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The WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event marks the beginning of the road to WrestleMania. This year, the Royal Rumble show will take place on January 31 inside the WWE Thunderdome. For the first time in the show's history, there won't be any live fans in attendance.
Still, the pay-per-view promises to entertain the fans because the company has announced some high-profile matches. For the RAW brand, Drew McIntyre will defend the WWE Championship against Goldberg. As for SmackDown, Roman Reigns will put the Universal Championship on the line against Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing Match.
Of course, there will be two Royal Rumble matches. Plus, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler will challenge Asuka and Charlotte Flair for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.
Because WWE gets more attention from the fans during the WrestleMania season, Vince McMahon prefers to push a specific set of Superstars at the Royal Rumble show. The following five Superstars always earn more momentum than their peers at the first pay-per-view of the year.
#5 Brock Lesnar has always received a noteworthy position at Royal Rumble after his retrn
Brock Lesnar is one of the most notable names in the pro wrestling world right now. Although WWE has not renewed his contract since it expired last year, many fans believe that Lesnar is the favorite to win the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble Match.
"The Beast Incarnate" has been a reliable option for Vince McMahon heading into the WrestleMania season. Last year, Brock Lesnar entered the Royal Rumble match as the first entrant, and he eliminated 13 Superstars in a record-breaking performance.
In 2019, Lesnar successfully defended the Universal Championship against Finn Balor at the Royal Rumble show. The year before that, Kane and Braun Strowman failed to dethrone him as the Universal Champion. Brock was one of the 30 participants in the Royal Rumble Match in both 2016 and 2017. While he did not win those bouts, he eliminated a total of seven Superstars.
Brock Lesnar defeated John Cena and Seth Rollins in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Royal Rumble 2015. And, in 2014, he recorded a win against the Big Show in a singles match. His excellent win-loss record at the PPV after his return to WWE highlights Vince McMahon's trust in him.
#4 Becky Lynch has had a solid showing at the Royal Rumble
Becky Lynch is undoubtedly one of the best female Superstars of all time, and she has received a massive push at the past two Royal Rumble shows.
In 2019, Becky Lynch lost her WWE RAW Women's Championship match against Asuka. Later in the night, she replaced Lana as the 28th entrant in the Women's Royal Rumble. Lynch ultimately eliminated her rival Charlotte Flair to win the Rumble, and she went on to main event WrestleMania.
Last year, Becky avenged her loss against Asuka by successfully defending her RAW Women's Championship at WWE Royal Rumble 2020. In 2018, Lynch entered the first- Women's Royal Rumble Match as the second entrant. She lasted nearly 31 minutes, and she eliminated WWE Hall of Famer Lita.
In 2017, she won a six-woman tag team match with Nikki Bella and Naomi, as they defeated Mickie James, Alexa Bliss, and Carmella. This match was on the Royal Rumble Kickoff.
In 2016, Becky Lynch lost a Divas Championship bout versus Charlotte Flair. She was one of the only two women who was featured on the card that year. It's clear that Vince McMahon has consistently given Becky Lynch a significant position at WWE Royal Rumble.
#3 Asuka has an applaudable record at the Royal Rumble
Former Royal Rumble Winner Asuka has risen to superstardom in recent years. is not a member of the Four Horsewomen, many fans would agree that she is the most prominent female Superstar outside of that acclaimed quartet. Asuka currently holds the RAW Women's Championship and the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.
She will defend the tag titles along with Charlotte Flair at the Royal Rumble this year. Previously, Asuka faced Becky Lynch at both the 2019 and 2020 Royal Rumble shows. While Asuka won the 2019 bout, she could not take the RAW Women's Championship from "The Man" last year.
Asuka debuted on the main roster in the second half of 2017. A few months later, she won the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble match in 2018. "The Empress of Tomorrow" eliminated three opponents in that 30-woman bout.
At the moment, Asuka's win-loss record at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view is 2-1. Her only defeat came against the company's biggest female star in a championship match. As a result, one cannot deny that Vince McMahon prefers to give Asuka a push at Royal Rumble.
#2 Charlotte Flair is the only female Superstar to win the Royal Rumble and also finish as a runner-up
Charlotte Flair is the reigning Women's Royal Rumble Winner. "The Queen" has excelled throughout her career on the main roster, as she is a 12-time champion. She currently holds the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Asuka.
Flair has lost only one match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. That defeat came in 2019 when Becky Lynch eliminated her from the 30-woman bout and won the battle royal. Flair lasted for over 50 minutes, and she sent five female Superstars out of the ring. "The Queen" also recorded five eliminations.
Last year, "The Queen" became the third female Superstar to win the Royal Rumble Match. With this victory, Charlotte achieved a unique feat of winning the Rumble and finishing as the runner-up.
Before that, she held the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship in January 2018. For this reason, she did not compete in the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble match. In 2017, Charlotte retained her WWE RAW Women's Championship by defeating Bayley in a singles match. The year before that, she beat Becky Lynch to remain the WWE Divas Champion.
Vince McMahon has always pushed Charlotte Flair at the Royal Rumble, and her sold record at the show supports that claim.
#1 Roman Reigns has been the MVP of the Royal Rumble PPV in recent years
No other Superstar in WWE history has finished runner-up in the Royal Rumble match more than Roman Reigns. While the likes of John Cena, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Big Show finished at the second position twice, Roman has already attained the runner-up spot four times in his career.
Roman Reigns was the runner-up in his first Royal Rumble match in 2014. Batista eliminated him last to punch his ticket to WrestleMania. In 2015, Reigns won the 30-man bout, and the year after that, he unsuccessfully defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against 29 other Superstars.
At the 2017 Royal Rumble show, Roman lost his Universal Championship Match against Kevin Owens due to Braun Strowman's interference. Later that night, he entered the Rumble as the last competitor and eliminated The Undertaker. But Reigns was the runner-up in the battle royal, as Randy Orton won by eliminating him.
He was the runner-up in the battle royal in 2018. Reigns missed the show in 2019 due to his battle with leukemia. In 2020, Roman Reigns was the last Superstar to be eliminated in the Royal Rumble match. He narrowly missed out on an opportunity to main event WrestleMania again.
At the upcoming pay-per-view, Reigns will defend his WWE Universal Championship against Kevin Owens. Reigns' extraordinary Royal Rumble record shows how much Vince McMahon relies on him during this season.
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