4 times WWE Superstars suffered real injuries in the Royal Rumble match

WWE Royal Rumble is one of the most anticipated Premium Live Events of the year for several reasons. The show starts the Road to WrestleMania and usually holds several surprise appearances for its titular match. However, not everything always goes to plan.

The 2025 Royal Rumble will occur at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana on February 1. Stars like John Cena, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and more have already declared their participation in the titular match. The unpredictability is what makes the Premium Live Event a must-watch, but some of the unexpected aspects of the Rumble cause more harm than good.

For this list, we will look at four times WWE stars suffered real injuries in the Royal Rumble match.

---

#4. CM Punk at last year's Royal Rumble

CM Punk's first televised WWE match since returning in 2023 was last year's Rumble match, entering at number 27. Unfortunately for the superstar, he also suffered a torn tricep during the match at the hands of Drew McIntyre.

Punk getting injured derailed plans of him challenging Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship and main-eventing WrestleMania XL. However, this led to one of the most unforgettable rivalries in recent years against The Best in the World and The Scottish Warrior.

---

#3. John Cena at the 2004 Royal Rumble

John Cena is one of the WWE stars who has had several memorable moments at the Rumble, like when he made an early return in 2008 after suffering a severe injury only a few months before. In 2004, he also displayed another impressive healing skill.

At the 2004 Rumble, John was eliminated by Big Show by being tossed over the top rope. During this elimination, he landed awkwardly and tore his left MCL in the process. Despite the injury, he continued performing in the weeks that followed and just took a week off to heal.

---

#2. AJ Styles at the 2020 Royal Rumble

The 2020 Rumble marked the day Edge (AKA Cope in AEW) returned to in-ring wrestling after almost a decade away due to his neck injury. However, that match also saw an injury to AJ Styles.

During the Rumble match, The Phenomenal One separated his shoulder after over-selling the WWE Hall of Famer's Spear. Styles rotated in the air and landed awkwardly. Fortunately, the injury wasn't severe enough that he had to miss WrestleMania.

---

#1. Beth Phoenix at the 2020 Royal Rumble

Beth Phoenix was one of the surprise entrants of the 2020 Women's Rumble match and at the time was serving as a commentator for NXT. Not long after entering, her head began to bleed but she still managed to push through.

The Hall of Famer cut her head open after she hit her head on the ring post after Bianca Belair put her on top of the rope. Still, she lasted over 20 minutes and had an impressive performance.