The Royal Rumble is one of the most exciting pay-per-views of the wrestling year. With the anticipation of a WrestleMania main event, the surprise of an unexpected return, and the natural drama that’s in sport’s entertainment’s DNA, WWE’s annual “The Floor is Lava” game is worthy of all the hype it receives — even when we don’t get what we want. Yet, more often than not, the fans go home happy, even if their guy didn’t go all the way, and that’s because overall, it’s a fun gimmick.
So, with that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the best Royal Rumble Matches in WWE History.
Royal Rumble 1999
In the late 1990s, there was nothing better than seeing Stone Cold Steve Austin beat up Vince McMahon, and that’s exactly what the fans got. With a final five of The Big Boss Man, Owen Hart, D’Lo Brown, McMahon, and the Texas Rattlesnake, Austin looked to be on his way to a third straight Rumble win. Once the dust settled, it was just McMahon and Austin left. The top dog in the WWE beat up the Chairman of the Board for some time but after some interference by the hands of The Rock, McMahon dumped Austin over the top rope and declared himself the winner.
Classic.
Royal Rumble 2008
After being sidelined with a torn pectoral in October 2007, it looked like John Cena would miss a year of action. The Face that Runs the Place is no ordinary man, however, and by January 2008, he was back and ready to go.
He made his return at the number 30 spot, and the arena went crazy. Cena rode that momentum all the way to victory as he threw Triple H over the top rope in what was one of the most memorable finishes to a Royal Rumble match ever.
Royal Rumble 1995
It’s hard to argue that Shawn Michaels is one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots, and this pay-per-view proved why. Starting the match at number one, Michaels gave a memorable 38-minute performance and provided one of the most iconic and recycled moments in the event’s history where he was inches away from being eliminated as he dangled from the ropes. While most of the actual pay-per-view itself is rather skippable, this match makes the whole ordeal worthwhile.
Royal Rumble 2018
Following a string of poorly received Rumbles, WWE had an obvious choice to send the fans home happy. With AJ Styles as the long-term champion on SmackDown Live, it only made sense to pull the trigger on the much-anticipated match against the King of Strongstyle at WrestleMania. Yet, while the outcome was cathartic, the match itself was actually really enjoyable.
Instead of being treated to the typical surprise legend appearances (outside of a very agile Mysterio), we were given a straight-up competition that felt fresh and exciting. With Finn Balor playing the role of the underdog “Iron Man”, Roman Reigns as the odds-on favorite, and John Cena as a wild card, it felt like anything could happen. That’s all without mentioning a truly amazing standoff between the old guard of Cena, Randy Orton, and Mysterio and the new with Balor Reigns, and Nakamura.
Royal Rumble 2007
This is one of those Rumbles where it was very unremarkable until the final four took shape. When the dust settled, we were given Randy Orton, Edge, Shawn Michaels, and Undertaker.
Once HBK dealt with the one-time Rated RKO stablemates, he set his sights on his oldest adversary. The two battled it out in yet another classic, with Undertaker getting the win. Sometimes, the finale can completely alter how we view one of these matches, and 2007 proved just that.
Royal Rumble 1997
Fans remember this match for two reasons. This is Stone Cold Steve Austin’s win in the event’s history and it featured one weird moment with Mil Mascaras — that luchadore who never wrestled for WWE before who eliminated himself with a top-rope dive out of the ring.
Aside from that, the match’s finish was booked perfectly. Austin, who spent 45 minutes in the competing, snuck away with the win after he was technically eliminated seconds before by Bret Hart, setting up the perfect feud for WrestleMania 13.
Women’s Royal Rumble 2019
The 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble match was amazing for several reasons. Instead of relying on some nostalgia like the year prior, we were given some real drama throughout the whole bout with the possibility of Becky Lynch looming over the entire ordeal. The women’s division put on one entertaining fight, but once The Man arrived, things were shaken to its core.
In the storyline, she shouldn’t have been there — she lost a rematch for the SmackDown Live Women’s title earlier in the night — but that didn’t stop her from making her own rules as she goes. Once she won, the crowd went insane, and for the first time ever, it felt like a women’s match will close the show at WrestleMania. While the groundwork was laid well before this match, this was the catalyst that possibly set a history-making moment into motion.
Royal Rumble 2005
Let us set the stage. It’s 2005, the two biggest names on SmackDown and Raw are Batista (representing the Red Brand) and John Cena (a product of the Blue Show). They are the final two competitors. Anyone could win, really, so fans can only guess what will happen next, though nobody could see this coming.
Batista picks Cena up with the intent of throwing him out of the ring, but somehow falls and both wrestlers are eliminated at the same time. An irate Vince McMahon storms to the ring as the wrestlers and referees try to figure out what to do next, but as the owner of the company slides into the ring, he tears a quad. Somehow, he tears his other one shortly after. Now, we have the two wrestlers unaware of what will happen next getting yelled at by McMahon who is sitting in the ring because he’s physically unable to stand.
The match eventually restarted, and Batista won, but that’s not why this was ranked so high on this list.
Royal Rumble 2006
Following the death of Eddie Guerrero in 2005, the wrestling world lost an amazing talent beloved the world over, and while it was incredibly painful for fans to say goodbye, it opened the door for one of the company’s most underutilized stars at the time — Rey Mysterio. It was only logical to give the wrestler whose name was so closely tied to Guerrero’s his whole career this kind of a story, and it proved to be one of the most exciting pay-per-view events WWE put on.
Entering the Rumble at number two, the 5’6” Mysterio played the perfect underdog, eliminating the biggest names in the company — all in the name of Eddie Guerrero. When he finally won, fans could feel the genuine emotion oozing through the screen as the luchador went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship in a match against Kurt Angle and Randy Orton in a short, but fun WrestleMania match.
Royal Rumble 1992
For the first time in history, a Rumble match would determine the winner of WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship and that added intrigue made for an interesting viewing experience. With a final four of Sid Justice, Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, and Ric Flair (who entered at number three for dramatic effect), there was no clear favorite to the average viewer. Yet it was the “Stylin’, profilin’, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ n’ dealin’ son of a gun” who took home the gold.
If that wasn’t enough to sell you on this event, there’s also an amazing post-match interview with Flair alongside Bobby Heenan, and Mr. Perfect that really makes the win feel that much more special. Everything about this match is well executed, and the added drama of it being a title match gave this Rumble a real “game-changing” feel, making the best Royal Rumble match in WWE history.
