The 10 greatest title matches in Royal Rumble PPV history
The Royal Rumble pay-per-view generates a lot of excitement every year for wrestling fans. The one-hour parade of WWE's biggest and brightest stars continues to amaze crowds year in, year out. For over 30 years, this has been the event that starts the road to WrestleMania and creates a window into what the next 12 months has in store.
However, that is not the only reason that the Royal Rumble has garnered its formidable legacy. It is also because the show has bared witness to some of the greatest title matches in company history. From star-making performances to thrilling clashes , the best of the best have truly come head to head at the January classic.
With over 33 events in its history, coming up with a list was difficult due to the vast amount of great encounters that have happened on this show. This list was based on the match quality, buildup ahead of the event, crowd reaction and subsequent impact. Here's a look at the ten greatest title matches in Royal Rumble history.
Honorable mentions:
- Bret Hart vs. Razor Ramon (1993)
- Diesel vs. Bret Hart (1995)
- Chris Jericho vs. The Rock (2001)
- Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (2004)
- Becky Lynch vs. Asuka (2020)
#10 Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns in a No Disqualification Match for the WWE Universal Championship (Royal Rumble 2017)
If any fans want a preview of what Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens have in store for this year's Royal Rumble battle, just rewind to the 2017 show. This match came long before Reigns became "The Tribal Chief." At the time, Owens was the WWE Universal Champion. These two men had been feuding for months, and Owens' best friend Chris Jericho constantly got involved.
At Royal Rumble 2017, Owens and Reigns went to war in a No Disqualification Match with Jericho raised above the ring inside of a shark cage. With his threat out of the way, the two superstars put on a tremendous contest that used weapons expertly and built their match to a thrilling climax.
There were chairs, tables and brutal spots that inflicted serious damage on both the champion and challenger. The San Antonio crowd was completely invested, as they reacted to every chair shot, table smash and wince-inducing bump. In the end, Braun Strowman got involved by decimating Roman Reigns. As a result, Kevin Owens won the match and retained his title.