5 Superstars who won the Royal Rumble match in their first attempt

Royal Rumble is the first pay-per-view of the year, and sets the tone for next 12 months
Royal Rumble is the first pay-per-view of the year, and sets the tone for next 12 months

#4 Chris Benoit (2004)

Chris Benoit became the second Superstar to win the Royal Rumble match from the no. 1 spot
Chris Benoit became the second Superstar to win the Royal Rumble match from the no. 1 spot

Although his achievements don't get acknowledgement from WWE because of what happened, they can't be ignored. Chris Benoit was one of the best technical wrestlers of his time. Before arriving in WWE, Benoit tried his luck in WCW and ECW too. His feuds and matches with the likes of Edge, Chris Jericho, Triple H etc. made the shows he was on must-see.

Although Benoit made his WWE debut in 2000, it wasn't until 2004 when he entered the Royal Rumble match. The Canadian Crippler entered the Royal Rumble match in 2004 as the first entrant and outlasted all 29 Superstars to secure his spot in the Wrestlemania main-event. Benoit is one of the two Superstars (other being Shawn Michaels) to have won the match from the no. 1 spot.

Benoit then went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 20, in a classic triple threat match. It's sad what happened with Chris Benoit and how all of his achievements seem to be non-existent now. His contributions to the wrestling industry for over 20 years are noteworthy.

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