise to superstardom began with an underrated performance at the 2005 Royal RumbleBatista's 2005 Royal Rumble win ranks among the best Rumble victories of all time. Fending off a challenge from John Cena and following the elimination mix up between the two, Batista tossed Cena out of the ring to punch his ticket for Wrestlemania. However, the biggest surprise package of the 2005 Rumble was their fellow final 4 participants - Rey Mysterio and, most particularly, Edge. The future Hall of Famer lasted longer than anybody in the match, except Benoit, and eliminated 5 men from the match, which included Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero and Ric Flair. When we recall Edge's best performance, we usually count his Money in the Bank win and his future battles with The Undertaker and John Cena. But this was the performance where Edge showed that he was capable of hanging with the 'big guys'. He would later win the Rumble match in 2010, after a surprise return from a career-threatening injury.

#2 Rick Martel (1991)

The First Man to cross the 50-minute mark in a Royal Rumble match

By the time the Royal Rumble 1991 took place, 'Hulkamania' was running so wild that it was nearly impossible to imagine anyone else other than Hulk Hogan as the last man standing in the ring. 'The Hulkster' eliminated seven men from the Rumble, eventually winning the match for the second time. In the meanwhile, Hogan overshadowed inarguably the best Rumble performance till then. 'The Model' Rick Martel became the first man to cross the 50-minute mark in the Rumble. He broke the longevity record set by Ted DiBiase. He eliminated 4 men from the match, including Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, with whom he feuded at that time. Over the years, his performance has been forgotten by the fans. But it was truly the first 'Iron Man' performance by a WWE superstar in the Rumble match.

#1 The British Bulldog (1995)

The first two, and the last two participants of the 1995 Rumble match

In 1995, Shawn Michaels became the first wrestler to win the Rumble match from the #1 slot. He lasted almost 40 minutes and eliminated 8 superstars to win the match. The man he last eliminated, The British Bulldog, was also the man he started the Rumble with. Davey Boy Smith managed to hang on for the same amount of time as Michaels and eliminated 4 men from the Rumble. He almost, won the Rumble when he threw Michaels over the top rope. Michaels, who's only one feet hit the floor, came back to eliminate Smith and win the match. However, just like Triple H's performance in 2006, The British Bulldog's performance is often ignored by the fans in favour of the winner, who entered the Rumble along with him and won the match by eliminating him.

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