Every year when the Royal Rumble comes around, a sense of nostalgia kicks in as wrestling fans remember Rumble moments from the past and relive them because they are what made the Rumble such an important match in the first place.
Also Read: 30 Amazing Stats and Facts From 30 Years of the WWE Royal Rumble
In terms of the actual Royal Rumble match and which one was the best, let’s take a look at the five most memorable Royal Rumble matches.
#1 The Royal Rumble 1992 Match
While there have been many Rumbles that can be considered great, this one is considered by many to be the best and most memorable Royal Rumble match ever.
When the Rumble took place in 1992, the WWF Title was vacant due to the controversy surrounding the 1991 Survivor Series WWF Title match involving The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan and then their rematch at the "This Tuesday in Texas" event.
Both of them would end up being a part of the Rumble match, while 28 others would join them for the opportunity to leave as the WWE Champion. The 1992 Royal Rumble took place on January 19th, 1992, in Albany, New York.
The star power was really strong with a lot of legitimate top guys such as Hogan, Flair, Savage, Sid, Dibiase, Piper, Slaughter and Undertaker being a part of the match. Ric Flair went on to win the star-studded Rumble after 62 gruelling minutes.
The match was perfectly booked to showcase Ric Flair and to have him carry the match, with all of his opponents attacking him when they got in the ring, regardless of whether they were heel or face.
Filled with Flair chops, Flair flops and multiple moments where it looked like he was going to get eliminated, Flair always found a way to hang on. This was Ric Flair at his absolute best.
#2 Ultimate Warrior vs Sgt. Slaughter
This was the first ever time that the WWF Title was defended at the Royal Rumble and still remains the most memorable WWF/WWE Title match to date.
The United States were at war with Iraq and the WWF controversially introduced an Iraqi sympathiser character, in the form of former US hero and patriot, Sgt. Slaughter. Slaughter was booked to face Warrior for the title.
Most casual fans believed that they would get the blow-off and feel good moment of Ultimate Warrior defeating the evil Slaughter, before going on to face Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 7, in a rematch from their epic WrestleMania 6 encounter.
However, WWE had other plans. They were going all the way with this controversial gimmick and put the belt on Sgt. Slaughter. Randy Savage interfered in the match, setting up a Savage vs Warrior feud, while Slaughter went on to face the “Real American” Hulk Hogan, at WrestleMania VII.
It is still truly shocking to this day that the WWF even did this storyline, let alone them making Slaughter their WWF Champion, a highly controversial decision at the time.
#3 Royal Rumble 2014 Match
Now, let’s look at the name of the article again. It says “memorable” NOT best, and nobody will ever forget Pittsburgh and “Boo-tista!”
Let’s backtrack twenty months, the WWE fans began rallying behind Daniel Bryan after he had criminally lost his World Title in 8 seconds, to Sheamus, at WrestleMania 28.
Bryan’s popularity peaked at SummerSlam 2013, where he beat John Cena for the WWE title. However, Randy Orton immediately cashed in his MITB briefcase on Daniel Bryan, turning heel with Triple H in the process.
Bryan didn’t get his run as champion and failed in subsequent rematches against Orton. The WWE tried to quell the crowd rallying behind him, which only made things worse.
Fans would hijack Raw by destroying segments with “YES” and “Daniel Bryan” chants during any segment that they saw fit, demanding that Bryan be the top guy, most memorably on the go-home RAW for TLC (Orton vs Cena).
The WWE even attempted to put Bryan in the Wyatt Family, which failed miserably, lasting only two weeks.
At the 2014 Royal Rumble, the WWE opted to book Bryan in a singles match with Bray Wyatt and not feature him in the Rumble match, thinking it would stop fans chanting for him. The WWE hoped that the fans would align with a different babyface, namely Batista. They didn’t.
Batista was booed out of the building. This continued for many weeks after the Rumble until the WWE finally abandoned Batista vs Orton as the main event of WrestleMania, adding Daniel Bryan to the match.
#4 Triple H vs Cactus Jack
This was the match that made Triple H. When one match can single-handedly take you from being a paper Champion to a solid main event player, then that match deserves to be remembered forever.
Triple H was struggling to be seen as a top star. Fans already had to buy into him going from an aristocratic blue blood to a member of Degeneration X. He then ended up becoming the babyface leader of Degeneration X.
Now, fans had to get on board with him as a serious heel, a third drastic change in his character in just four years. Triple H needed to do something significant to get their respect, and that significant thing happened to be him going toe-to-toe with one Cactus Jack.
This match played out at WWE’s former Mecca, MSG. The match was brutal, with the pair pulling out chairs, barb-wire bats, thumb-tacks and more.
We would even come to find out later, that Triple completed the match with a massive hole in his leg, sustained from being big back-dropped through a wooden pallet outside the ring. Triple H earned the respect of everyone on this night, as a star was born.
#5 Yokozuna vs The Undertaker
This list wouldn’t be complete without including the night that The Undertaker died and went to Heaven. In 1994, Undertaker had only suffered one televised loss in his career, that being to Hulk Hogan at the Tuesday in Texas.
Fans were lead to believe that there was no way The Undertaker could lose to Yokozuna, especially not in a Casket match.
However, WWE came up with one of the most unexpected finishes in history, followed by a post-match angle that was even better. It took ten heels to stop The Undertaker and eventually get him into the casket.
While The Undertaker ridiculously continued to fight back against TEN MEN for several minutes, he was halted once Yokozuna gained possession of the urn, allowing the heels to establish dominance over the now powerless Undertaker.
After Yokozuna had put Undertaker into the casket and won the match, the lights went out and Undertaker appeared on the Titantron. He stated that he“would not “Rest in Peace” and appeared to levitate out of the top of the Titantron towards Heaven.
This one needs to be seen to be believed, therefore, please check out the video that accompanies this slide.
We hope you enjoyed this article! Further, we will be discussing all things WWE on my podcast “The Dirty Sheets” as we hit the road to WrestleMania. Also, look out for more articles from me right here on Sportskeeda, your best source for wrestling news and features.
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