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It seems like it was yesterday when Edge made his return at Royal Rumble 2020 to one of the biggest pops of the last 5 years. But, in reality, we are less than 3 weeks away from the 34th edition of WWE's Annual January spectacle.
Royal Rumble is not just a pay per view, it marks the beginning of WrestleMania season. By the time the show comes to an end every year, fans are not only aware of who the challengers for the World Titles will be, the stones of many other rivalries for WrestleMania are also laid.
Apart from the obvious World Title rivalries that are kick-started with Royal Rumble victories, the namesake match also acts as the starting point of plenty of other rivalries. Several such rivalries are launched by a simple thing - Elimination.
Over the last 33 years, there have been several such instances where a Royal Rumble elimination acted as the fire that ignited the animosity between two superstars. Here are 10 Royal Rumble eliminations that kick-started WrestleMania rivalries.
Note: This list doesn't include World Title rivalries that start as a result of the Royal Rumble match win.
Hulk Hogan eliminates Randy Savage (Royal Rumble 1989)
WWF's programming in 1988 was dominated by the friendship of Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan. Despite being the two biggest babyfaces in WWF, the two had been teaming together as the Mega Powers for the second half of 1988.
However, tensions started to build between the two in the days leading to the Royal Rumble with Savage, the WWF Champion, becoming insecure over the friendship between his wife, Miss Elizabeth, and Hogan.
Things took a turn for the worst at Royal Rumble. When Savage was tussling with Bad News Brown on the ropes, Hogan, who was the only other superstar in the ring, eliminated both Brown and Savage.
Angry over the way he was betrayed by The Hulkster, The Macho Man barged back to the ring and confronted his best friend over his elimination. The two almost came to blows, before Elizabeth entered the ring and acted as a mediator between the two.
This incident later acted as the foil for Savage's Heel Turn, as he attacked Hogan backstage a few days later, and set things in motion for the main event of WrestleMania V.
Roddy Piper eliminates Bad News Brown, Brown returns the favor (Royal Rumble 1990)
This is a rivalry that was not just hot on-screen, but off-screen as well. By the start of 1990 Roddy Piper was among the most loved performers in the world and was one of the favorites to win the Rumble match in 1990.
Entering the match at #6, Piper had a great 12 minutes in the match, including a good confrontation with Bad News Brown, which ended with Hot Rod eliminating Brown from the match.
This didn't sit well with Bad News, as he returned the favor by pulling Roddy over the top rope to end his stay in the match. What followed was a lengthy brawl between the two. This kick-started a controversial rivalry that lasted all the way until WrestleMania VI, where Piper appeared with half his body painted black. A moment that can be considered one of the most controversial wrestling moments ever.
Sid Justice betrays and eliminates Hulk Hogan (Royal Rumble 1992)
The Royal Rumble match in 1992 is special for more than one reason. Not only was it the first time that the WWF Championship was on the line in the Rumble match, but all final four participants were also part of the double main event of that year's WrestleMania.
The ground work for one of those matches was laid in the Rumble match itself, and it was one that no one was expecting. With Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan under the same banner for the first time, every wrestling fan could foresee a match between the two at the Grandest Stage in 1992.
WWE, however, had other plans. As the two babyfaces left in the Royal Rumble match, it seemed obvious that Hogan and Sid Justice would first eliminate Flair and then settle the score among themselves. Sid disagreed, however, as he betrayed and eliminated Hogan from the match to a massive pop from the crowd.
The Hulkster returned the favor by pulling Justice's hand and assisting Flair in eliminating him, getting revenge for Sid's betrayal, leading to their Mania VIII main event.
Giant Gonzalez debuts and targets Undertaker (Royal Rumble 1993)
Non-Rumble participants entering the Royal Rumble match and eliminating a fan favorite superstar is something that we have seen several times over the past 30 years. From Shane McMahon to The Miz, and AoP to the Ministry, several superstars had their run halted by external forces.
While he was instrumental in Mabel's elimination in 1999, The Undertaker was in fact the first superstar to fall victim to an outsider in the Rumble match. Taker's initial years were filled with rivalries with giants such as Kamala, Yokozuna, and King Kong Bundy. But his biggest/largest/tallest rival was none other than Giant Gonzalez.
With Taker wreaking havoc in the 1993 Royal Rumble match, Gonzalez made his first WWE appearance alongside Harvey Wippleman. Despite not being a participant in the match, the massive superstar entered the ring, attacked the Deadman, and eliminated him from the match. This initiated a rivalry that featured marquee matches at both WrestleMania and Summerslam that year.
Chris Jericho blindsides and destroys Shawn Michaels (Royal Rumble 2003)
While Royal Rumble 2003 was not the first show where Chris Jericho and Shawn Michales were at odds with each other, it can still be considered the actual start of their illustrious rivalry.
Jericho wanted believed that Michaels was a washed-up performer, and, to prove it to himself, he decided to enter the Royal Rumble match at #2 along with Michaels, who was the #1 entrant. While all the fans were expecting a fun little encounter between two superstars, what transpired in-ring was the exact opposite.
With HBK waiting in the ring for his opponent, Jericho, with some help from his friend Christian, attacked him from the back with a low blow. After a chair shot and some more beating, Jericho eliminated Michaels from the match in a little over two minutes. Irate over his elimination, Michaels returned to the ring later in the match and attacked Jericho, leading to his elimination from the match and starting a rivalry that lasted for almost 7 years.
Brock Lesnar interferes and eliminates Goldberg (Royal Rumble 2004)
Just like Michaels and Jericho from the year before, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg had only crossed paths once before Royal Rumble 2004, at Survivor Series 2003.
Given that the two behemoths were on separate brands, no one had a lot of expectations from that confrontation, even though it did generate some interest among the fans. However, come Royal Rumble in January 2004, a lot of things became abundantly clear as WWE had plans in place for a marquee Mania rivalry.
As the final entrant of the Royal Rumble match, Goldberg started wrecking havoc, eliminating 3 superstars in a little over a minute. However, this juggernaut was stopped by WWE Champion Brock Lesnar who, despite not being a part of the match, entered the ring and hit Goldberg with an F-5, resulting in his elimination from the match.
Goldberd returned the favor a few weeks later by costing Lesnar his WWE Championship, kick-starting a mouth watering rivalry. While their match at WrestleMania XX was a big dud, the beginning of the rivalry was definitely the best thing in this feud.
Kurt Angle retaliates after Shawn Michaels eliminates him (Royal Rumble 2005)
Royal Rumble 2005 is often considered the start of the rise of John Cena and Batista as the top stars of the company, with the two superstars being the runner-up and winner of the Royal Rumble match. However, that is not the only significant thing that happened on the show as it saw the start of one of the best rivalries of the year.
Despite being a part of the WWE Championship match earlier in the night, Kurt Angle managed to enter the Royal Rumble match by attacking Nunzio and stealing his spot. His stay in the match, however, was limited to just 37 seconds as a superkick from Shawn Michaels caused him to go over the top rope.
Enraged over his elimination, Angle re-entered the ring, attacked HBK, and threw him over the top rope as well, ending his stay in the match in just a little over 3 minutes. What followed was one of the best rivalries of recent times as Michaels and Angle feuded with each other for the better part of the next 6 months.
Batista's elimination starts a series of brilliant matches (Royal Rumble 2010)
While Batista and John Cena had only started climbing the ladder at Royal Rumble 2005, the situation was exactly the opposite five years later. Both Cena and The Animal were bonafide superstars in 2010 and were among the favorites to win the Royal Rumble match that year.
Being the last entrant of the match, Batista was fresh and less tired than the other three superstars. After eliminating Shawn Michaels, he brought it down to himself, Edge, and Cena in the match. However, Batista was himself the first person to be eliminated from the trio, with John Cena being the one eliminating him.
Starting a beef with Cena, Batista attacked him the very next night on Raw and aligned himself with Mr. McMahon in his rivalry against Bret Hart. His allegiance with McMahon was rewarded, as he got an impromptu WWE Title match against John Cena, who had just won the title in an Elimination Chamber match to win the Title.
This was followed by a series of matches, beginning with a marquee match at WrestleMania XXVI, that ended with a clean sweep for John Cena.
The Big Dog lays claim to his yard (Royal Rumble 2017)
The 2017 edition of Royal Rumble was probably the most star-studded edition of the pay per view in a long time. Apart from full-time performers such as Chris Jericho, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, and Randy Orton, a bunch of part-timers, including The Undertaker, Goldberg, and Brock Lesnar were also part of the match.
Aside from all the above-mentioned names, another megastar entered the match at #30, in a surprising manner. It was none other than Roman Reigns. With The Undertaker already in the ring as the second to last entrant, a memorable sequence between the two took center stage in the Royal Rumble match.
While Taker gained the upper hand in the initial exchanges, it was Reigns who had the final laugh. With The Deadman distracted after eliminating Sami Zayn, The Big Dog took advantage of the situation and threw Taker over the top rope, calling the ring his yard now. What followed was a high profile rivalry that ended in the main event of WrestleMania 33, where Reigns gave Taker only his second loss at the Grandest Stage.
Randy Orton vs Edge (Royal Rumble 2020)
Edge's return to in-ring action, after a hiatus of 9 years, at Royal Rumble 2020 was one of those moments that will be remembered for years to come. It was such a big deal that one can actually make an argument that the pop Edge's entrance received was bigger than the one that Drew McIntyre received after winning the Rumble match.
Edge showed no sign of rust, as he scuffed against the likes of McIntyre, AJ Styles, and Roman Reigns. To the surprise and pleasure of everyone, Edge and his former partner Randy Orton teamed together in the match against the members of The OC, and then during the final stages of the Royal Rumble.
However, the team was short lived as Edge surprised The Viper by eliminating him from the match. The very next night on Raw, Orton tricked Edge into getting back together as a team and attacked the Hall of Famer with a chair, eventually ending with a Con-Chair-To. This was followed by a series of brilliant promos, and two matches. One of which is considered among the best of the Pandemic era.
