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The last decade has featured some unforgettable Royal Rumbles. While some have been amazing and others quite disappointing, all have been memorable in their own way.
This list will cover the number one entrants of the past decade of men's Royal Rumble matches. It will run down their performances and also take a look into what they have been up to recently.
A small disclaimer: Dolph Ziggler's and CM Punk's appearances in 2013 and 2014 respectively will not be looked into as they have already been explored in our list covering the 2002-2011 Rumbles where they had entered first as well.
That being said, let's begin.
The Miz: Royal Rumble 2012 and 2015
One of WWE's best heels in recent times, The Miz is the latest person to have entered two Royal Rumbles at number one. By 2012, Miz was a firm upper card talent hot off the heels of a star-making run in 2011.
Miz put on an impressive showing in the 2012 Royal Rumble. Scoring two eliminations, Miz was the match's "ironman," having lasted a respectable 45 and a half minutes before being eliminated by number 30 entrant, The Big Show. Unfortunately, Miz began to gradually slide down the card in the months to follow.
When he entered at number one again in the 2015 Royal Rumble, Miz performed disappointingly. Lasting only four minutes, he was the first man eliminated from the match by surprise entrant Bubba Ray Dudley.
Fortunately, Miz was able to rekindle his spark in mid-2016 with an impassioned promo on Talking Smack and remains one of WWE's top heels. He and his wife Maryse will team up against Edge and Beth Phoenix at the 2022 Royal Rumble.
Roman Reigns: Royal Rumble 2016
One of the best Royal Rumble performers in WWE history, Roman Reigns faced a herculean challenge in the 2016 Rumble match. For the first and thus far only time in history, the WWE Championship was to be defended in the Rumble itself. Reigns, the defending champion, was on the wrong side of The Authority and was saddled with the number one slot.
Officially lasting just under an hour in the Rumble, Reigns was taken out for an extended period by the League Of Nations and spent some time receiving treatment in the back before making a late match comeback. This second-wind was soon extinguished by Triple H, who eliminated Reigns and Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose to seize the WWE title for himself.
The 2016 Rumble was the last time Roman Reigns was ever made to look like an underdog. Now the heel Tribal Chief, reinforce WWE's current Universal Champion and is the clear favorite in any match. At the 2022 Rumble, Reigns seeks to once again reenforce his position as Head of the Table by defending his Universal Title against his longtime rival and on-again, off-again friend, Seth Rollins.
Big Cass: Royal Rumble 2017
In 2017, WWE had big plans in store for Big Cass. The opportunity to start the Royal Rumble match with a bona fide legend like Chris Jericho was surely just a small start of things to come. Cass, after all, had all the makings of a future WWE megastar. He was tall, could work in the ring and was good on the mic.
Although Cass' stint in the 2017 Royal Rumble was short with no eliminations and lasted only under 10 minutes, he would soon be pushed as a top level heel until he was saddled with an injury.
Upon returning in 2018, Cass seemed to be getting back on track. However, he was shockingly released from WWE soon after. It has since been revealed that his release was a result of behavioral issues, a refusal to follow the script and issues with alcohol.
Over the years, Cass has faced his fair share of personal issues which he has admitted to and sought help for. Fortunately, it seems that he has overcome these demons and has returned to wrestling as the imposing W. Morrissey in Impact.
Rusev: Royal Rumble 2018
By the time of the 2018 Men's Royal Rumble, Rusev had shown that he could do way more than just portray the typical brutish foreign heel he had been playing since his call up to the main roster in 2014. His unlikely alliance with Aiden English allowed him to show more personality and character than before. Just by his entrance in the Royal Rumble, it was clear how popular Rusev Day had become.
Despite an impressive half-hour performance and clear crowd support, WWE failed to properly capitalize on Rusev's popularity and he found himself in rather disappointing storylines until his release as part of the infamous "Black Wednesday" of 2021.
Rusev is now in AEW under the name Miro. Although it took a little time for him to find his footing, Miro was able to capture the TNT Title and has appeared in various top tier matches. In addition to his work in AEW, Miro also hosts a popular Twitch channel and is a part-owner of the FCF Beasts indoor football team.
Elias: Royal Rumble 2019
By the time of the 2019 Men's Royal Rumble, Elias was one of WWE's most interesting prospects. Curiously, Elias' run in NXT was a flop, but in the year and a half that he had been on WWE's main roster, he had scored victories over the likes of Finn Balor, Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman and even John Cena. He had become an organic crowd favorite.
In the 2019 Men's Royal Rumble match, it was clear that the plan was for Elias to return to his heel roots. Starting the match alongside Jeff Jarrett, whom many viewed as his spiritual predecessor, Elias eliminated him after a cheap shot and lasted a decent 15 minutes in the match. He went on to win a short feud with Jarrett and had a memorable encounter with John Cena at WrestleMania 35.
Unfortunately, Elias soon began to slide down the card and swung between face and heel roles with no clear direction. When an alliance with Jaxon Ryker inevitably broke down, Elias seemed to have abandoned his musical gimmick. However, a vignette in August 2021 was the last we've seen of Elias thus far.
As of this writing, Elias is still part of the WWE roster but there seem to be no clear plans on when or even if he is returning anytime soon. With the 2022 Royal Rumble fast approaching, it would perhaps be the most opportune moment for The Drifter to return again.
Brock Lesnar: Royal Rumble 2020
No Royal Rumble performance will ever come close to the sheer dominance of Brock Lesnar in the first half of the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble match. Lesnar, who had previously won the 2003 Rumble, was the WWE Champion in 2020 and wanted to prove his dominance over the entire WWE roster.
Voluntarily entering the match at number 1, Lesnar went on an absolute tear. Scoring a record 13 consecutive eliminations in a traditional Rumble match, The Beast was throwing men out almost as soon as they entered the ring. After an effortless 26 minute stint in the match, it took a low-blow from Ricochet and a Claymore by eventual winner Drew McIntyre to eliminate the seemingly unstoppable Lesnar.
Following his Rumble loss, Lesnar defended his WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36 and lost his title. He then disappeared from WWE until the closing of Summerslam 2021. Returning to the company as a full fledged babyface, Lesnar's obvious joy in his new role was contagious and for the first time in years, he has the full support of the crowd.
Since his return to WWE, Lesnar has been eyeing Roman Reigns and his Universal Title. However, on the day of their scheduled title bout, Reigns contracted Covid-19 and Lesnar was instead inserted into the WWE Title match. Once again WWE Champion, The Beast will defend his title against Bobby Lashley in a hotly anticipated match at the 2022 Royal Rumble.
Edge: Royal Rumble 2021
The Rated-R Superstar is no stranger to memorable Rumble moments. From his shock win in 2010 to his emotional return in the 2020 Men's Rumble match, Edge still had one more big Rumble moment left in him.
In his first match back from a triceps injury, Edge sought to pick up right where he left off in his fairytale comeback story. Announced beforehand as the number 1 entry in the 2021 Men's Rumble match, he would once again share the ring with his bitter rival Randy Orton who had drawn number 2.
Both men would start the match and finish it together, making it all the way to the final two participants. Edge, however, had the advantage with two eliminations while Orton had none. In the closing moments, it seemed that Orton had victory in hand with a devastating RKO out of nowhere. Edge, however, reversed Orton's attempt to eliminate him at the very last second and won the match.
With his victory, Edge became only the third man to win a Rumble from the number 1 slot after Shawn Michaels in 1995 and Chris Benoit in 2004. Edge also became the eighth man to win more than one Rumble and became the first Hall of Famer to win the Rumble. Less impressively, Edge also became the only two-time Rumble winner to lose both his title matches at WrestleMania.
Despite the loss, Edge continues to occupy an upper tier slot on WWE TV and has put on amazing matches with the likes of Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. He is currently embroiled in a feud with The Miz and will face him and his wife Maryse in a Mixed Tag Team match at the 2022 Royal Rumble alongside his wife and fellow Hall of Famer, Beth Phoenix.
Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.
