5 biggest world title changes at WWE Royal Rumble
Winners of Royal Rumble matches are guaranteed World Title shots, but the WWE Champions heading into the event may not walk out with gold around their waist.
Over the decades, several major players have dropped their straps at the first stop on the Road to WrestleMania. Even Roman Reigns' historic run as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion is at risk of ending at this year's Royal Rumble event.
In short, while WWE Royal Rumble exists to set the tone for Mania season, the PLE itself is filled with plot twists and uncertainties, and that's before factoring in the dynamic 30-superstar bouts.
That said, let's take a look at the five most memorable instances of a World Championship changing hands at the WWE's first 'Big Four' show of the year.
#5. John Cena stops Edge's first WWE Title reign in its tracks (2006)
2006 kicked off on a bitter note for John Cena. After outlasting five hungry superstars in an Elimination Chamber match, he found himself as the victim of the first-ever Money-in-the-Bank cash-in.
Despite his best efforts to put on a fight, a worn-out Cena dropped the WWE Championship to Edge, kicking off the Rated-R Superstar's first run with a top prize.
However, The Ultimate Opportunist didn't get too many opportunities to dodge The Leader of the Cenation. As a result, the two squared off less than a month later at Royal Rumble 2006.
The bout ended with the former Dr. of Thuganomics dethroning Edge to reclaim his treasured Spinner belt, proving that he was leagues above the rest when he was at 100%.
#4. The Rock delivers The People's Elbow to CM Punk's 434-day reign (2013)
CM Punk didn't have too many words of appreciation for The Rock while delivering his iconic 'pipebomb' promo. So, it's quite ironic that his most memorable run at the top of the card was brought to a halt by The People's Champion himself.
At Survivor Series 2011, CM Punk won the WWE Championship and embarked on an iconic 434-day reign. During said reign, he defended the title against the likes of Chris Jericho, John Cena, and Daniel Bryan, among others.
In the summer of 2012, it was announced that The Rock would be challenging for the aforementioned title at Royal Rumble 2013. When that time came, it was none other than The Second-City Saint holding the gold.
And just like that, with just two months shy of getting a chance to main-event a WrestleMania, Punk lost the title to The Brahma Bull.
#3. Triple H wins his 14th World Championship in the Royal Rumble match (2016)
While every year, winners of the Rumble bouts earn World Championship match opportunities at the following WrestleMania, the 2016 edition of the January PLE was slightly different.
The event was headlined by the 30-man over-the-top bout. However, instead of the winning prize being a future title shot, it was the gold itself! Then-WWE Champion Roman Reigns was forced by The Authority to put his title on the line in the Rumble match.
Not only that, but the defending champion was also the #1 entrant in the match. Despite all odds stacked against him, he made it to the final three, before being thrown over the top rope by the eventual winner of the match, Triple H.
The victory guaranteed that The Cerebral Assassin would headline The Show of Shows, but not as a challenger.
#2. John Cena wins his 16th World Championship (2017)
By 2016, John Cena had hung up his full-time boots. He was transitioning into Hollywood, and with 15 World Title reigns on his resume, he couldn't have chosen a better time to make the shift.
However, it turned out that his love for the WWE Universe couldn't keep him away from the Sports Entertainment world for long. Thus, months after passing the torch to AJ Styles, the two-time Royal Rumble winner returned to reclaim his kingdom.
He challenged The Phenomenal One at the 2017 Royal Rumble. Their clash turned out to be a classic one and ended with the F9 star winning his 16th World Championship, tying Ric Flair's record.
While Cena wouldn't hold the title for long, his victory against Styles ended up becoming a moment that'll be celebrated for years to come.
#1. Bobby Lashley spoils the 'Brock Party' with help from Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns (2022)
A dream match that had been eluding fans since 2005 finally materialized at Royal Rumble 2022 when Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar fought over the WWE Championship.
Lesnar, with Paul Heyman in his corner, was uber-confident that he would dominate The Dominator and head to WrestleMania 38 as one of the top Champions.
But to his bafflement, he got a discouraging reminder of why one should never trust Paul Heyman. The Beast Incarnate became the victim of a masterplan hatched by Heyman and then-Universal Champion Roman Reigns, leading to Bobby Lashley winning the title.
Interestingly, the night was still young for The Cowboy. He would go on to enter and win the Men's Royal Rumble match, securing a main-event clash against The Tribal Chief at The Grandest Stage of Them All!