4 worst WWE Royal Rumble winners
The Royal Rumble is one of the most fun events WWE puts on each and every year. The big show is traditionally held in January and features two Royal Rumble Matches. One of the bouts is for the male superstars and the other features the female stars. This began in 2018, as prior to that, female stars hadn't had a Rumble bout of their own.
Fans are always hyped for the big-time match, as they're some of the most exciting in all of pro wrestling. Waiting to see who will come out next after 90 seconds or so is a thrill that no other match can truly pull off to the same degree.
The Royal Rumble Match has made careers and provided numerous incredible moments for fans to remember forever. Many stars who win the match go on to have major crowning moments, and their legacies are made thanks to the stipulation bout.
Still, not every Royal Rumble win has gone according to plan, or worked out in the eyes of the audience. This article will look at four past Royal Rumble winners who, for whatever reason, stand out among the worst to win the big-time bout.
Below are the four worst WWE Royal Rumble winners.
#4. The Rock's win was mired in controversy
The Royal Rumble event from 2000 was held on January 23rd. The massive WWE event took place in front of 19,000 fans at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The show is notable for a bout between Cactus Jack and Triple H.
While that bout is best remembered, the main event was a 30-man Royal Rumble Match. After over 51 minutes, The Rock won the bout. He last eliminated The Big Show, albeit in controversial fashion. It later came out that The People's Champion's feet hit the floor before The Big Show was eliminated.
Beyond that controversy, The Rock's win was underwhelming as a whole, thanks to the bout that came out of it. The Rock battled Triple H, Mick Foley, and Big Show in a Fatal 4-Way Match at WrestleMania that most fans forget ever took place to begin with. It was an underwhelming moment for The People's Champion.
#3. Roman Reigns' win received a lot of backlash
WWE held the infamous 2015 Royal Rumble event on January 25th of that year. The show took place in front of over 17,000 fans. It was held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The best match on the show was a bout between Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, and John Cena, but the main event was a 30-man Royal Rumble Match to earn a title shot at WWE WrestleMania. Roman Reigns won thanks to help from The Rock, who fought off The Authority.
Not only did fans turn on this match, thanks to not being satisfied with Roman Reigns' push at the time, but the post-match endorsement backfired too. The Rock raised Roman's hand, expecting to give him "the rub", only for fans to boo both men. It was a very visible sign that WWE wasn't listening to the audience.
#2. Ronda Rousey won in her WWE return at the 2022 Royal Rumble
WWE held the 2022 Royal Rumble on January 29th. The big show took place at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri. 44,000+ fans were announced as being in attendance. This was the first Royal Rumble with live fans since 2020.
This show had two Royal Rumble Matches and both are often criticized with the benefit of hindsight. Brock Lesnar won one bout and went on to compete in a Title Unification Match at WrestleMania. The other more heavily critiqued victory was that of the returning Ronda Rousey.
Rousey had been away from WWE for years, but returned as a surprise entrant in the match. She won, despite most fans not being thrilled to see her. Many believe that she had a lackluster run as a whole over the next year and a half or so, and this win started it in a less-than grand fashion.
#1. Shinsuke Nakamura's win felt wasted
The final entry on this list dates back to 2018. The Royal Rumble was held on January 28th of that year. WWE held the event at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in front of around 17,000 fans.
This show was the first to feature two Royal Rumble Matches. The main event, featuring Asuka's win, is considered one of the better bouts in recent history. The other match wasn't panned, but the results didn't go as many fans had hoped in the long run.
Shinsuke Nakamura won, which had many WWE viewers excited. Unfortunately, he went on to lose at WrestleMania, and never the world title like so many had hoped. The only upside was that the company is using his loss to further his new story with Cody Rhodes today.