WWE Royal Rumble: 5 Superstars who have been a Royal Rumble runner-up more than once
The Royal Rumble is perhaps the most exciting match in all of sports entertainment. A victory in the 30-man (and 30-woman) over-the-top battle royal could vastly change the life of a WWE Superstar. The 2020 Royal Rumble match will take place on 26th January and will surely prove to be as exciting as many of its predecessors.
WWE tends to surprise the fans with its decisions during the match however, the winners of the last few Royal Rumble matches were quite predictable. This year, Roman Reigns is the favorite to win the men's match and progress to the main event of WrestleMania 36.
Apart from the surprise returns and the dream face-offs, the biggest moment is the stand-off when only two Superstars remain in the match. While one of them becomes immortal by winning the match, the other unfortunately is not remembered by many fans.
In this article, we will have a look at 5 Superstars who have been a runner-up in the Royal Rumble match more than once in their careers.
#5 John Cena
One of the most decorated WWE Superstars of all time, John Cena has made it to the final two of the Royal Rumble match four times. The 16-time WWE Champion won the bout in 2008 and 2013, however he was the last one to be eliminated in the 2005 and 2010 Royal Rumble matches.
Talking about the 2005 match first, this was the first time Cena lasted until the final moment. He entered the match at number 25 and was looking forward to winning the after eliminating Kane and Viscera. However, when the competition came down to Cena and the 29th entrant, Batista, The Champ could not succeed. After a controversial "first" finish that saw both men eliminated at the same time, the match was restarted and Batista tossed Cena over the top rope. Big Dave went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21.
Five years later, the leader of the Cenation found himself in the same situation. He entered the match at number 19, eliminated Kofi Kingston, Shelton Benjamin, Yoshi Tatsu, and Batista before a career arch nemesis, the returning Edge, sent him out of the ring to take home the victory. Unlike Batista, Edge could not win his World Heavyweight Championship match against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 26.