When it comes to the Royal Rumble, it is often just the victor who is talked about. Fans always remember the person who got to point towards the WrestleMania sign at the end of the match, but they aren't always the stars of the show.
Many years, there happens to be someone else who ends up stealing the show despite the fact that they don't end up winning the match.
Whether it be a surprise appearance or an incredible performance within the match, the Royal Rumble often sees someone other than the winner be the person fans remember. With that in mind, in this list, we will take a look at 10 wrestlers who stole the show without winning the match.
10 Dean Ambrose (2016)
We kickstart this list with the 2016 Royal Rumble, which was an incredibly predictable one heading into it. Fans knew the storyline with Roman Reigns and The Authority, and it was heavily expected either the Big Dog or Triple H would leave as the victor.
In the end, it was Triple H who won it, but not without a serious challenge from Dean Ambrose. In the end, the match came down to the two men, and the entire arena erupted with fans getting behind Ambrose, proving just how popular he is.
9 Rey Mysterio (2018)
Sometimes a wrestler can steal the show by their performance throughout the match, but other times it is the surprise entrants that take the limelight. In 2018, that was certainly the case when Rey Mysterio popped up unexpectedly.
The pop for his return to the company was unbelievable as he wasn't even rumored heading into the event. Mysterio then put in an amazing performance, mixing it up with brand new talent he hadn't faced before, creating some fantastic teases for future matches as he stole the show.
8 Daniel Bryan (Greatest Royal Rumble)
The Greatest Royal Rumble was the largest Rumble in history, and even though Braun Strowman won the match, Daniel Bryan stole the show. Having only recently returned to wrestling, nobody expected him to wind up being the ironman of the match.
Bryan competed for one hour and 16 minutes, which was an incredible performance as he reminded the world just how great he is. With his chest absolutely beaten and red-raw, Bryan quite comfortably stole the show.
7 Maven (2002)
Maven's performance in the Royal Rumble lasts just over three minutes, yet he still managed to steal the show. The young wrestler popped up in the match and shocked the world when he eliminated The Undertaker, who was a dominant heel at the time.
The fans went crazy when Maven managed to achieve this huge shock, and the Deadman did not take it well. Undertaker went back and eliminated Maven and then beat him around the arena to punish him for his actions.
6 AJ Styles (2016)
Earlier on in this list, we mentioned the 2016 Royal Rumble and how Dean Ambrose stole the show, but he wasn't the only man to do so. In the first half of the match, the Rumble was stolen by a debuting AJ Styles, who was making his surprise appearance in WWE.
Nobody had ever expected to see Styles work in WWE, let alone be treated as such a megastar right from the start. Mixing it up with the likes of Roman Reigns and Chris Jericho, Styles had all the WWE Universe behind him right from the start.
5 CM Punk (2014)
This match just happened to be CM Punk's final match (for now) with WWE, and he certainly went out with a bang. Despite what physical condition he may have been in, Punk started at #1 and lasted until the final four.
While everyone remembers this Rumble for the fans totally revolting against it due to Daniel Bryan not winning, that didn't stop Punk from stealing the show. Without Bryan, he was the man people wanted to see win, but it, unfortunately, didn't happen.
This saw The Authority screw him over, with Kane popping back into the match to eliminate him and send him crashing through the announce table.
4 Mick Foley (1998)
Another time that a non-winner stole the show was in 1998 when Mick Foley put in a super performance. But not just one performance, it was technically three! Foley first appeared as Cactus Jack where he mixed it up with Terry Funk where a chainsaw ended up being used.
He was eliminated and Foley then returned, this time as Mankind. He avenged his original elimination but couldn't get the job done. So he came back once more, this time as Dude Love, who also was unable to win the match.
Despite not winning in three appearances, Foley still put on a fantastic performance that got the entire wrestling world talking about him.
3 Hulk Hogan (1989)
It isn't a big surprise that someone with the star power of Hulk Hogan was able to steal the show despite not winning. That is exactly what the Immortal One did during that match, which saw the issues between the Mega Powers develop.
Hogan accidentally eliminated Randy Savage, setting up a tease for the future. Hogan eliminated nine people in total, Savage included and quickly established himself in the match.
He might not have won the Rumble that year, but he certainly made his mark, which included the classic two-second elimination of The Warlord.
2 Shawn Michaels (2010)
When it comes to telling a story within a match, few can do it better than Shawn Michaels. That was clear to see in 2010 when Michaels was doing everything in his power to win the Rumble in order to earn a rematch with The Undertaker at WrestleMania.
Michaels was obsessed with winning the match and that was clear. He was eliminating and fighting against friends, which is uncommon for a babyface in these match type. But it was when he was eliminated and wrestling fans were incredibly disappointed that it really showed how good his performance was.
Hitting Sweet Chin Music to everyone insight, referees included, it was clear that Michaels was losing his cool. It simply completed what was an amazing show-stealing performance.
1 Kane (2001)
The Big Red Monster was at the top of his game heading into the 2001 Royal Rumble and it showed. Kane was totally dominant in the Rumble, setting a record for the most elimination in one match at the time, with 11.
Kane brought in weapons, he mixed things up with Drew Carey and was just the ultimate MVP of the entire match. This was the perfect performance and it really did deserve to be capped off with a victory, but unfortunately, it wasn't to be.