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Royal Rumble is one of the four most exciting PPVs the company has to offer to its fans each year.
The brainchild of Pat Patterson, the event (and the Royal Rumble match itself) debuted in 1988 and has remained one of WWE’s big-four events ever since.
The Royal Rumble matches are two of the most exciting matches the company hosts each year as 30 men and 30 women battle in separate matches to earn a chance for a Championship match at WrestleMania for one of the company’s top titles.
While many legendary and top Superstars of WWE have won the match, with some even winning it more than once, there are a number of legends who never got a chance to emerge victorious over 29 other men.
In this article, we will look at 5 male Hall of Famers who never won the Royal Rumble match in their career.
#5 Booker T
Booker T is no stranger to the wrestling community. In fact, he might be one of the most gifted and successful Superstars to have ever walked into WWE.
Booker T was not only well known as a solo performer but was also known for his team with his brother (known as Harlem Heat). He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 by his brother Lash, while both men were inducted together in 2019 as Harlem Heat.
As a former King of the Ring winner and World Heavyweight Champion, Booker enjoyed a lot of success up top.
However, he was never able to make it big in the Royal Rumble matches and never managed to win any (even though he participated in many).
Now that Booker is a two-time WWE Hall of Famer and a constant on the announce table, fans have a lot of respect for what he's done for the business.
A Royal Rumble win would have surely increased his value as a performer as it would have given him the chance to possibly headline WrestleMania. After all, he is the only two-time Hall of Famer who hasn’t won the Royal Rumble.
#4 Roddy Piper
'Rowdy' Roddy Piper was no ordinary performer in the ring, with many regarding him as one of the best in-ring and mic workers during his time in WWE.
Considered by many as “the greatest 'heel' wrestler ever", Piper did excellent work for the company and helped it grow in new territories. He was never booked to go over as frequently as the other men in the locker room and only won a single Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship during his career.
Hot Rod also managed to win the World Tag Team Championships with longtime friend Ric Flair once but never won the Royal Rumble, unlike Flair.
He was arguably one of WWE’s greatest missed opportunities during that time as he had the potential and the charisma to become one of the legends of the game without breaking a sweat.
Piper battled for the top Championship against Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, and many others several times, but never managed to go over.
In 2005, Piper was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by none other than The Nature Boy himself. Flair dubbed him "the most gifted entertainer in the history of professional wrestling" during the induction speech.
#3 Goldberg
Goldberg was primarily a WCW wrestler who did not spend too much time in WWE. However, when he was in WWE, he was always part of the top Championship picture and the company did use many excuses to book him for big title matches.
During his WWE career, Goldberg appeared in the Royal Rumble in 2004 and 2017. In 2004, he entered as a top favorite to win the match at No. 30 but was eliminated by Kurt Angle in a matter of minutes.
In 2016, Goldberg was fresh back in the company and had defeated Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series in his first WWE match in 12 years. He took part in the 2017 Royal Rumble and entered as the twenty-eighth entrant and quickly eliminated Lesnar before being eliminated by The Undertaker.
Both Rumbles saw Goldberg enter while being engaged in a rivalry with Brock Lesnar, but he did not manage to win either one which was disappointing for the man who was seen as arguably the most dominant force in wrestling for a long time.
Soon after, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018. While it seems as though Goldberg is done with wrestling for good, fans will still hope to watch him make one final Royal Rumble appearance for a huge pop down the line.
#2 Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle will always be known as one of WWE’s premier Superstars and was the cornerstone of the SmackDown brand. As an Olympic gold medalist, the company knew how to use him and his patriotism near perfectly and built him into a big star while cashing in on his name.
In 2002, Angle came very close to winning the Royal Rumble but ended up being the runner-up to Triple H.
He wasn’t always a regular in battle royals though as he often held major titles that he defended during the Rumble pay-per-view. Apart from that, he never really needed a Rumble win to get top WrestleMania matches and even headline it.
A couple of Superstars even cashed in their Royal Rumble victory for a match against Angle at The Show of Shows for the Championship he was holding at the time.
While Angle’s jump to other promotions may have hurt his chances a bit, it wouldn’t have made a major difference to his overall appeal and fan following as a wrestler.
Yet, it would have been nice to see a Royal Rumble win next to the Hall of Famer’s name.
#1 Mick Foley
Mick Foley ranks among the top entertainers in wrestling history. Not only was Foley an incredible wrestler who put his body and everything else on the line in order to entertain the WWE Universe, but he was also one of the best on the mic.
The 3-time WWE Champion and eight-time Tag Team Champion had some of the best gimmicks fans ever saw and remains one of the most respected performers in the industry to date.
Foley was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2013 by his longtime friend Terry Funk who spoke highly of Foley’s achievements both inside and outside the ring.
While Foley remained successful in WWE and in other promotions, winning gold or winning matches wasn’t something he lived for. Instead, he wanted to entertain the crowds to the max during each match and pitched the most bizarre bumps to make the matches as unforgettable as possible.
During the 1998 Rumble, Mick Foley entered the Royal Rumble match three different times — first in his Cactus Jack gimmick, then in his Mankind gimmick, and finally as Dude Love.
However, he never managed to get over in a Royal Rumble match as his rivals never allowed him to go all the way and would eliminate him as soon as they got the chance.
