5 Legendary WrestleMania Stars Who Never Won The Royal Rumble
As the 2019 Royal Rumble edges ever closer, that means that we’re edging ever closer to the Road to WrestleMania and to WrestleMania itself.
For years now, both the Rumble and ‘Mania have been so closely tied together, largely down to the fact that the winner of the Royal Rumble guarantees themselves a spot in the WrestleMania main event.
Now while so many legendary names have gone on to headline WrestleMania courtesy of a win in the WWE’s annual over-the-top-rope extravaganza, there are also those legendary names who are so synonymous with WrestleMania yet have never managed to get themselves a Royal Rumble match victory.
With all of that in mind, then, it only makes sense to start looking at the relationship between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania as we gear up towards WrestleMania 35. And with that said, it’s even more interesting to look at those WrestleMania main eventers who you may have forgotten had zero success in the Royal Rumble on their way to the Showcase of the Immortals.
Running with that theme and exploring it further, then, why don’t you get yourself cosy, take a load off, get settled and join us while we look at 5 huge WrestleMania names who never emerged victorious at the Royal Rumble.
#5 CM Punk
One of the biggest beefs of CM Punk’s during his WWE tenure was how he never got to truly “headline” WrestleMania.
Granted, the Straight-Edge Superstar did successfully defend the WWE Championship against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 28, but Punk has made no bones about his dissatisfaction at being overlooked in place of The Rock when it came to battling John Cena at WrestleMania 29. Then again, Mania 29 did see the Chicago native go up against the legendary Undertaker.
Still, the point is, regardless of how unhappy he was at not being the closing act on a WrestleMania, CM Punk had an impressive showing at the annual Showcase of the Immortals, winning two Money in the Bank ladder matches, retaining the WWE Championship, and getting to challenge for The Undertaker’s famed Streak.
Regardless of his strong positioning at WrestleMania, however, the Second City Saint never won a Royal Rumble.
That’s not to say that CM Punk didn’t have some memorable moments in the Royal Rumble match, such as him entering at #1 in the 2011 Rumble and going on to last 35 minutes and eliminate 7 people with the help of his New Nexus.
As of right now, of course, CM Punk’s last ever WWE appearance came at a Royal Rumble; Punk quit the company in the aftermath of the 2014 Royal Rumble show.