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

The most exciting gimmick match in WWE history, no match is tougher to win than the Royal Rumble. Less than 30 Superstars can say that they achieved the feat, with the majority of them taking multiple attempts before winning it.

However, there are a few WWE stars who came out on top in their first Royal Rumble Match. Whether it was within months of their WWE debut or simply the first time they did not have a separate match at the Royal Rumble event, several big names won the 30-man melee in their first attempt.

Winning the Royal Rumble at the first time of asking is usually a sign of a big push towards the world title, which was the case in most situations. Either way, each of these victories was incredible for a variety of reasons. There are a couple of things to consider for this list though.

The first editions of the Men's and Women's Royal Rumble matches are not considered, so no 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan or Asuka. Anyway, while the achievement is not limited to just them, here are five WWE Superstars who won the Royal Rumble in their first attempt.

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#5 Yokozuna (WWF Royal Rumble 1993)

Yokozuna

Debuting towards the end of 1992, Yokozuna was on the fast-track to become a main event star in WWE. He reached that point with a victory in the 1993 Royal Rumble Match. It was the first one where the winner would receive a world title match at WrestleMania.

Yokozuna was booked pretty strong at the event, eliminating seven men from the Rumble. He entered at number 27, which remains the most frequent spot for Royal Rumble winners. The closing moments of the match, however, were pretty baffling though.

'Macho Man' Randy Savage hit his elbow drop on the big man but tried to pin him. The strength of Yokozuna's 'kick-out' sent Savage over the top rope and out of the ring. Nevertheless, this was the first step towards the top of the card for the 'Japanese' heavyweight. Yokozuna would win the WWF Championship twice that year.

A part of the legendary Anoa'i family, Yokozuna remains one of the most unique Superstars in WWE history. His size and in-ring style remain fascinating to viewers, who will get more of a glimpse of him in the WWE Icons series, which premieres after Royal Rumble 2021 on the WWE Network.

#4 Chris Benoit (WWE Royal Rumble 2004)

Chris Benoit

Somewhat known as the forgotten Royal Rumble, the 2004 edition of the gimmick match was one of the best ones. It was won by Chris Benoit, who entered at number one. Even more astonishingly, he did so in his Royal Rumble debut. Benoit had previously wrestled on the undercard of the pay-per-view, but not in the titular match.

This performance was widely regarded as the greatest in the history of the Royal Rumble but isn't looked back on as fondly due to the tragic real-life actions of Chris Benoit. Nevertheless, the former World Heavyweight Champion was excellent here. He lasted close to 62 minutes and eliminated six Superstars, all of whom were big men.

Benoit dumped out the likes of Mark Henry and A-Train, before last eliminating The Big Show to stand tall at the end of a grueling contest. He would go on to have a decent world title reign, which peaked at the start. Winning a triple threat match against Triple H and Shawn Michaels in the main event of WrestleMania is no small feat.

Unfortunately, due to Benoit's actions, this emphatic performance and victory will never be celebrated by WWE. It was still amazing to see. If one can separate Chris Jericho the wrestler from Chris Benoit the man, they should go out of their way to see this Royal Rumble masterpiece.

#3 Brock Lesnar (WWE Royal Rumble 2003)

Brock Lesnar

One year before Chris Benoit shocked the world, Brock Lesnar established himself as the top star in WWE by winning the Royal Rumble Match. He did so less than a year into his career and after pulling double duty. Lesnar defeated The Big Show earlier on at Royal Rumble 2003 to qualify for the main event, which he won.

Entering at number 29, The Beast eliminated four Superstars en route to victory. His elimination of Matt Hardy was particularly impressive, F5-ing him out of the ring onto a prone Team Angle. Lesnar won the Royal Rumble by last eliminating The Undertaker, quite possibly his greatest ever rival.

He would go on to win the WWE Championship from Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 19, where he infamously finished the match with a heavy concussion. Anyway, this was Lesnar's only Royal Rumble Match until 2016. He would be a part of three other 30-man contests, without coming particularly close to victory even once.

Despite his victory in 2003, Brock Lesnar's most memorable Royal Rumble moment surely is the dominant run he went on in the 2020 match. He eliminated a record 13 Superstars from the match before being emphatically dumped out by Drew McIntyre.

#2 Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE Royal Rumble 2018)

Shinsuke Nakamura

The most recent Superstar to make this list, Shinsuke Nakamura's Royal Rumble debut was possibly the greatest night of his WWE career. Following an up-and-down start to his career on SmackDown, Nakamura entered the 2018 Men's Royal Rumble Match as one of the favorites to win it along with Roman Reigns.

That's exactly what the King of Strong Style did, after entering at number 14. He broke the curse of the unlucky spot and went all the way, lasting around 45 minutes in the process. Nakamura ended the match by eliminating John Cena and then Roman Reigns to a monster pop from the WWE fans.

It may have happened in the middle of the show, but this Rumble match was spectacular. Shinsuke Nakamura's victory capped off an hour of entertaining and memorable moments including the Heath Slater arc at the start, Andrade's impressive showing, and Rey Mysterio's shocking return to WWE.

Unfortunately, this was was where Nakamura peaked. He would lose his subsequent WWE Championship match to AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34, before immediately turning heel afterward. At least his performance at the 2018 Royal Rumble will forever live on.

#1 Ric Flair (WWF Royal Rumble 1992)

Ric Flair

Coming less than six months after his WWE debut, the 1992 Royal Rumble Match will forever be known as the Ric Flair Rumble. He was an ever-present in the match after entering at number three. Flair was supported on commentary by Bobby Heenan, with this being his finest hour.

Lasting an hour and eliminating five Superstars, The Nature Boy was a deserved winner of the Royal Rumble and as a result, the WWF Championship. The fact that the Rumble was for the vacant world title makes the 1992 edition so fondly looked back upon. The star power in this match was truly astonishing.

Aside from Ric Flair himself, top names like Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, and The Undertaker were part of this Royal Rumble Match. This doesn't even take into account the final sequence which saw Hulk Hogan get thrown out by Sid Justice, before acting like a heel and trying to pull him out. Flair duly took advantage to eliminate Sid and win the match.

It was a memorable end to this incredible match - the first Royal Rumble with actual stakes to it. Ric Flair faced Randy Savage at WrestleMania VIII, but the big money match was between him and Hogan. The two never faced off in WWE, at least when they were both at the top of the industry at the same time.