Read update
- The 2022 Royal Rumble premium live event is in the books, and the road to WrestleMania gaining some steam. The Royal Rumble match is one of the most important matches that has been created. Pat Patterson is the mastermind behind the match which has gone on strong since 1988. Punching your ticket to WrestleMania is another reason why the Royal Rumble match is so popular. Even part-time wrestling fans will tune in to watch the Royal Rumble. However, not every Royal Rumble match has been great. There have been some downright duds that have seen fans go home unhappy. Sometimes, the wrong Royal Rumble winner has been picked, and other times the match has failed to get out of first gear. The Royal Rumble match should be unpredictable, but there are times when it has become predictable, and fans have not hidden their disappointment.
When January rolls around, it is the beginning of a new year but for wrestling fans, it means WrestleMania is approaching with the Royal Rumble taking center stage. The Royal Rumble means a lot to wrestlers as, since the 1993 edition (except 2016), the winner of the Royal Rumble match earns a World Championship match at WrestleMania.
Unfortunately, not every Royal Rumble match has lived up to the billing. Sometimes the wrong personnel in a Rumble can hamper the quality of a Rumble. Moreover, there can be a few factors as to why a Royal Rumble match can go wrong. Nevertheless, wrestling fanatics can review their past Rumbles, and the ratings at Cagematch.net are consistently updated with fans choosing the worst Rumbles.
UPDATE: 2022/02/22 10:15 EST BY Tevon King
The 2022 Royal Rumble premium live event is in the books, and the road to WrestleMania gaining some steam. The Royal Rumble match is one of the most important matches that has been created. Pat Patterson is the mastermind behind the match which has gone on strong since 1988. Punching your ticket to WrestleMania is another reason why the Royal Rumble match is so popular. Even part-time wrestling fans will tune in to watch the Royal Rumble. However, not every Royal Rumble match has been great. There have been some downright duds that have seen fans go home unhappy. Sometimes, the wrong Royal Rumble winner has been picked, and other times the match has failed to get out of first gear. The Royal Rumble match should be unpredictable, but there are times when it has become predictable, and fans have not hidden their disappointment.
UPDATE: 2023/01/25 06:30 EST BY TEVON KING
The Royal Rumble match is one of the most prestigious matches on the WWE calendar. The first Royal Rumble match in 1988 had nothing on the line, but since 1993, the winner of the Royal Rumble match has headlined WrestleMania. However, in 2018, there was the addition of the women's Royal Rumble match with fans treated to two Royal Rumble matches yearly. Despite being one of the most popular matches of the year, not every Royal Rumble match has been enjoyable. The lack of star power and lack of surprise entrants has hampered the quality of Royal Rumble matches. Nevertheless, contributors on Cagematch.net can rate matches that last at least five minutes. As every Royal Rumble passes by, ratings fluctuate with fans revisiting old Royal Rumble matches to give them a higher or lower rating.
18 2019 Men's Royal Rumble Match - 6.47
The 2019 men's Royal Rumble match was kickstarted by Elias as the number one entrant and Jeff Jarrett was the second entrant, who competed in his first WWE match in two decades at No Mercy 1999. Nevertheless, some big name players featured in this Royal Rumble match.
Nia Jax stole R-Truth's spot and became the fourth woman to compete in a men's Royal Rumble match. The Irresistible Force was eliminated by Rey Mysterio much to the delight of the crowd. Nevertheless, Seth Rollins eliminated Braun Strowman to win the Royal Rumble match for the first time in his career.
17 2013 Royal Rumble Match - 6.41
The 2013 Royal Rumble match was fairly average, but Sheamus was looking to become the fourth back-to-back Royal Rumble match winner in history. The Celtic Warrior went far once again, but he failed to win the Royal Rumble match in consecutive years.
John Cena was the 19th entrant, and it was fairly obvious that he was going to win the Royal Rumble match. Ryback had a strong outing but he was eliminated by Cena, who won his second Royal Rumble match. Cena's victory meant that he became the first man in 15 years to win the Royal Rumble match multiple times.
16 1994 Royal Rumble Match - 6.35
History was made at the 1994 Royal Rumble as it was the only Royal Rumble match to award co-winners of the Royal Rumble match. Diesel dominated the early part of the Royal Rumble match as he eliminated seven competitors.
It took four men to halt Diesel's dominance. Shawn Michaels had a superb outing, and he reached the final four. Ultimately, Bret Hart and Lex Luger were eliminated simultaneously, and after deliberation, they were both Royal Rumble match winners which haven't happened since.
15 2000 Royal Rumble Match - 6.19
The 2000 Royal Rumble match lacked star power, and the winner was quite obvious. Rikishi carried the first portion of the match as he eliminated seven competitors. He danced with his fellow Too Cool stablemates Scotty Too Hotty and Grand Master Sexay before he tossed them over the top rope. Moreover, the likes of Chris Jericho, Chyna, and Hardcore Holly pulled double duty.
Kaientai wasn't involved in the Rumble, but they kept on getting involved in the match. Taka Michinoku took a nasty bump when he was removed from the ring. Nevertheless, The Rock, Big Show, Kane, and X-Pac were the final four participants in the Rumble. Show thought that he had done enough to win the Rumble as Rock's feet did touch the floor. However, Rock won his sole Royal Rumble match to headline WrestleMania 16 after he hauled Show over the top rope.
14 1989 Royal Rumble Match - 6.09
The 1989 Royal Rumble match was the first Royal Rumble to feature 30 competitors. The stars were aligned with the likes of Andre the Giant, Demolition, Mr. Perfect, Shawn Michaels, Ted DiBiase the WWE Champion Randy Savage, and Hulk Hogan involved in this titular bout.
You would have thought one of Andre, DiBiase, Savage, or Hogan would have emerged victorious. That failed to materialize with Big John Studd winning the Royal Rumble match. Studd's victory isn't memorable, and he was nowhere near the man event of WrestleMania 5. Ted DiBiase was the runner-up, and he would have been a better fit to win the Rumble than Studd.
13 1988 Royal Rumble Match - 6.00
In 1988, the first iteration of the Royal Rumble match took place. It was only a 20-man Royal Rumble match, and they were wrestling for pride with no World Championship title shot at WrestleMania up for grabs. The likes of the Hart Foundation, Jake Roberts, Don Muraco, and The Ultimate Warrior were the marquee names in the contest.
The final four were relatively strong with "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, One Man Gang, Don Muraco, and Dino Bravo occupying those four spots. It was whittled down between Duggan and One Man Gang, and it was Duggan who emerged victorious after bringing One Man Gang's dominance to a halt.
12 1991 Royal Rumble Match - 5.96
The 1991 Royal Rumble match was loaded with many top talents. The Undertaker competed in the Rumble for the first time in his illustrious career, and the likes of Mr. Perfect, and The British Bulldog made their presence felt.
Bret Hart was the number one entrant, but Taker immediately removed him from proceedings once he joined the fray. Ultimately, Hulk Hogan made history as the first man to win the Rumble in two consecutive years, when he lastly removed Mr. Perfect to seal the deal.
11 1998 Royal Rumble Match - 5.75
Public enemy number one in the 1998 Royal Rumble match was Steve Austin. The Texas Rattlesnake rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way, but there's no doubt that he was going to emerge victorious in this Rumble match.
Mick Foley entered the Rumble three times in one night portraying his Three Faces of Foley which was hilarious. Austin and his rival The Rock were the final two competitors with Austin becoming the third man in the decade to win the Rumble in back-to-back years.
10 2012 Royal Rumble Match - 5.69
The 2012 Royal Rumble match was unpredictable to call with the talent involved in proceedings. However, Chris Jericho was one of the favorites to win the Rumble as he returned to WWE at the start of the year.
Sheamus was in a rich vein of form as was Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. Kharma entered the fray as the third woman to compete in a Royal Rumble match. The likes of Booker T, Michael Cole, and Jerry "The King" Lawler made their way from the commentary booth to enter the match. Nevertheless, it was whittled down between Sheamus and Jericho, and it was the Celtic Warrior who won the Rumble for the first time.
9
2017 Royal Rumble Match - 5.28
The 2017 Royal Rumble match was jam-packed with multiple former World Champions and several Royal Rumble winners. The likes of Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, and Roman Reigns were vying to win the Rumble.
Unfortunately, this Rumble was bitterly disappointing. Reigns and Undertaker set up their WrestleMania 33 match with Reigns removing The Undertaker from the equation. However, it was The Viper who unexpectedly won a second Royal Rumble match.
8 1995 Royal Rumble Match - 5.24
WWE opted to make the 1995 Royal Rumble match, the shortest in WWE history with just 60-second intervals between the next entrants. Shawn Michaels was the number one entrant, and The British Bulldog started the match alongside him.
There wasn't much firepower in this Rumble, and the match did not even last 40 minutes. Nevertheless, the Heartbreak Kid won his first Rumble and became the first man to win a Rumble from the unenviable number one position by eliminating Bulldog.
7 1996 Royal Rumble Match - 5.16
The field in the 1996 Royal Rumble match was weak, and it was filled with wrestlers who were never going to win the Rumble match. The likes of Duke "The Dumpster" Droese, Doug Gilbert, and both members of the Squat Team were featured.
Nevertheless, Shawn Michaels was hoping to win the Rumble for the second consecutive year, and former WWE Champions Diesel, Yokozuna, and Bob Backlund were looking for another shot at glory. Steve Austin made his Rumble debut, but he got eliminated prematurely as the ropes were greasy. It was a poor Rumble but HBK emerged victorious for the second year in succession, punching his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania 12.
6 2014 Royal Rumble Match - 5.12
Fans desperately wanted CM Punk or Daniel Bryan to win the 2014 Royal Rumble match, but that failed to materialize. Roman Reigns had a breakout performance, as he broke Kane's 13-year record to register the most Royal Rumble eliminations with 12.
Bryan didn't even enter the Rumble, and Rey Mysterio was subjected to unjust boos as the 30th entrant. This was Punk's final night competing in a WWE ring before he departed. Moreover, just like he did in 2005 as the 28th participant, Batista eliminated Reigns to win his second Rumble match with fans far from happy with the outcome.
5 1993 Royal Rumble Match - 5.00
The 1993 Royal Rumble match was a historical one as it was the first Rumble where the winner was awarded a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania. Ric Flair was the number one entrant, and he was aiming to win the Rumble two years in succession.
Mr. Perfect halted Flair's chances of winning the Rumble again by eliminating him. Moreover, there wasn't much to shout about in this Rumble. The Giant Gonzalez made his imposing debut, and he eliminated The Undertaker to set up their horrific feud for most of 1993. Ultimately, Yokozuna hoisted Randy Savage from the ground over the top rope to win the Rumble, and he faced Bret Hart for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 9.
4 2022 Women's Royal Rumble Match - 4.46
The fifth women's Royal Rumble match at the 2022 Royal Rumble was mediocre. There were some good nostalgia aspects with the likes of Melina, Ivory, Michelle McCool, and Lita who were amongst the legends who returned for the Royal Rumble match. Although, WWE spoiled the return of Mickie James, who was the reigning Impact Knockouts World Champion.
Many expected Sasha Banks to go far as she was the number one entrant, but she only lasted a meager 10 minutes in the match. In somewhat of a shock, Ronda Rousey made her first appearance in almost three years since WrestleMania 35. The Baddest Woman on the Planet lastly eliminated SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair to win the Rumble for the first time.
3 1999 Royal Rumble Match - 3.67
Unfortunately, the 1999 Royal Rumble match failed to live up to the hype with the bout centered around Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon. However, Chyna made history as the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble match as the 30th entrant.
Austin and McMahon spent large portions of the match outside the ring. Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness abducted Mabel during the match. In the end, the new WWE Champion The Rock distracted Austin, which allowed Mr. McMahon to sneak up behind Austin to win the Royal Rumble in one of the most forgettable rumbles in WWE history.
2 2022 Men's Royal Rumble Match - 1.91
The 2022 men's Royal Rumble match had the potential to be great but it was utterly atrocious. Unless you count Bad Bunny and Shane McMahon's appearances, there were no surprise returns. There were several tag teams involved in the Rumble which was nonsensical as they had no chance of winning. Randy Orton was the 29th entrant, and he received a huge pop with the Rumble taking place in his hometown of St. Louis.
Austin Theory shined as he lasted 22 minutes and AJ Styles entered first and he eliminated six competitors. Unfortunately, there were backstage issues with Shane McMahon wanting to be booked strongly in the Rumble. When Brock Lesnar dropped the WWE Championship to Bobby Lashley earlier in the evening, it became obvious that he was going to win the Rumble. With the victory, Lesnar broke a couple of records as his two minutes and 32 seconds cameo was the shortest time spent for a Rumble win. His second Rumble victory was 19 years after his first, which is another remarkable feat.
1 2015 Royal Rumble Match - 1.72
If the reception in the 2014 Royal Rumble match was bad, fast-forward 12 months later it was worse. Again, fans were desperate to see Daniel Bryan win the Royal Rumble match. Bryan didn't go very far and fans booed the entire Rumble once he got eliminated.
The final five didn't help matters either although Dean Ambrose was there. Kane and Big Show were former Royal Rumble runner-ups in their own right, and Roman Reigns was present. The boos got worse and worse, and Reigns eliminated Rusev to win the Royal Rumble match. Not even an appearance from The Rock could save Reigns from receiving a hostile reception.