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30 male superstars in the WWE Royal Rumble match was always going to have some winners and some losers in terms of crowd reaction, match performance and the end result. This year's Rumble match was definitely one of the better Rumbles among the last 10 years. There were some obvious superstars that helped the match live up to the expectation. From surprise entrances to wacky moments, these five superstars were the best performers from this year.
#5 Heath Slater
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Heath is every man on the WWE roster, able to fulfil his role in whatever capacity is given to him. Hitting the ramp at number 5, he was immediately blindsided by a raging Baron Corbin after being eliminated and was left prone on the ground. Cue the next 6 superstars to enter the match to attack Slater as he lay outside or tried to get himself into the match. This was until Sheamus ran down the ramp at number 11 and put Heath into the ring, only for Heath to clothesline Sheamus back over the top for a two-second elimination.
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For pure comedic value and a loud pop from the crowd on Sheamus's exit, Heath deserves the continued support of the WWE universe.
#4 Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio made his surprise return to WWE as the number 27 entrant in the match. His '619' music hit the speakers and the WWE Universe went wild. For that moment alone, Rey belongs on any Royal Rumble list for this year as the biggest surprise entrant in the match. The Hurricane made a short stop and Adam Cole also appeared after his war on NXT with Aleister Black the previous night. But Rey is such a global superstar that the reaction from the crowd was monstrous.
He went on to last just under 10 minutes and had 619 spots with Cena, Reigns and Orton, whilst also teaming with Cena and Orton against Shinsuke, Finn and Reigns. A great return and Rey hadn't missed a beat.
#3 Andrade Cien Almas
The NXT champion had a triumphant night in Philly on Saturday at TakeOver, and he then topped it all off with a great showing in his first ever WWE main roster appearance. This weekend really was a coming out party for the former 'La Sombra' and WWE audiences were treated to a real showcasing of moves and ring psychology. His entrance at number 7 was met with a huge pop, and he became one of the 'iron-men' for the mid part of the match along with Finn and Shinsuke. Lasting 25 mins and finally being thrown over the top by Randy Orton was no mean feat for the debuting Andrade and he can take his retained NXT title back to Florida where superstars such as Ricochet, Adam Cole, Aleister Black and EC3 await him.
#2 Finn Balor
Lasting a massive 57 minutes and getting to the final 4, the leader of the Balor Club will surely take great heart from his first Royal Rumble performance. From the crowd reaction to his entrance to his eliminations of Baron Corbin and Rey Mysterio, Balor had battles with multiple superstars throughout the match and at one point looked like he really could win the whole thing. Renewing old rivalries with Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins, as well as attacking Reigns and Cena, Finn was given another opportunity to prove exactly why he is often heralded as one of the best wrestlers in the world.
#1 Shinsuke Nakamura
The obvious winner of best appearance and overall performance has to go to the winner of the 2018 Royal Rumble. From his entrance at number 14 to his eliminations of John Cena and Roman Reigns, the 'King of Strong Style' commanded the WWE audience to continually chant for him throughout the match, and when it was obvious Daniel Bryan wasn't coming, and after Finn Balor got eliminated, Shinsuke was the only guy the crowd wanted to see win the match.
Setting up the match everyone wanted at WrestleMania against AJ Styles in a rematch from their outstanding WrestleKingdom 10 outing, Shinsuke still has a way to go to prove he is the outright star everyone said he was before hitting WWE. But this win and the main event at WrestleMania will give him that opportunity to shine.
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