5 Best WWE Royal Rumble winners who didn't main event WrestleMania

John Cena returned at WWE Royal Rumble 2008
John Cena returned at WWE Royal Rumble 2008

WWE Royal Rumble creates new stars. WWE claims that the winner of the Rumble earns a championship opportunity in the main event of WrestleMania. The winner of the Royal Rumble gets to choose the champion he'll face.

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Many stars, like Drew McIntyre, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, and Roman Reigns, have won the Rumble and main evented WrestleMania. But that's not the case for everyone. Many stars didn't make it to the main event of WrestleMania despite their victory at Royal Rumble. Their spot was handed over to a bigger star.

Here's a list of the top five WWE Superstars who won the Royal Rumble match, but didn't get the opportunity to main event WrestleMania.


#5. Rey Mysterio's Underdog WWE story

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Rey Mysterio entered the Royal Rumble Match 2006 as the second entrant and outlasted 29 men to win the match. His win was dedicated to Eddie Guerrero, who passed away a few months ago. At WrestleMania, Rey faced Randy Orton and Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship and won the title. His match was positioned at the third last of the card.

The main event was John Cena facing Triple H, where Cena emerged victorious. Fans were expecting Rey Mysterio in the main event, which would be a perfect climax for his underdog story. The company missed a great opportunity to create a legendary storyline.

Check out: Complete List of Royal Rumble Winners

#4. Asuka's undefeated WWE Streak

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In NXT, Asuka was an undefeated champion. Before moving to the main roster, she relinquished the title and went to the main roster with her undefeated record. Following her main roster debut, she continued her streak. She won the Royal Rumble after entering it at #25.

She later challenged Charlotte Flair for the Smackdown Women's Championship. Their match was positioned at #5 on the card. Asuka failed to capture the title, ending the streak at 914 days. Fans were furious by this decision as they wanted the streak to be alive.


#3. John Cena

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John Cena had one of the biggest pops of all time when he returned to Madison Square Garden as the final entrant of the Royal Rumble Match. Cena earned a championship opportunity at WrestleMania 24 after winning the Rumble Match. Cena challenged Randy Orton for the WWEW title. Later, Triple H made his way into the match at WrestleMania.

Their WrestleMania match was placed in the third-last position on the card. The match was great, and was won by Randy Orton. WrestleMania 24 was rightfully main evented by The Undertaker and Edge for the world championship.

#2. Shinsuke Nakamura

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Shinsuke Nakamura won the Royal Rumble 2018, and fans were happy that WWE acknowledged the potential of The King of Strong Style. He decided to face AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34 for the world championship. It was a dream match for many fans all around the world.

AJ Styles retained his title in a mediocre match. In the main event, Roman Reigns faced Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. The match was exhausting, and Lesnar retained his title.


#1. WWE's Deadman – The Undertaker

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In Royal Rumble 2008, The Undertaker entered at #30 and ended up winning. He challenged Batista for the title at WrestleMania. The high-caliber match was placed on the mid-card at WrestleMania. Despite their match position, both stars stole the show. The Undertaker won the match, which was the highlight of the night.

The main event of WrestleMania was John Cena and Shawn Michaels for the title. The match also stole the show, and Cena retained his title. Fans still believe that the main event spot was deserved by The Undertaker and Batista.

A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE

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