The Royal Rumble match winner is always a topic of discussion. However, WWE doesn't always select the right winner, with WWE setting aside stars who would have been better options to win. Since 1993, the winner of the Royal Rumble match earns the right to challenge the reigning World Champion for a title match at WrestleMania. Therefore, it is imperative that WWE get the Royal Rumble winner right, which is not always the case.RELATED: Rikishi & Too Cool Dance Break & 9 Other Times The Royal Rumble Stopped ActionSadly, there have been numerous instances when the Royal Rumble winner has failed to capitalize and build on the push they have received. The likes of Rey Mysterio have been elevated as a World Championship contender by winning the Rumble but that does not necessarily mean that they were the correct winner. Without further ado, here are 13 such occasions when WWE got the Royal Rumble winner wrong, and a look at who should have won each time.Updated On January 8th, 2022 by Andrew Kelly: With there being over thirty years of Royal Rumbles, it is only likely that WWE gets it wrong at times. Winning the Rumble is such a privilege that only so many names ever get the chance of winning the match – with some noteworthy competitors even winning the whole thing more than once! Even the most popular winners, who at the time seemed like the best idea, aren’t necessarily the correct choice in hindsight, whether that be due to WWE’s own bad booking, or the competitor simply not being the right person for that sort of spotlight. There is an element of fantasy booking that comes into play when picking an alternative winner, which may or not be the truly correct decision due to other events happening, and long-term plans. Either way, it is always fun to go back and think of what might have been had WWE opted for better-suited winners.

13 * 2016 – Winner: Triple H (Who Should Have Won: Dean Ambrose)

Dean Ambrose Royal Rumble 2016 Cropped

Plans were obviously set in place for that year’s Wrestlemania, with Roman Reigns primed to face Triple H. However, not many fans wanted that, and even more fans wanted to see Reigns’ former ally Dean Ambrose go head-to-head with him instead. Ambrose was at the height of his popularity around WrestleMania season of 2016, and fans clamored to have him in the World Title picture.

What followed was a terrible main event between HHH and Reigns which lacked heat and suffered from its predictability. Having repeat Rumble winners is rarely fun, especially when it was a part-timer like HHH, who won the WWE Title in the match. Even more frustrating is that Ambrose and HHH had an incredible match at the WWE Network Roadblock special on the Road to WrestleMania which was fantastic, but should have gotten a bigger spotlight at WrestleMania.

12 * 2017 – Winner: Randy Orton (Who Should Have Won: Chris Jericho)

Jericho Royal Rumble 2017 Cropped

The storyline between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt heading into Wrestlemania was certainly an intriguing one, and with the WWE Championship on the line, stakes were high. However, the eventual Wrestlemania match was a complete farce, and Wyatt dropped the title to Orton without much of a fight. It was a waste of both men.

The friendship and break-up between Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens was some of the best WWE TV of the last decade, and they looked destined to do battle for the Universal Championship at Wrestlemania. If Jericho was given the honor of winning the Rumble for the very first time, then WWE wouldn’t have been able to change their plans and have Owens controversially drop the belt to Goldberg, cutting the World Title match between the friends-turned-enemies at the knees.

11 * 2013 – Winner: John Cena (Who Should Have Won: Ryback)

Ryback Royal Rumble 2013

When looking at how Ryback’s time in WWE turned out, some may say that he should definitely not have won the Rumble. However, there is no denying how over he was at the time and he was even managing to recover from a loss to CM Punk the previous year, which ended his undefeated streak. With the World Heavyweight Championship at a low point, and with Alberto Del Rio ending up defending it against Jack Swagger at Mania, would it have really hurt to capitalize on Ryback’s momentum and have him win the belt?

Instead, fans got the predictable winner, who also happened the be an unpopular repeat winner in John Cena, who would go on to face The Rock in a complete letdown of a Wrestlemania main event.

10 2006 - Winner: Rey Mysterio (Who Should Have Won: Randy Orton)

Rey Mysterio, Triple H, Randy Orton, Royal Rumble 2006

At the 2006 Royal Rumble, Rey Mysterio won the Royal Rumble match and paid tribute to the late great Eddie Guerrero which was a nice touch. However, Randy Orton should have won the 2006 Royal Rumble match.

Orton was coming off a nearly year-long feud with The Undertaker in 2005 on SmackDown, which certainly solidified his spot as a certified main eventer. The Legend Killer was in prime position for another World Championship run. Nonetheless, Orton was involved in the World Heavyweight Championship match with Kurt Angle and Mysterio at WrestleMania 22. Mysterio captured the title but his World Championship run was an utter failure, and Orton having previous experience as champion, could have had a brilliant one-on-one match with Angle and won the title.

9 1991 - Winner: Hulk Hogan (Who Should Have Won: Mr. Perfect)

Mr Perfect Royal Rumble 1991 Cropped

Mr. Perfect is arguably the greatest Intercontinental Champion in WWE history. Perfect entered the 1991 Royal Rumble as the Intercontinental Champion in his second reign with the gold. Perfect had tremendous in-ring skills and could simply work with anyone.

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Ultimately, Hulk Hogan won the Royal Rumble match for the second year in succession. The Hulkster did not need to win the Rumble as he is a bonafide main eventer. Nonetheless, Perfect had to settle as being Intercontinental Champion but it was a perfect opportunity to create a new main eventer. It is a travesty that Perfect never held a World Championship during his WWE career.

8 2012 - Winner: Sheamus (Who Should Have Won: Chris Jericho)

Chris Jericho Sheamus Royal Rumble 2012

Chris Jericho returned to the WWE in 2012 and once again reinvented himself by wearing a sparkly jacket. Y2J's bizarre behavior in his first couple of weeks back on Raw would frustrate fans as he did not speak a word. Nevertheless, Jericho reached the final two for the first time in the Royal Rumble match with Sheamus.

The Celtic Warrior was also on red-hot form and received another push as a babyface. He won the Royal Rumble match, which was an unpopular decision as Jericho was favored by the fans. However, both men would have World Championship matches at WrestleMania. Jericho winning the Rumble heading into his WWE Championship match with CM Punk at WrestleMania 28 would have made the match feel a little extra special.

7 2011 - Winner: Alberto Del Rio (Who Should Have Won: CM Punk)

CM Punk Royal Rumble 2011 Cropped

WWE tried a couple of experiments that failed miserably at the 2011 Royal Rumble. They did a 40-man Royal Rumble match that was atrocious, and Alberto Del Rio won the match. Fans never cared about Del Rio, and he lost his World Heavyweight Championship match to Edge at WrestleMania 27.

This was the right time for WWE to pull the trigger on CM Punk. The Second City Saint was the leader of The New Nexus, and he gained heat as a heel when he was the leader of The Straight Edge Society, which continued as Nexus leader. Nevertheless, Punk had to be patient and his time came in the summer of that year but a Rumble victory would have hurried up proceedings. Punk could have had a showdown match with John Cena or Randy Orton at WrestleMania for the WWE Championship but it was not to be.

6 1989 - Winner: Big John Studd (Who Should Have Won: Ted DiBiase)

Big John Studd Royal Rumble 1989 Cropped

The second edition of the Royal Rumble in 1989, featured the traditional 30-man Royal Rumble match for the first time. Surprisingly, Big John Studd won the match considering reigning WWE Champion Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan were amongst the candidates in this star-studded match.

Studd virtually did nothing with his victory as he was just a referee in a match at WrestleMania 5. Ted DiBiase was more than capable of winning a match of this caliber and should have won the Rumble, considering how close he was to winning the WWF Championship at WrestleMania 4. Studd eliminating DiBiase to win the Rumble was a kick in the teeth but in truth, the Million Dollar Man was a bigger star than Studd.

5 1997 - Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin (Who Should Have Won: The Undertaker)

The Undertaker Royal Rumble 1997 Cropped

The WWE Championship title picture heading into WrestleMania 13 was chaotic all around. At the close of the 1997 Royal Rumble, Stone Cold Steve Austin against Shawn Michaels seemed primed for the main event for WrestleMania 13 (which happened a year later at WrestleMania 14). Austin's Rumble victory came a year too soon, as he was nowhere near ready for a WWE Championship reign.

Michaels lost his smile and controversially vacated the title in February. The Undertaker should have won the 1997 Royal Rumble match considering the mess. However, the Deadman ended up winning his second WWE Championship from Sid in a lackluster main event at WrestleMania 13.

4 2018 - Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura (Who Should Have Won: Seth Rollins)

Seth Rollins Royal Rumble 2018 Cropped

Shinsuke Nakamura's WWE career has had some incredible highs and disappointing low moments. Nakamura won the 2018 Royal Rumble match which was a tremendous achievement for him, and fans were jubilant after witnessing Nakamura eliminate Roman Reigns. The match, and whole show for that matter, were great too.

Sadly, Nakamura's WWE Championship encounter with AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34 failed to deliver. Seth Rollins was a more suitable winner, as he was over with the fans as a face. The Architect could have had a five-star classic with Styles over the WWE Championship but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

3 2014 - Winner: Batista (Who Should Have Won: CM Punk)

CM Punk Royal Rumble 2014 Cropped

Batista returned to WWE after a three-year absence and carried on right where he left off. The Animal won his second Royal Rumble match in 2014 as the number 28 entrant, just like he did in 2005 to win his first Rumble. Unfortunately, for Batista, fans booed which led to him turning heel again as fans wanted Daniel Bryan to win it.

Another credible candidate, who should have won the 2014 Royal Rumble match is CM Punk. The Straight Edge Savior was missing a Rumble victory and a WrestleMania main event from his stellar resume. Punk was bitterly disappointed and departed the company after this match.

2 2020 - Winner: Charlotte Flair (Who Should Have Won: Shayna Baszler)

Shayna Baszler Royal Rumble 2020 Cropped

Charlotte Flair won the third women's Royal Rumble match in 2020. The Queen did not need to win the Rumble, as she is already an established star with multiple women's championship reigns to her name. Flair eliminated Shayna Baszler to win the Rumble but it was the wrong decision as Baszler should have won.

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The Queen of Spades reigned supreme over the NXT Women's Division as a two-time champion with the longest combined days as champion at 548. Baszler was also victorious in a triple threat match with Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch and SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley at Survivor Series 2019. Unfortunately, Baszler's dominance was thwarted when she lost to Lynch at WrestleMania 36, which would have been another chance for Baszler to redeem herself. She is unlikely to be in the running for a Rumble in the future, based on her booking.

1 1999 - Winner: Mr. McMahon (Who Should Have Won: Stone Cold Steve Austin)

Stone Cold Royal Rumble 1999 Cropped

The 1999 Royal Rumble match was focused solely on Mr. McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The evil genius won the Royal Rumble which was a mockery of the Rumble. McMahon was never going to headline WrestleMania 15, rightfully dropping his title opportunity the following night on Raw.

It made sense for Austin to win the Royal Rumble match since he was at the peak of his powers in the Attitude Era. Thankfully, it did not matter as Austin went on to dethrone The Rock at WrestleMania 15 for the WWE Championship.