Top 10 Royal Rumble Moments
Photo Credit: WWE
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Before I get into this article, with this being my first, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Chris Belcher, and I am not only the host of the Pipe Bomb Wrestling Podcast but, more importantly, a lifelong wrestling fan. I have been watching the product since the very early 90s, and so many of my favorite moments and memories throughout my life have something to do with wrestling. That being said, when you read articles written by me or hear me speak on a podcast, there will likely be some old-school flavor to it. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Since 1985, WrestleMania has been considered the granddaddy of them all and the Super Bowl of wrestling. But if you ask most wrestling fans, they actually prefer the Royal Rumble instead of WrestleMania. And why is that? Because of the moments and memories the event creates. Not only is the Royal Rumble the beginning of the Road to WrestleMania, but as a stand-alone event, it creates magic and excitement, unlike any other wrestling show. The feeling every fan has as they watch that clock tick down to the next entrant, just wondering who in the world is coming out next, is a feeling unlike anything else you can experience in wrestling.
In this article, I want to take you through my personal Top 10 Royal Rumble Moments within the match, as this doesn’t involve other matches on Royal Rumble cards. These are my personal opinion and not something I found on a list from WWE or any other publication. Therefore, feel free to agree or disagree; in fact, would love to receive your feedback in a comment below or on social media (@chrisbelcher24). Before we get to the list, let me hand out a few honorable mentions, because what Top 10 list would be complete without them.
Honorable Mention: Three Faces of Foley Enter the Rumble (1998)
Once you have entered the Rumble match, you have to be looking over your shoulder so as not to be eliminated because once you are thrown over the top rope, you are eliminated. In 1998, Mick Foley entered the match at no. 1 as his hardcore alter ego, Cactus Jack. However, after being eliminated, he returned as entrant no. 16 as the more deranged alter ego, Mankind. Foley was eliminated a second time, but that did not stop him from maximizing his efforts and entering the match a third time as “The Hippest Cat in the Land,” Dude Love. Foley made it to the final four of the match but was unsuccessful in winning. However, Mick Foley is the only man in Royal Rumble to have entered the match three times under three different personas. If Foley would have managed to win the match, this would have cracked my top 10, but it certainly deserves an honorable mention.
Honorable Mention: Jeff Jarrett’s Return in 2019
I am a sucker for 90s wrestling, and anytime we get an incredible call-back to the 90s on the current product, I am all for it. So in 2019, when Elias began the Royal Rumble by playing a song, and he was interrupted by Jeff Jarrett, I remember just losing my mind. That’s not because I’m the biggest Jeff Jarrett fan, but because the moment was so perfect and unexpected. The Modern-Day Drifter interrupted by “The World’s Greatest Singer and The World’s Greatest Entertainer.” It was truly a classic Royal Rumble moment that I feel doesn’t get enough love.
Honorable Mention: The Ending of the 2005 Royal Rumble match
My final honorable mention will no doubt stir up some controversy. The reason is that most people would have this on their top 10 list. It is just outside of mine for no reason other than I had 10 moments that I preferred over this one. However, this moment is an absolute classic and is typically shown on most Rumble highlights. For starters, the fact that Cena and Batista flipping over the top and landing at the same time was not planned is just crazy. Then you have Vince McMahon making his entrance to sort the whole thing out. But as he is making his entrance, he tears not one but BOTH quads. Are you kidding? The various podcasts that have come out where guys like Bruce Prichard, Edge, and others, have told their versions of this story make the moment that much better. Even after all of that, Batista would technically go on to win the match that night, but both men would come out better for it as they would both win their first World Championships at the WrestleMania that followed.
10. Christian’s Return (2021 Royal Rumble)
In the same way, I finished the honorable mentions, and I’ll begin my Top 10 with controversy. I don’t think there are many people who would have Christian’s return in 2021 on their list, but I certainly do. No, he has not wrestled for WWE since and actually would sign with AEW not long after this. However, not only to get this unexpected return by someone who fans thought was medically disqualified forever but for him to have a moment in the Rumble, in the ring with his childhood best friend Edge, was incredibly emotional. That is storytelling, and that is why I love wrestling. It is certainly a moment that was not on many fans’ bingo cards in 2021, but the real-life meaning of it was enough to make my list.
9. Shawn Michaels & The Undertaker: The Final 2 in 2007
One of my favorite parts about the Royal Rumble match is the match within the match; the interactions and sequences of mini-matches we get every year. One of those that sticks out the most is in 2007, when Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, two Texas boys battling it out in Texas for a shot at the World Championship. The Undertaker would end up prevailing here to win the Rumble match, becoming the first winner from the no. 30 spot. And even though Taker would win the World Title at Mania that year, it would actually be Shawn main-eventing the show with John Cena. A big thing to keep in mind is this happened two years before their epic encounter at WrestleMania 25, so it was not a call-back to that. Shawn and Taker did not always see eye to eye behind the scenes, especially when Shawn was dealing with his personal problems and was not easy to be around. However, when that bell sounded, these two had incredible chemistry, no matter how they felt about each other. This happened during Shawn’s second run with the company and after he and Taker had patched things up. But I do believe this mini-match in 2007 could be a springboard to the incredible matches we saw at WrestleMania 25 and 26.
8. Triple H’s return & Royal Rumble win in 2002
A return from injury is a common theme on my list of best Rumble moments, and this one is no exception. Triple H tore his quad in May 2001 in what is widely considered one of the best Raw main events in history. He made his return on the first Raw of the new year in 2002. At the time of the injury, Triple H and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin were in the middle of a run as the Two Man Power Trip, and they were the biggest heels in the company. However, as the time was nearing Triple H’s return, something flipped in the minds of the fans because, upon his return, the fans ushered in The Game as the top babyface in the company. His return on Raw at Madison Square Garden is still one of the greatest pops the wrestling business has ever heard. Triple H would make his in-ring return in the 2002 Royal Rumble match, in which he would eliminate Kurt Angle to be the last man standing and earn a World Title match at WrestleMania. The match, the moment, and the events surrounding it make this a moment that had to make my list.
7. 2020 Royal Rumble Match
There are some Royal Rumble matches that stick out in the mind of wrestling fans for a certain moment, return or even a superstar that catches their eye. But there are some Royal Rumble matches, like 2020, that stick out as just an incredible package overall. There were so many doubters, including myself, when we found out Brock Lesnar was going to enter the Rumble match as champion because we knew he was going to clobber everyone. It turns out that is exactly what happened, but it was done so well that fans’ consensus seemed overwhelmingly positive. In fact, not just positive, but some would say this is the greatest Royal Rumble match ever. Brock dominated for half of the match, and then Drew McIntyre came in and eliminated The Beast and would go on to win the match. Combine the crowd reaction to Brock, Brock’s elimination, Drew’s win, and of course, the unexpected return of Edge (which we’ll get to later in this list), and it’s hard to make the argument that there is a Rumble match better. However, if you keep reading, you’ll find one that I enjoy more.
6. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin: the only 3x Rumble winner
As I just mentioned, sometimes the Rumble stands out for the performance of certain individuals. And for that reason, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin enters my list at no. 6 as one of those performers. Not only is Austin the only 3-time winner of the Rumble match, but it is more about the way each of those Rumble matches happened. In 1997, Austin was the iron man, coming in very early and winning the match in the end. Of course, that win certainly had some controversy, but his performance that night really opened the eyes of a lot of fans. In 1998, the Rumble was solely built around Austin, which clearly meant he would be victorious in the match. That would not change the ovation he received when he entered the match and when he ultimately threw The Rock out to punch his ticket to WrestleMania. Even though Austin did not win the match in 1999, we must give him kudos as the Rumble match was a big vehicle to push the Austin-McMahon saga forward. In 2001, Austin would win his third and final Rumble, which would lead to the second of three WrestleMania main events against The Rock. When you think of the Royal Rumble, “Stone Cold,” Steve Austin must come to mind as one of the greatest performers in that event’s history.
5. John Cena returns to win the 2008 Royal Rumble
As I mentioned earlier, returning from injuries is a theme on this list, but this one could be one of the most incredible of all. Not because of the nature of the injury but because people have returned from torn pectoral muscles in the past, but none have returned as quickly as John Cena did in 2008. Nobody, and I mean nobody, expected Cena to return to the ring as quickly as he did, which led to one of the greatest pops in the event’s history. Even Jim Ross, who is on commentary for this match, is just beside himself at the fact that Cena has somehow made his triumphal return so quickly. 2007 would provide our first Rumble winner from the no. 30 position, and the very next year, John Cena would give us our second winner. The incredible recovery speed of John Cena is well-documented throughout his career, but I would argue that no recovery was as impactful as the one leading to his first of two Rumble wins.
4. Shawn Michaels: The Showstopper
Another incredibly consistent performer in Royal Rumble matches throughout his career was Shawn Michaels, even before his first win. However, that first win was incredibly impactful on the history of the Royal Rumble match. Not only did Shawn enter at no. 1 in 1995, but he became the first participant to win from that spot. Even so, he did it in a dramatic fashion in which only one of his feet touched the ground. This finish is what led the ring announcer to specify (when reading the match rules) that both feet must touch the floor because it was not stated until after 1995. Shawn also came back the next year and won the Rumble match in 1996, making him the second back-to-back winner in history. Shawn was injured in 1998 and missed 4 Rumble matches, but he returned in 2003 and would compete in almost every Rumble match until he retired in 2010. I have already mentioned his showdown with the Undertaker at the end of the 2007 Rumble match, but Shawn’s quest to attempt to win and earn a rematch with Taker in 2010 was played out so well.
3. 1992 Royal Rumble match
In my opinion, if there is a Rumble match better than 2020, it has to be 1992. I recommend it to fans out there that have not watched this either in a long time or ever; please go watch it because it certainly holds up. The match does not have any downtime; very fast-paced, with storylines weaving in and out of it. But the biggest storyline of all is Ric Flair. This is Flair’s first match in the WWE since coming over from WCW, and he’s on a quest to prove he is the real World Champion. This Rumble match was the first to actually have the World Championship on the line due to it being vacant at the time, thanks to the finishes of the Undertaker/Hulk Hogan matches. So let’s recap: the backdrop here is Ric Flair is coming to WWE for the first time, after having already been regarded as the greatest wrestler in the business at the time; he’s claiming to be the real World Champion; the WWE Championship is vacant and will be awarded to the Rumble winner. This sets up for not only an incredible match but a masterful performance by both Flairs in the ring and Bobby Heenan on commentary. Bobby Heenan is the icing on the cake that makes this specific Rumble the greatest single Rumble match of all time. His commentary in this match is absolutely brilliant and tells this story perfectly.
2. The debut of AJ Styles (2016 Royal Rumble)
The one they said would never make it to WWE; for a long time, was considered the “biggest non-WWE wrestler in the world.” The one who actually was offered a developmental deal to WWE many years prior to this, yet he turned it down and bet on himself. On January 24, 2016, AJ Styles cashed in that bet, and he took everyone’s money and then some. In pre-match interviews, Styles has often said he feared people wouldn’t know him, which is a fair argument because I’m sure the majority of WWE fans do not pay close attention to New Japan or TNA. But that night, the Royal Rumble emanated from Orlando, FL, which was the home base for TNA. WWE’s production of AJ’s debut kept the mystic alive as they shot his opening video package to show Roman Reigns’s face and the crowd behind him. For the fans at home to see their reactions and then finally see AJ walk out was truly a phenomenal moment. AJ would go on to have an incredible year in WWE that year to not only prove the doubters wrong but to prove the supporters right and that AJ Styles belongs in the WWE.
1. Edge – What more can you say?
And we have come to number one, the finale. When I think of the Royal Rumble, I think of Edge. Edge has not only come back from one injury at the Rumble but three big injuries and has done so in dramatic fashion. In 2010, Edge returned from a torn Achilles to win his first Royal Rumble. The injury happened in July of the previous year, so Edge made a quick recovery and was certainly not expected to be in the match, but less win it. In what I believe is the great return of all time (not just at the Royal Rumble), Edge would enter the 2020 Royal Rumble, wrestling his first match in over 9 years after being forced to retire in 2011 because of so many neck issues. However, Edge was able to get clearance from doctors and kept that a secret (as best he could) until he shocked everyone with his return in 2020. Even though Edge did not win the match that night, it was truly one of the greatest moments in WWE history. In June 2020, Edge suffered a torn triceps, putting him on the shelf until the 2021 Royal Rumble. It was that night, 11 years to the day from his first Rumble win, that Edge would return to the ring and not only win his second Rumble match but become the third wrestler ever to win from the no. 1 spot and the first to win after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Three injuries, three huge career-defining moments. Most wrestlers are lucky if they get one, but the Rated-R Superstar continues to solidify himself as one of the greatest of all time.
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