Ranking the last 20 Royal Rumble matches from worst to best

#9 2016

This was an underrated Royal Rumble match.

Similar to the 2013 Royal Rumble match, this one was pretty predictable but fun nevertheless. Roman Reigns defended his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against 29 other men here, with him starting off at number 1. This was at the height of WWE's 'One vs All' storyline with the Big Dog. He would immediately eliminate entrant 2 Rusev before a piece of unfamiliar music played for entrant number 3's arrival. It was AJ Styles, who made an incredible debut alongside Reigns and took the fight to him. The crowd reaction to him was unbelievable, indicative of the huge push he would receive over the rest of 2016. Around the halfway point of the match, Reigns was taken out of the ring under the bottom rope, being viciously attacked by the Leauge Of Nations. Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio and Rusev laid their shots in on Roman. He would be taken backstage for the rest of the match until the final ten or so minutes.

That angle really diminished this match in the eyes of many fans, touting WWE as lazy to make Reigns the iron man by having him sit out of the majority of the match. Besides that, Kofi Kingston would be saved by his New Day partner Big E, who took him on his shoulders and hung around at ringside before Chris Jericho dropkicked Kofi to the floor. WWE's other top heel faction, the Wyatt Family was dominant in this match, even collectively eliminating Brock Lesnar despite already being thrown out by him. Sami Zayn made a popular surprise appearance at number 20 and eliminated Kevin Owens. However, the main story was the predictable surprise return of Triple H. The Game entered at number 30, much to the "shock" of Roman Reigns, who had brutally attacked the COO at the previous month's TLC pay-per-view. Triple H would end up winning the Rumble and the belt, after eliminating Reigns and Intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose. A decent moment, but one that telegraphed the entire main event of WrestleMania and its build.

The 2016 Rumble may not be that fondly remembered upon because of Reigns taking a mid-match break and Triple H's (not so) surprise return. It was still a really fun and underrated match. It was the start of an absolutely Phenomenal WWE career, and that's what it should be remembered for.

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#8 2002

This was the first Royal Rumble after the death of WCW.

After the end of the Attitude Era at WrestleMania in 2001, WWE went through a lengthy transition phase. Their competition had essentially died, leaving the wrestlers of WCW and ECW to come work for Vince McMahon's Superstar Factory. The invasion angle was played out in an extremely disappointing way, but there was an influx of stars from other companies. The 2002 Royal Rumble saw the likes of Rob Van Dam, Booker T and Mr Perfect enter the match, as WWE was mixing the old up with the new. It was sort of a fun experiment. This match did not have a definitive match-long story, but there were various pieces throughout the hour-long bout.

The Undertaker dominated the early portion of the match after coming in at number 8, eliminating seven men. However, Big Evil would be dumped out of the match by Tough Enough Season 1 winner Maven, in what was one of the most shocking eliminations in Rumble history. The subsequent beatdown of the rookie by 'Taker was merciless and would define his career. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin also had a run of domination, but he was met with a returning Game. Triple H, who had been out for eight months, made a successful comeback to the ring and won the whole thing. It was a popular choice for the victor, albeit a bit predictable.

There was no long-form ironman performance in the 2002 Royal Rumble match, but that didn't take away from the action. A pretty fun showcase, with just the right amount of main event stars in it.

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#7 2007

This was the greatest ending to a Royal Rumble.

The only reason why the 2007 Royal Rumble match is this high on the list is the final ten minutes. The ending made this match significantly better, with a legendary final four, perhaps the greatest in Rumble history. The rest of the match was decent, if unspectacular. Edge had another great showing in this match, lasting for close to 45 minutes from the number 5 spot. His tag team partner at the time, Randy Orton also lasted a long time from number 16. Rated RKO was in full swing, as the World Tag Team Champions eliminated both Hardy Boyz among a couple others. Both of them lasted until the final four, alongside The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. This Rumble was also the first to feature the returning ECW brand, with wrestlers like Sabu and CM Punk making their Rumble bows. Punk, in particular, was mighty impressive.

The match completely picked up when The Great Khali entered at number 28 and dominated the entire Rumble field. He eliminated seven men, including The Miz within five seconds of his entry, before getting tossed out the final entrant, The Undertaker. After lengthy sequences of domination from Khali and then Rated RKO, it was down to 'Taker and Shawn Michaels. The San Antonio crowd was completely behind the Showstopper for this one, as we got a full-on match at the end of this Royal Rumble. Both legends went at it, giving their all to win and secure their place at WrestleMania 23. We saw Chokeslams, Sweet Chin Musics and much more, before it would be the Deadman who reigned supreme. It was a legendary moment, one filled with respect and one that will give you goosebumps every time you see it. It was the perfect way to end the 20th annual Royal Rumble match.

There has not been a better end sequence to a Rumble match since then and it will be extremely hard to top this one. Two years before their barn-burning WrestleMania match, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker stole the show in Texas.