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Royal Rumble is arguably one of the most exciting WWE pay-per-views of the year. The beginning of the Road to WrestleMania, surprise Royal Rumble entrants, nostalgia, and many other factors contribute towards making this pay-per-view memorable for every fan watching it.
Throughout the years, Royal Rumble has been a platform for the company to push Superstars to the top of the WWE mountain, granting them a world title opportunity at 'The Showcase of Immortals' WrestleMania. Every Superstar winning this annual match etches their name into WWE history books.
In this article, let's take a look at all the Royal Rumble winners from the 2000s, and find out where they are now. Be sure to comment down and let us know which of these was your favorite?
#1 WWE Royal Rumble 2000: The Rock
The Rock won the WWE Royal Rumble 2000 by last eliminating The Big Show. He entered the match at No. 24 and lasted nearly 15 minutes, eliminating four Superstars. The finish to the match was botched as The Rock's feet touched the floor before Big Show's at the end. However, that was ignored and The Rock was declared the winner.
The main event of that year's WrestleMania saw Triple H successfully retain the WWF Championship by defeating The Rock, Big Show, and Mick Foley with each member of the McMahon family backing each of the four competitors.
Two decades later, The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson is one of the biggest Hollywood stars. He has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career in WWE which is still not officially over with there being speculations of him returning to face his cousin Roman Reigns sometime in the future.
#2 WWE Royal Rumble 2001: Stone Cold Steve Austin
WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin is the only Superstar in history to have won the Royal Rumble match a record three times. After winning in 1997 and 1998, Austin won the Royal Rumble for the third time in 2001 by last eliminating Kane, who set a record that year by eliminating 11 Superstars from the Royal Rumble match - a record that lasted 13 years before Roman Reigns broke it in 2014.
Austin went on to face The Rock at WrestleMania X-Seven later that year where he defeated him in a No Disqualification match to win the WWF Championship in the main event. This was the night when Austin turned heel and sided with Mr. McMahon, much to the shock of the fans watching.
Stone Cold Steve Austin is no longer an in-ring competitor and is currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. He makes occasional on-screen appearances for special WWE shows and also hosts his highly-popular 'Broken Skull Sessions' on the WWE Network.
#3 WWE Royal Rumble 2002: Triple H
The 2002 Royal Rumble was won by Triple H, who entered the match at No. 22 and eliminated four Superstars in the match. The final four consisted of Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, and Mr. Perfect, with Triple H winning the Royal Rumble by last eliminating Angle.
Triple H went on to start a feud with the Undisputed WWF Champion Chris Jericho with Stephanie McMahon siding with Jericho. At WrestleMania X8 later that year, Triple H defeated Chris Jericho in the main event to win the Undisputed WWF Championship.
Triple H is now a Hall of Famer and works as WWE's Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy and Development as well as the senior producer of NXT. Triple H is still a part-time wrestler and appears on WWE programming occasionally.
#4 WWE Royal Rumble 2003: Brock Lesnar
One of the only few WWE Superstars to have won the Royal Rumble in their first attempt, Brock Lesnar entered the 2003 Royal Rumble match at No. 29 and eliminated four Superstars including The Undertaker in the end to win the match. Brock Lesnar went on to face and defeat Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XIX. This was the match that saw Lesnar's infamous Shooting Star Press botch that could have ended his career or worse.
Brock Lesnar has over the years became one of the biggest attractions for WWE. Ever since his return to WWE in 2012, he has won several world titles and also became the one to end The Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak in 2014.
Last year, Brock Lesnar lost the WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre in the main event of WrestleMania 36, which was his final appearance for the company so far. His WWE contract reportedly expired in August 2020 and he is yet to sign a new one with the company.
#5 WWE Royal Rumble 2004: Chris Benoit
Only the second WWE Superstar to have won the Royal Rumble match from the No. 1 spot, Chris Benoit lasted over an hour in the 2004 Royal Rumble match, eliminated six Superstars, and won the match by last eliminating The Big Show. Benoit was the one who started the rule of the Royal Rumble winner choosing the world champion that he would face at WrestleMania.
At WrestleMania XX, Chris Benoit defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a triple-threat match to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Unfortunately, due to the tragic incident that happened in 2007 where Benoit murdered his family and committed suicide, WWE avoids mentioning his name in their broadcasts and promos along with his Royal Rumble victory in 2004.
#6 WWE Royal Rumble 2005: Batista
The 2005 Royal Rumble match was won by Batista, who entered the match at No. 28 and eliminated six Superstars. However, the Royal Rumble match saw a controversial end as the planned winner Batista ended up tripping and touching the floor first while throwing out John Cena during the final moments.
The referees handled the situation amazingly by acting as if there was confusion among them as to which of the two actually won the match. This led to a fuming Vince McMahon coming out to the ring, legitimately tearing both his quad muscles. He restarted the match and Batista finally won by eliminating John Cena. At WrestleMania 21, Batista defeated Triple H to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
Batista is now a successful Hollywood star, having worked in several major movies. He had his retirement match at WrestleMania 35 where he lost against Triple H in a No Holds Barred match. Batista has been announced to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Famer as part of the class of 2020.
#7 WWE Royal Rumble 2006: Rey Mysterio
WWE Royal Rumble 2006 saw the ultimate underdog Rey Mysterio enter the match at No. 2 and lasting for over 62 minutes, a record at that time, and won the match by last eliminating Randy Orton. Rey Mysterio eliminated a total of six Superstars from the Royal Rumble match this year.
Rey Mysterio went on to face Randy Orton and Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 22 later that year in a triple threat match. He defeated both of them in the match to win his first World Heavyweight Championship.
Rey Mysterio is still an active and full-time WWE Superstar, currently working on the SmackDown brand. He has had a legendary career and is now helping in establishing his son Dominik Mysterio as a WWE Superstar on SmackDown.
#8 WWE Royal Rumble 2007: The Undertaker
It would seem that No. 30 is the spot that should lead to the most Royal Rumble winners. However, it was at the 20th Royal Rumble match in 2007 when The Undertaker became the first WWE Superstar to win the Royal Rumble after entering the match at No. 30.
The Phenom made three eliminations and last eliminated Shawn Michaels to win the match. The Undertaker went on to challenge and defeat Batista at WrestleMania 23, winning the World Heavyweight Championship from him.
The Undertaker has since become one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time. At WWE Survivor Series 2020, also his 30th anniversary for WWE, The Undertaker bid his final farewell to the WWE Universe and now looks set to enjoy the next phase of his WWE career, helping the next generation of Superstars.
#9 WWE Royal Rumble 2008: John Cena
WWE Royal Rumble 2008 saw arguably one of the best returns of all time as John Cena returned as a surprise entrant at No. 30 and won the match by last eliminating Triple H. The arena went bonkers when John Cena's music hit as he was expected to be out with an injury for a long time and no one expected him to return.
John Cena went on to face Randy Orton and Triple H in a triple-threat match at WrestleMania 24 for the WWE Championship. It was Randy Orton who successfully defended his title in this match and won.
John Cena has turned into a part-time wrestler in WWE for the last few years. Cena has cemented his legacy as one of the most decorated WWE Superstars of all time and won his record 16th world championship at Royal Rumble 2017. Reports suggest that he is set to be a part of WrestleMania 37 later this year.
#10 WWE Royal Rumble 2009: Randy Orton
2009 saw Randy Orton win the first on his two Royal Rumble matches in his career. Orton entered the match at No. 8, lasted over 48 minutes making three eliminations, and last eliminated Triple H to win the Royal Rumble.
Randy Orton went on to have a massive feud against Triple H on the Road to WrestleMania 25 that saw some of his best work as a heel. At WrestleMania 25, Triple H defeated Randy Orton in the main event to retain his WWE Championship.
Randy Orton is still an active WWE Superstar and is now a 14-time world champion. He won the Royal Rumble for the second time in 2017. Currently, Randy Orton works on the RAW brand and is set to enter the 2021 Royal Rumble match.
