5 WWE Superstars who won the Royal Rumble but lost their Championship match at WrestleMania

WWE has some of the best gimmick matches known to wrestling fans, and the Royal Rumble match is the biggest match in terms of size and the reward it offers its winner.

The 30-man Royal Rumble match allows the final remaining Superstar a chance to challenge any top Champion in the company for a title match at WrestleMania. Since 2018, we’ve also seen a female version of the match take place annually which gives the women of WWE a similar chance at the Company’s gold.

While the Royal Rumble match guarantees the winner a shot at a Championship, it does not guarantee them a title at the end of their match at WrestleMania.

Many Rumble winners have gone on to win a title at WrestleMania, and while Becky Lynch has managed to win two titles at the end of WrestleMania 2019, many have left The Grandest Stage of Them All empty-handed.

In this article, we will look at 5 top Superstars who’ve won a Royal Rumble match in their career but failed to win a title at WrestleMania the same year.

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#5 The Rock - 2000

There are countless things The Rock has achieved both inside and outside the ring in a career that has taken him all over the place in the world of entertainment.

In the year 2000, The Rock decided it was his time to stick around the ring and outlast 29 other men to win a Royal Rumble. He entered the match at No. 24 and eliminated 4 men to win a match where he had the huge task of eliminating a young Big Show last.

However, video footage showed that the ending of the match was a bit controversial, and therefore Big Show was also put into the Championship match for WrestleMania.

This made the WWE Championship match for the Grandest Stage of Them All a Triple Threat match involving WWE Champion Triple H, Rock, and Show. Mick Foley too was added to the match, later on, making it a huge Fatal 4-Way elimination match.

During the match, The Rock eliminated Big Show first, while Foley was eliminated by Triple H. Triple H then eliminated Rock last in order to win the match and retain his title.

#4 Randy Orton - 2009

Randy Orton is arguably the biggest name in the wrestling world today, and there are some very good reasons for that. While Orton made his first official appearance in WWE in 2002, it took him seven years to win his first Royal Rumble match.

Orton entered the 2009 Royal Rumble match at No. 23 and lasted over twenty minutes. He only had one elimination to his name which was also the final elimination of none other than Triple H.

Orton did not hold back and went on to challenge his former Evolution leader Triple H for the WWE Championship. The two men had an extended match that headlined the event and lasted almost 25 minutes.

The Viper tried his best but could not defeat The Game in a match where Triple H would have lost the title if the match would have ended in a count-out or disqualification in Orton’s favor.

In 2017, Orton once again went on to win the Royal Rumble match. He took on Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship and won the match and the title at WrestleMania 33.

#3 Batista - 2014

In 2005, Batista overcame 29 other men to win the Royal Rumble match. He decided to leave Evolution and challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania and won the title at the event after defeating Triple H.

In 2014, Batista made a return to the company and went on to win the Royal Rumble once again. He eliminated Roman Reigns to win the match and surprised a lot of fans who were not happy with the result of the match. Fans in attendance and at home wanted Daniel Bryan to win the match and were disappointed at seeing Batista come out on top.

Batista then went on to challenge his former Evolution teammate Randy Orton at WrestleMania XXX for the World Heavyweight Championship. However, the company had to include Bryan in the match to please the fans and make the match even bigger.

Bryan defeated Triple H early on at WrestleMania XXX and got the opportunity to turn the World Heavyweight Championship match into a Triple Threat match.

In the main event, Bryan locked the Yes lock on Batista and forced the Royal Rumble winner to tap out, making Bryan the new World Heavyweight Champion in the process.

#2 Shinsuke Nakamura - 2018

The 2018 edition of the Royal Rumble did not see the men’s Royal Rumble match headline the event. Instead, we got the winner of the men’s match quite early on in the night which was a welcome surprise for the fans.

Shinsuke Nakamura entered the match at No. 14 and was seen as a crowd favorite to win the match. He did not disappoint and lasted almost 45 minutes in the match to ensure that he wouldn’t get eliminated. The Artist eliminated just three other men in the match, but the final elimination of Roman Reigns was all that mattered at the end.

The King of Strong Style seemed to be ready for his victory speech, and he immediately named AJ Styles as the man he wanted to face at WrestleMania for the WWE Championship.

A dream match in the eyes of many WWE fans, Nakamura entered WrestleMania as a favorite to end Styles’ reign as the WWE Champion but The Phenomenal One proved to be too good for Nakamura and retained his title.

After the match, The Artist vented his frustration by low-blowing Styles and turning heel to ensure that the rivalry wasn’t over.

#1 Asuka - 2018

Speaking of the 2018 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, the event was the first in history to feature two Royal Rumble matches in one night. The women’s version of the match debuted during the show and made it a special one for wrestling fans all over the globe.

Sasha Banks made history by becoming the first woman to enter a Royal Rumble match along with Becky Lynch. Many legendary Superstars, such as Jacqueline, Lita, Trish Stratus, and Beth Phoenix also entered the match for a chance to get a Championship match at WrestleMania.

However, it was the then-undefeated Asuka, who entered the match at No. 25, who stole the match and the night. Asuka lasted almost 20 minutes in the match and eliminated three other women to punch her ticket for WrestleMania.

Asuka became the second Japanese born Superstar to win the Royal Rumble on the same night. However, her win was slightly overshadowed by the appearance of Ronda Rousey after the match.

Asuka then went on to challenge Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, a decision that she regretted later on. At WrestleMania, she tapped out to Flair’s Figure-Eight leg lock after an evenly fought match which not only made her lose the title opportunity but also cost her her undefeated streak.