5 times the wrong person won The Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble has widely been regarded as the greatest creation in WWE history. The 30-Man Over The Top Battle Royal has garnered a reputation as the most must-watch match of every calendar year. Stars and unforgettable moments have been made at the Rumble, with many of the winners using the event as a catapult to the biggest victories of their careers.
However, not every Royal Rumble winner has been the right move for the company or the performer. Sometimes, WWE wants to go in one direction, while fans are cheering or booing in another direction.
Brock Lesnar prominently featured on this 2022 Royal Rumble poster https://t.co/ATUn9zJJeM
With the 2022 Royal Rumble on the horizon in St. Louis coming up in January, it's become a great time to think about who might win the upcoming Rumble and reminisce on the times WWE got things wrong. In this article, let's take a look at the five times the wrong person won The Royal Rumble.
5) 2020 Women's Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair
Tonight on FS1, tune in at 7pm ET to see the entire 2020 WWE Royal Rumble PPV! 👸🏼 https://t.co/MYGwdUeZiD
Coming into the 2020 Royal Rumble, it was a wide open field of WWE Superstars who seemed like possible winners. This was slightly different from the past two years when Asuka and Becky Lynch both seemed like the favorites. This gave the 2020 Women's Royal Rumble Match a bit of mystery and added to the suspense when it came down to the final participants.
Bianca Belair gave an impressive performance with seven eliminations and lasted well over thirty minutes. Naomi made her return and went viral with her stunning new look, while Shayna Baszler came in at #30 and eliminated eight competitors. Despite all these terrific efforts, Charlotte Flair eliminated Baszler to win the 2020 Women's Royal Rumble Match.
It was viewed as a letdown and heavily criticized by fans. Charlotte Flair is a multi-time champion and often features at the top of the card. She just didn't need this win quite like Shayna Baszler did. The Queen of Spades was coming off a successful run in NXT and would go on to face Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 36. A win here would have been more beneficial to her than anyone else that year.