Royal Rumble is one of WWE's "big four" pay-per-views, along with WrestleMania, Survivor Series, and SummerSlam. Every year, millions of fans across the world tune in to what 30 superstars engage in a battle for a championship opportunity on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
Some superstars saw their careers change for the better after winning the match, namely Batista (2005) and Rey Mysterio (2006). But, even though the Royal Rumble is supposed to mark a career-changing moment for all the winners, it doesn't always end that way. Here is a look at 10 instances where the wrong person won the Royal Rumble event.
10 10. Randy Orton (2009)
The Royal Rumble is almost always won by a babyface, but WWE decided to change things up in 2009. Randy Orton, portraying a villainous persona, eliminated Triple H to win his first Royal Rumble.
Giving this win to the Viper seemed like a good idea at the time, but unfortunately, Orton's WWE Championship match against Triple H at WrestleMania XXV was a massive disappointment - one of the show's worst main events in recent memory.
Hindsight is 20/20, but looking back, the 2009 Royal Rumble should have gone to someone else who could have done a better job in headlining WrestleMania. CM Punk, Undertaker, John Cena, and Edge were among the many options here.
9 9. Shinsuke Nakamura (2018)
At the time, it was hard not to be thrilled when Shinsuke Nakamura emerged victorious at the 2018 Royal Rumble. He had been mismanaged and underused big-time after joining the main roster, and it felt like WWE was finally going to turn a corner with him.
Instead, Nakamura's Royal Rumble victory led to a lackluster match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34, and a handful of awful rematches that were highlighted by terrible endings.
So, why did WWE waste a Royal Rumble by misusing Nakamura once again after he emerged victorious? They should have just given this one to somebody like Seth Rollins or Roman Reigns - somebody that WWE would actually use accordingly down the road.
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8 8. Alberto Del Rio (2011)
Alberto Del Rio received a big push when he joined WWE in 2010, and the creative team decided to take it a step further by giving him a victory in the 2011 Royal Rumble.
But their plans to get Del Rio over as a legitimate heel and main eventer didn't exactly go as planned. He fell to Edge in a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania XXVII, and Del Rio's character lost plenty of momentum following this showdown.
This would have been the perfect opportunity to hand the Royal Rumble to somebody like CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler or Wade Barrett - somebody that needed the win to take their main event status to another level.
7 7. Lex Luger (1994)
After Hulk Hogan left the WWE, Vince McMahon began pushing Lex Luger as his new No. 1 babyface. The latter was pushed as the true All-American hero, and he even received his own bus called "The Lex Express."
However, Luger never fully got over with the fans - even after being named co-winner of the 1994 Royal Rumble with Bret Hart (both had eliminated each other at the same time). Of course, Hart would enjoy a huge singles push over the next few years, but the same cannot be said about Luger.
There was no reason for WWE to give this one to Luger as well. They should have just given it to Hart, who wound up defeating Yokozuna for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania X.
6 6. Big John Studd (1989)
Big John Studd was among the most beloved and admirable characters in WWE, but he was never fully suited to be in the main event picture. That didn't stop WWE from booking him to win the second-ever Royal Rumble back in 1989, however.
WWE had so many other big-named legends to choose from here in 1989: Shawn Michaels, Randy Savage, Jake Roberts, Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan, among others. Studd didn't even compete at WrestleMania V that year, instead serving as a special guest referee for the Andre the Giant-Roberts match.
5 5. Jim Duggan (1988)
Wrestling fans always appreciated Jim Duggan's hardcore style of wrestling, but like Big John Studd, "Hacksaw" was better off working at the mid-card level. He just wasn't up there with the likes of Hogan, Savage, and Ultimate Warrior.
Even though Duggan won the inaugural Royal Rumble in 1988, it didn't amount to much. He was eliminated in the first round of a 14-man tournament to crown the new World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania IV.
So, what exactly was the point of giving Duggan a Royal Rumble victory if WWE wasn't planning to do much with him down the road?
4 4. Triple H (2016)
Seth Rollins suffered tears in his ACL and MCL during a Nov. 2015 house show, which forced him to relinquish the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Roman Reigns eventually became the new champion, and The Authority came up with a plan to try and screw him over.
Vince McMahon announced that the winner of the 2016 Royal Rumble would become the new champion. Triple H emerged after a brief hiatus to win the match, thus placing himself in the main event of WrestleMania 32.
Triple H dropped the title to Reigns in what turned out to be one of the most boring and forgettable main event matches in WrestleMania history. WWE obviously hoped that Triple H would help Reigns finally get over with the fans, but this passing-of-the-torch moment failed mightily.
3 3. Mr. McMahon (1999)
There's no arguing that Mr. McMahon's feud with 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was the top storyline of the Attitude Era. That said, the WWE chairman was at his best when... he wasn't competing in the ring.
McMahon was the perfect villain when he was working as the evil boss, and not as a wrestler. So you can understand why it was quite the mess when he wound up winning the 1999 Royal Rumble over the likes of The Rock, Steve Austin, Triple H, Undertaker, Owen Hart and Kane, among others.
2 2. Roman Reigns (2015)
One year after the disastrous 2014 Royal Rumble, WWE fans had good reason to believe that the company would look to redeem themselves for the 2015 event.
Instead, fans were left booing the winner once again, as Roman Reigns eliminated Rusev to win his first Royal Rumble. The Rock even came out to celebrate with his cousin, but this did nothing to stop the boos from the fans in Philadelphia.
Also, #CancelWWENetwork began trending across the world after this match. Last time I checked, that's not a good sign?
1 1. Batista (2014)
Batista returned to the WWE in 2014 as a good guy, but make no mistake, this was Daniel Bryan's world at the time - and we were all living in it. Fans wanted none other than Bryan to win the 2014 Royal Rumble. Was that too much to ask for?
Yes. Bryan didn't even make an appearance in the 30-man battle. The fans in Pittsburgh voiced their displeasure throughout the night, even booing the beloved Rey Mysterio when he became the final entry. After Batista won the match, fans pelted him with even more boos - and he flipped off the crowd before mocking Bryan's "YES" gestures.
WWE had no choice but to listen to the fans, and they placed Bryan in the main event of WrestleMania XXX - where he was crowned the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.