5 past Royal Rumble winners who may never win it again and 5 who could

Winning the Royal Rumble multiple times is a rare feat. Only a few Superstars have done it, and the Women's Royal Rumble match was only introduced in 2018 - having three different winners.

Given how high the stakes are for both Royal Rumble matches, picking a Superstar to win it can be difficult. This list focuses on past Royal Rumble winners and assessing who has a chance of winning it again and who doesn't.

#5. May never win the Royal Rumble again: Randy Orton

Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble four years ago.

Randy Orton belongs to the elite category of Superstars who have more than one Royal Rumble victory. That includes the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin (3-time Royal Rumble winner), Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Batista, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels.

The first time Randy Orton won it was in 2009, where he went on to headline WrestleMania 25. The second time in 2017, he went on to defeat Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33 to become the WWE Champion.

While he wouldn't have ideally been a favorite pick to win the Royal Rumble, WWE cleverly utilized Roman Reigns to help get Randy Orton cheered (something they did for Shinsuke Nakamura the following year, and Drew McIntyre in 2020). Sadly, both WrestleMania matches were considered underwhelming.

Randy Orton had a great year in 2020, winning his 14th World Championship. He is unlikely to ever match Stone Cold Steve Austin's Royal Rumble record, so he may never win the Royal Rumble match again. And it seems as though there's no need for him to win it again either.

Even if he's in the match, he would be better utilized to have an important role before being eliminated by a Superstar who he's beginning a storyline - similar to what happened with Edge in 2020.

#5. May win the Royal Rumble again: Charlotte Flair

Charlotte Flair is the third Women's Royal Rumble winner.

Charlotte Flair is already the most decorated woman in WWE history. The Royal Rumble accolade was inevitable and she got it in 2020. She also became the first person to challenge for an NXT title at WrestleMania.

Given that she's always in a prime spot in WWE, another Royal Rumble victory wouldn't be surprising - especially if WWE wants her to be in a big-money match at WrestleMania sometime in the future.

#4. May never win it again: Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio had one of the most heartwarming Royal Rumble victories in history. It was only two months after Eddie Guerrero had passed away, and it turned into a catalyst for Rey Mysterio's first World Championship in WWE.

Entering at number two, he set the record for the longest appearance in a single Royal Rumble match at 1 hour, 2 minutes, and 12 seconds - beating Chris Benoit's record which was set two years earlier.

Rey Mysterio is in an entirely different stage of his career, and despite having quite some time left in his WWE contract, it's unlikely that he will win the Royal Rumble match again.

#4. May win the Royal Rumble again: Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins won the Royal Rumble match in 2019. Like a few others, it seemed like an accolade that he would inevitably get. 2019 was the year that WWE wanted to establish Seth Rollins as the top babyface, especially with uncertainty over Roman Reigns' health.

Seth Rollins had a good run and won the Royal Rumble match by eliminating Braun Strowman in the end. While he doesn't seem to be in a position to win the Royal Rumble match anytime soon, he could still become a two-time winner in the future.

#3. May never win it again: Sheamus

Sheamus emerged as one of the most surprising Royal Rumble winners of the last decade. While he wasn't a favorite, he was still a babyface getting a strong push. With WrestleMania 28 being centered around The Rock and John Cena, he was never going to be in the main event, but he was going to get another World Championship push.

He did so and defeated Daniel Bryan in an 18-second WrestleMania opener to become the World Heavyweight Champion. Like Rey Mysterio, he's in a different stage of his career, and it seems unlikely that he will ever win the Royal Rumble again.

#3. May win the Royal Rumble again: Becky Lynch

There were few Royal Rumble wins as perfectly-timed as Becky Lynch's in 2019. She was the fastest-rising star in WWE and had gained a whole new level of popularity. WWE decided to capitalize on her momentum, and she wasn't even scheduled to be a part of the Royal Rumble match.

After losing to Asuka in an incredible opener, she later took the injured Lana's spot and went on to win the Royal Rumble match - becoming the second winner of the women's edition in the process.

Becky Lynch is likely to be a staple of WWE's Women's division for years to come, and another Royal Rumble win wouldn't be surprising.

#2. May never win it again: Asuka

Asuka will always go down in history as the first winner of the Women's Royal Rumble match. It was Japanese domination that year as Shinsuke Nakamura won the Men's Royal Rumble match earlier that night.

The main event slot of the Women's Royal Rumble match was due to be Ronda Rousey's debut, but it was a huge spot to be in. Three years into her main roster run, Asuka remains a key figure of WWE's Women's division.

While she may still win more Championships, she is unlikely to win the Royal Rumble match again.

#2. May win the Royal Rumble again: Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre won the Royal Rumble match in 2020 in one of the most feel-good wins in recent years. It was perfectly-timed, and Drew McIntyre was the right man in the right place.

He would go on to defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36. And while it wasn't under ideal circumstances, he ended up leading WWE in the COVID era - perhaps the most unique period in WWE history.

He looks to be in a prime spot and could be a main eventer for years to come. While there's a chance that he won't win the Royal Rumble again, he still could.

#1. May never win it again: Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura emerged as the first Asian winner in Royal Rumble history. He went on to face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34, and while it was touted as a dream match, it turned out to be a disappointment.

He still challenged for the WWE Title, but after failing to win it, he didn't come close to World Championship contention again. Shinsuke Nakamura has had a few big accolades since then, but he hasn't reached the same heights that he did in early 2018.

He is unlikely to ever win the Royal Rumble match again.

#1. May win the Royal Rumble again: Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns' Royal Rumble win in 2015 is undoubtedly the most controversial one in the past decade (along with Batista's the previous year).

The entire irony was that a year before Roman Reigns won the Royal Rumble, he was the final contestant in the match before getting eliminated by Batista. Reigns was cheered because nobody wanted The Animal to win.

A year later, Roman Reigns found himself in Batista's spot. It was clear that WWE wanted to push him as the next face of the company, and fans felt that he wasn't ready for that spot. Wanting to see Daniel Bryan finally get a Royal Rumble win, fans were bitterly disappointed for the second year in a row.

The reality is that Roman Reigns wasn't ready to win the Royal Rumble in 2015, but WWE went ahead with it against the fans' wishes. Roman Reigns has entered a new phase of his career, and he seems to be a candidate on this list with the highest chance of winning another Royal Rumble match in the future.

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