The Best WWE Royal Rumble Matches of All Time, Ranked

The Royal Rumble suit, one of the biggest spectacles in wrestling pleasure, is the first match that everyone is aware of before the Road to WrestleMania begins in February. What’s always made the [ …] despite the same basic rules as the traditional battle royal, where participants try to get their opponents out of the ring and throw them out of the ring.

The second article on Den of Geek was The Best WWE Royal Rumble Matches of All Time, Ranked.

Everyone is aware that the Royal Rumble suit, one of the biggest sunglasses in wrestling pleasure, is the beginning of the Road to WrestleMania in February. The Royal Rumble has only two athletes in the circle, with new entrants entering every 90 seconds or so, allowing for all sorts of surprise results and wonderful showdowns, although the basic rules are the same as the standard battle royal, where participants try to eliminate their opponents by throwing them out of the band. As much as wrestling enthusiasts love to say about anything, nearly all looks forward to the 30-man Rumble.

However, despite its tremendous idea, some Royal Rumbles are far superior to another. In fact, there have been some remarkably bad, or predictable, roars over the years ( notice how some roars from the’ 90s made this record ). However, when the Royal Rumble is well put together, it highlights anything that makes professional wrestling a joy.

We&#8217, d ranked the 13 best Royal Rumble matches in wrestling story:

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13.2018 Women’s Royal Rumble

In some ways, it’s amazing that the WWE didn’t even try to guide a women’s Royal Rumble until 2018. Sure, the children’s squad was n&#8217, t usually so extensive, but the annual women’s roar complement showed that it taxicab be done very well. The 2018 meet featured a wonderful combination of the very best people on the lineup at the time, like Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky Lynch, plus lots of returning Hall of Famers, including Trish Stratus, Lita, and Beth Phoenix.

Most important, the method it was organized made it seem like almost any of these women may gain, with Asuka’s victory being both fully justified and only unexpected enough to appeal to most fans.

12.1990 Royal Rumble

Even though this was just the third Royal Rumble match possibly, it’s obvious that WWE was still developing the idea. No, there aren’t any big surprises, or truly innovative eliminations. Hell, the success didn’t even find a subject shot back then. But the suit does include a lot of truly solid storytelling.

Ted DiBiase,” The Million Dollar Man,” cheated to get a late entrance the past year and dominated the competition for 45 hours before being eliminated ( a record at the time ). The shocking first encounter between Hulk Hogan ( the match’s winner ) and The Ultimate Warrior, which set up their legendary match at WrestleMania VI, is what most older wrestling fans will recall from the match.

11.2018 Men’s Royal Rumble

Many of the benefits become fairly predictable once you watch adequate professional wrestling. The majority of wrestling viewers have long predicted that Cody Rhodes may prevail in the 2023 and 2024 Royal Rumble matches to bring the account to a close. However, in 2018, the Rumble’s outcome was unfortunate, and Shinsuke Nakamura’s triumph was a real shock for a business that frequently relies on the same handful of key eventers.

Beyond that though, this was a really enjoyable suit, with a few great surprise entrants in The Hurricane and Rey Mysterio and a special older class vs. fresh school stare down between the last six men&#8212, Randy Orton, John Cena, Mysterio, Finn Balor, Nakamura, and Roman Reigns &#8212, that hadn’t really been done in one of these matches before.

10.2023 Women’s Royal Rumble

The issue with the first few women’s Royal Rumbles was that the WWE had to use far too many legends and NXT callups in order to fill the match, which everyone knew had no chance of winning. Michelle McCool made a rare return in this match, and there were a few NXT wrestlers as well, but overall it felt much more competitive and wide open.

Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan were the first two to start the match, and it was a brave decision to let them both endure until the very end. Rhea ultimately won was the wise decision. With Liv Morgan right in front of her, it helped propel her to the top of the WWE standings.

9.2005 Royal Rumble&nbsp,

Botches happen in professional wrestling. It’s unavoidable. Usually, it’s a small miscue, and you just go on with the match. Sometimes fans don’t even really notice. The 2005 Royal Rumble’s notorious botched finish will undoubtedly rank it among the best of these matches.

By throwing John Cena over the top rope last, Batista was declared the winner at the start of the match. Cena countered with his signature Batista Bomb, and as planned, Batista managed to get Cena up for it, and they both promptly fell head over the top rope, landing on the floor at the exact same time. When Vince McMahon got so upset, he returned to the ring to resumption the match, somehow torn both of his quads. The match restarted, Batista promptly threw Cena over the top rope as planned, and fans were left with one of the greatest, most chaotic Royal Rumble finishes of all time.

8.2008 Royal Rumble

This Rumble match is polarizing for many fans. Yes, there were some times when things got a little too busy, but the positive aspect of this easily outweighs the negative, earning it a spot on the list. The first two entrants for the match are Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. You really can’t go wrong with that combo, and they each lasted an impressive 30+ minutes.

The most memorable moment of this match is John Cena entering at number 30. There are some entertaining moments here, like the unexpected showdown between legends Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka and Hornswoggle hiding under the ring. The crowd was completely shocked to see Cena show up and win the entire thing because he had legitimately torn his pectoral muscle just three months prior and was scheduled to be out of action for six months. His comeback is still considered one of the biggest pops in WWE history.

7.2016 Royal Rumble

To be fair, there’s a lot to like and dislike about this Rumble match. First, the good. It was interesting to see how the WWE approached this situation. Roman Reigns, a pre-Tribal Chief, had to enter first to defend his WWE Championship, and he did so in a strong way throughout the match, even though he went backstage for a portion of it. This was also the debut of A. J. Styles in the WWE, and he did indeed look phenomenal, lasting almost 30 minutes. Working together to eliminate Brock Lesnar and Mark Henry, The Wyatt Family was also recognized as a real force to reckon with.

The conclusion, however, was far too predictable, with Triple H claiming to be the match’s winner after Reigns and capturing the majority of the audience. Although the underwhelming finish is subject to a lot of valid criticism, the match is still a really good Rumble if you can get past that.

6.2024 Women’s Royal Rumble

The most impressive women’s Royal Rumble thus far is unquestionably the best. A couple of huge surprises led to a very early start to the match. Naomi, who had just returned from the break, was greeted with a huge cheer in the second spot, but what really shocked the arena was Jordynne Grace, the reigning TNA belt, who was also the fifth contestant. After WWE refused to acknowledge other promotions for decades, it’s still mind-blowing to see this.

Beyond the surprises, there were some other really great moments, like the showdown between Nia Jax and Jade Cargill, and a very confused R-Truth trying to enter the match and wondering where all the men were. In the end, Bayley’s more than an hour-long runaway from the third spot made the right decision, which really helped her story advance.

5.2001 Royal Rumble

Even its biggest supporters must acknowledge that the majority of the Royal Rumble matches from this time were surprisingly lackluster, with few surprises, and most of the top stars skipping the Rumble for other matches on the card, despite how beloved it was. But the 2001 Rumble was a big exception.

Most of the biggest names of the era appeared in the 2001 Royal Rumble, with Kane in particular giving a dominant and career-defining performance thanks to his record-breaking 11 eliminations. Drew Carey, a comedian, made a unique decision to play the game for laughs that still worked well. However, Stone Cold Steve Austin, who won his third Royal Rumble victory, a record that still stands today, was the real star, of course.

4.2020 Men’s Royal Rumble

What more could the WWE add to the formula after more than 30 years of Royal Rumble matches? In 2020, the answer to that was the Beat Incarnate. Brock Lesnar, the then-WWE champion, entered the Rumble first, and he immediately dispatched 13 other competitors almost as soon as they had stepped foot in the ring. You might think that would get boring, but after all these years, it really doesn’t get old watching Lesnar completely dominate his competition.

That only added to the enjoyment of watching Drew McIntyre beat Lesnar and ultimately prevail in the final match. The 2020 Rumble is truly a master class in utilizing performers to their full potential and developing a new main eventer.

3.2004 Royal Rumble

Because Chris Benoit won the match, WWE doesn’t even really acknowledge this match. And since he entered from the first spot and endured the entire thing, there is really no way to discuss it without mentioning him. It’s unfortunate that this Rumble will always be overshadowed by the Benoit tragedy because it is truly a spectacular match.

Benoit was a well-known midcarder who needed to advance to the next level, and this match did a fantastic job of showing off his wrestling prowess right up until the final back-and-forth with Big Show, which is still one of the best Rumble match endings.

2.2007 Royal Rumble

Usually, the battle royals and rumble matches end with a fairly brief spot between the last two competitors. After being there for an hour, wrestlers get tired and simply want to head back to the starting position. The lengthy ending sequence really makes this Rumble one of the greats, even though it is quite good.

Taker ducked a super kick to lift Michaels over the top rope and claim his first and only Royal Rumble victory, which was a complete miracle for The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. There may never be a more recognizable or better Rumble finish than this.

1.1992 Royal Rumble

What’s not to love about the 1992 Royal Rumble? For the first time ever, winning it actually meant something, with the last man standing being awarded the vacant WWF Championship. The list of who’s who of all time wrestlers included Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan, Kerry Von Erich and Greg” The Hammer” Valentine.

But when it was all said and done, the winner was none other than the number three entrant, arguably the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Ric Flair, after an impressive hour-long performance. The legendary commentators Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon called all of this and more. Nothing will make you a professional wrestler if watching this match doesn’t.

The second article on Den of Geek was The Best WWE Royal Rumble Matches of All Time, Ranked.