5 Royal Rumble Winners You Probably Forgot About

#4 Alberto Del Rio (2011 Royal Rumble)

Alberto Del Rio: Won the (then) biggest Royal Rumble in history

In 2011, with a massive roster, WWE decided to inflate the number of participants in the Royal Rumble match from 30 men to 40.

That led to a bout which went much longer than the usual hour and featured many memorable moments, such as the return of Diesel and Booker T, Hornswoggle teaming up with John Cena and The Miz, combining with Alex Riley to eliminate Cena.

However, what is lost to history somewhat is that the winner of the match was Alberto Del Rio.

Del Rio had only debuted on the main roster the previous summer but had sped up the ranks and last eliminated Santino Marella to earn the Championship shot at Wrestlemania XVII.

Part of the reason, why his victory is not remembered is the fact that he did not win the title at Wrestlemania, instead losing to World Champion, Edge.

Del Rio would have to wait until Summerslam that year to become champion when he defeated CM Punk after successfully cashing in his Money in the Bank contract.

Another reason, it is not remembered is because it is not a celebrated part of WWE's past due to the acrimonious way Del Rio parted the company and his destructive relationship with Paige, whom WWE were, due to her young age, very protective of.