5 former world champions who never won the Men’s Royal Rumble Match

The Royal Rumble Match winner is given the chance to headline WrestleMania against the world champion of their choosing. On many occasions, the winner goes on to win at WrestleMania and become a world champion. Many of WWE’s biggest names have at least one Rumble victory on their list of accolades.

This list looks at those who haven’t managed to win a Rumble but have managed to win a world championship on at least one occasion.

While the full list of non-Rumble-winning world champions is quite long, this list contains some of the most surprising superstars who deserved to win the Rumble at some point in their illustrious careers.

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5. Kofi Kingston is yet to win a Royal Rumble

While perhaps not as big of a name as some of the men on this list, Kofi Kingston has been involved in a whopping 13 Rumble matches, which puts him at third on the all-time list for Rumble match appearances. Kofi has made himself a staple over the years as he always finds unique ways to save himself from elimination.

In 2012, Kofi was taken out of the ring by The Miz, who attempted to eliminate him. Kofi got into a handstand position to get onto the steel steps and back into the ring, starting an entire series of ingenious saves that have occurred every year since.

Perhaps Kofi may get some luck on his side should he decide to participate in the 2022 Rumble match. Maybe he could finally win the Rumble and get a chance to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania once again.

4. Randy Savage never won a Royal Rumble match

“Macho Man” Randy Savage is another WWE legend who never won a Royal Rumble match. Savage participated in six Rumble matches in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994. He came close in 1993 but was eliminated by Yokozuna, who won that night. Yokozuna and Savage were the last two men in the Rumble that year.

Despite never winning a Rumble, the Macho Man is one of the greatest superstars WWE has ever produced, winning the world championship twice.

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3. Jeff Hardy is yet to win the Rumble

Jeff Hardy made his Royal Rumble debut in 2001 as the #1 entrant. He lasted six minutes and 36 seconds and subsequently eliminated himself. Jeff also appeared in 2002 and was eliminated by The Undertaker. He also appeared in 2003, 2007, 2019, and 2021 Rumble matches.

Despite six Rumble match appearances, Jeff is yet to win. The likelihood of this happening is low as Jeff is currently 44 years old and has been released by WWE. However, if Edge’s 2021 Royal Rumble win proved one thing, it’s that age plays no role in the Rumble match, and The Charismatic Enigma may someday win.

Fans will be ecstatic if Jeff Hardy wins the Rumble as he's still very much beloved by the WWE Universe.

2. Kurt Angle retired without winning a Royal Rumble

Kurt Angle retired without winning a Royal Rumble match.

Kurt Angle has won 21 championships in his pro-wrestling career, including the WWE Championship, which he won four times, and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, which he won six times. He's a former King of the Ring, a WWE Hall of Famer, and won Olympic Gold with a broken freakin’ neck!

Despite the long list of accolades, Kurt Angle has never won the Royal Rumble. The closest Kurt came to winning the Rumble was in 2002 when he was the 26th entrant and emerged the runner-up. He also came third in the 2004 edition, lasting 29 minutes and four seconds.

Kurt does have a rather interesting statistic in his Rumble performances: he's only one of three men to have eliminated Stone Cold Steve Austin from the match.

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1. Kane has never won a Royal Rumble

The Big Red Monster tops the list for the most Royal Rumble appearances with 20. His 2001 record of 11 eliminations in a single Rumble match took thirteen years to break. He also holds the record for total eliminations: a staggering 46.

Kane is yet to win the Rumble despite arguably being its all-time best performer. That's why he tops this list, the sheer number of appearances that should have resulted in one win for him. The closest Kane got to winning was in 2001, where he entered fifth and finished second, losing out to eventual winner Stone Cold Steve Austin.

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What do you think about this list? Which of these former world champions is your favorite? Who do you think is the most likely to win a Royal Rumble in the future? Let us know in the comments section below!