The final 4 of the Royal Rumble match is one of the most exciting moments in wrestling in the entire calendar year. When each corner becomes occupied, fans begin to really zero in on who is closing in on a world title match at WrestleMania. Fantasy booking begins instantly but the match still needs to conclude.
Swerves, surprises, upsets, and the breaking of records have been seen in the Royal Rumble final 4. It is no longer a rarity for someone to win the Royal Rumble in their first appearance but it is still an impressive feat. Several wrestlers have survived the pack to make the final 4 of their first Royal Rumble match.
10 Ric Flair
Shockingly debuting in WWE in August 1991, WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair made his first appearance for Vince McMahon draped in championship gold but it was another promotion's title. It would not take Flair very long to get his hands on McMahon's world title, being the WWE Championship. This accomplishment infamously came in the 1992 Royal Rumble match which was for the WWE Championship.
Flair was the 3rd entrant in the match and would last just over an hour and accumulate five eliminations. Flair would win the match and title by last eliminating a distracted Sid Justice with help from Hulk Hogan. Flair would deliver his infamous "tear in my eye" promo following while "Mean" Gene Okerlund told someone to put their cigarette out.
9 Yokozuna
Debuting months after Ric Flair's Royal Rumble win, the near 600-pound Yokozuna first appeared in WWE. Yokozuna would quickly become a rising star in the company and would even compete (and win) in the very first match ever on Raw. Weeks after that historic match was the 1993 Royal Rumble and Yokozuna was set to take part in the Rumble match, even being the favorite going in.
Yokozuna was the 27th entrant in the match and would eliminate 7 opponents in just under 15 minutes. Yoko's 7th elimination was on Randy Savage which would win Yokozuna the match; this was the infamous blunder when Savage went for a pin on Yokozuna and would subsequently get tossed over the top rope. Yokozuna would parlay the Rumble win into a WWE Championship victory at WrestleMania 9.
8 The Big Show
He's now "No More BS" Paul Wight in AEW but when in WWE in 2000 he was The Big Show. Debuting in the company on Valentine's Day 1999, Show would already have a WWE Championship reign before entering his first Royal Rumble match the following January. Show was cheated out of the world title weeks earlier by Triple H and D-Generation X and was angrily determined to regain the gold.
Show entered the match as the 26th entrant and would fight his way not only to the final 4 but to the last 2 with The Rock but would controversially lose the match. Show still would be part of the main event at WrestleMania 16 but lost. Big Show would once again be in the final 2 in the 2004 Royal Rumble match but was undoubtedly eliminated by Chris Benoit.
7 Kurt Angle
Taking part in 4 Royal Rumble matches, one of which being a 15-man SmackDown! exclusive, Kurt Angle first entered a Royal Rumble match in 2002. Although he debuted in WWE in 1999, Angle was choked out by Tazz at the 2000 event and would defend the WWE Championship at the 2001 event. At the 2002 event, Angle entered his first Rumble match in the 26th spot.
Angle would only rack up 2 eliminations but it was good enough to get him to the 4 four with Triple H, Steve Austin, and Mr. Perfect with the latter's performance earning him a contract. Angle made it to the final 2 with Triple H but would, unfortunately, be clotheslined over the top rope by "The Game" to end the match. Angle would make the final 4 in the 2004 Rumble and SmackDown!'s Rumble that was also in 2004.
6 Brock Lesnar
Still in his rookie year of dominance, "The Next Big Thing" Brock Lesnar competed in his first Royal Rumble match in 2003 but entry did not come easy. To open the 2003 Royal Rumble event, Lesnar fought The Big Show in a match to earn entry into the Rumble match; Lesnar defeated Show and would land him a very lucky entry spot by obtaining the 29th spot.
Lesnar would have one of the most memorable eliminations in the match by performing an F5 on Matt Hardy over the top rope and out of the ring to the floor. Lesnar got 4 eliminations in the match in 9 minutes with his last being against The Undertaker in the final 2. The 2003 Rumble had one of the most intriguing final 4 endings with Kane being in the mix along with Lesnar and Undertaker. With his Rumble win, Lesnar went on to win the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 19.
5 Batista
The aforementioned 2003 Royal Rumble final 4 included a rookie Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, and Kane but another rookie and future megastar was also in the mix. That rookie was Batista. In 2002 Batista started on SmackDown! in a managerial role but was moved to Raw where he flourished as a powerhouse and enforcer for industry veterans Ric Flair and Triple H.
Batista made his Royal Rumble match debut 1 spot before Brock Lesnar, entering the match as the 28th entrant. Batista only had 2 eliminations and would last just under 10 minutes before being eliminated by Undertaker to be the third runner-up behind Kane and 'Taker. Batista would go on to win the Royal Rumble in 2005 and in 2014.
4 Alberto Del Rio
Until 2018, the 2011 Royal Rumble match was the biggest in terms of the number of participants, bumping up to 40 entrants from the standard 30. Involved in the match was the WWE rookie, the "Mexican Aristocrat" Alberto Del Rio who debuted on SmackDown! a few months prior. Del Rio would get lucky by drawing the 38th entry spot.
Del Rio would make it down to the final 2 with Santino Marella. Although fans knew what was coming, a massive swerve was teased when Santino connected with the Cobra but Alberto won in the end, lasting 9.5 minutes with 2 eliminations. Del Rio would challenge Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship to open WrestleMania 27 but lost the match.
3 Ryback
In his 3rd persona incarnation on WWE TV, Ryback debuted in April of 2012. Ryback became a fan favorite amid his undefeated streak and quest for the WWE Championship. Ryback took part in the 2013 Royal Rumble match which was his first and drew the 30th entry spot. Entering the match now as a very strong favorite to win, Ryback had 5 eliminations in just over 9 minutes.
Ryback ruled his way to the final 2 but standing in his way was John Cena. With the WWE Championship picture that time being between CM Punk and The Rock, the fantasy booking with fans wondering if Ryback would possibly face Punk or Rock for the world title at WrestleMania 29. That just remained a fantasy as Cena would eliminate Ryback to win his 2nd Royal Rumble. Ryback would compete at WrestleMania 29 against Mark Henry but would lose.
2 Roman Reigns
At the time of writing it has been just over 9 years since "The Tribal Chief" Roman Reigns made his WWE debut, that being at the 2012 Survivor Series with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. The Shield's mission at first was to be enforcers for WWE Champion CM Punk and would appear at the 2013 Royal Rumble to help defend Punk in his title defense. The following year Reigns made his Royal Rumble match debut and made history.
Entering in the 15th spot, Reigns would accumulate 12 eliminations that included Rollins and Ambrose. Those 12 eliminations broke the record previously set by Kane in 2001 (11). Reigns lasted just under 34 minutes en route to being in the final 2 with the returning Batista. Despite being the fan-favorite, Reigns was eliminated by Batista for the latter's 2nd Rumble win. Reigns would win the Royal Rumble the next year but just like the prior year's result, the fans were unhappy.
1 Shinsuke Nakamura
Debuting for NXT at WrestleMania 32 weekend in Dallas, Shinsuke Nakamura became a huge hit with the WWE audience. The Japanese sensation made a big name for himself in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and shockingly signed with WWE in 2016. Nakamura made his SmackDown! debut the following year and would earn himself WWE Championship matches but was unsuccessful.
Nakamura also earned himself his Royal Rumble debut in 2018 and was the 14th entrant. Nakamura made it down to the final 4 with Finn Balor who also was making Rumble debut, John Cena, and Roman Reigns. The final 2 narrowed down to Nakamura and Roman Reigns. Reigns was the favorite to win but was shockingly eliminated by Nakamura for another Rumble debut win. Shinsuke challenged AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34 but would lose.