5 WWE Royal Rumble runner-ups who still headlined WrestleMania

The Royal Rumble match is widely regarded as possibly the most exciting bout in all of professional wrestling. The annual free-for-all has been instrumental in kicking off the road to WrestleMania every year for more than three decades now. The winner of the match gets a guaranteed shot at the top title at The Show of Shows, minus a few exceptions, like when the winner of the 2016 Rumble won the WWE title instead of bagging a WrestleMania main event.

The Rumble's storied run has seen Superstars winning the whole thing and going on to etch their name in history by headlining WrestleMania. On the other hand, there have been instances where a Superstar was a runner-up in the match and was the last one to be eliminated, but somehow still managed to headline that particular year's WrestleMania. Let's take a look at 5 of these Superstars in the slideshow below.

Before we move on to the next part of the listicle, gear up by listening to what Sheamus has to say regarding his Royal Rumble opponent, Shorty G. Also you will get to know how Edge had guided The Celtic Warrior in the early days of his career!

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#5 Roman Reigns - 2017, 2018

Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns entered in at #30 at the 2017 Royal Rumble match, but was last eliminated by Randy Orton who went on to face his former ally Bray Wyatt for the WWE title at WrestleMania 33. On the same night, Reigns faced The Undertaker in the main event, and became the second Superstar to put down The Deadman at a WrestleMania. The rivalry had kicked off at the Rumble itself, after Reigns had eliminated The Phenom from the free-for-all.

A year later, Reigns again fell short in the Rumble, and was eliminated by Shinsuke Nakamura who then revealed that he would face AJ Styles for the WWE title at The Show of Shows. Reigns went on to resume his feud against Brock Lesnar, and the two Superstars headlined WrestleMania 34. Nakamura failed to defeat Styles and turned heel after the match. Reigns suffered the same fate and was defeated after being subjected to 6 F-5s by The Beast.

#4 Triple H - 2009

Triple H

Randy Orton was the winner of the 2009 edition of the Royal Rumble. With help from Ted Dibiase and Cody Rhodes, Orton eliminated Triple H to win it all. The Game, who eliminated Orton's cohorts, was distracted enough to let Orton throw him over the top rope.

At the No Way Out PPV, Triple H won the SmackDown Elimination Chamber match by last pinning The Undertaker to win the WWE Championship. The rivalry took a turn for the worse as WrestleMania approached, courtesy Orton's issues with mental health that led to him having violent outbursts. Orton and The Legacy targeted the entire McMahon family as WrestleMania loomed closer, which ultimately resulted in Triple H invading Orton's home and attacking him. At WrestleMania 25, the duo faced each other in the main event of the night. The odds were heavily stacked against The Game, and a DQ or Countout would have ended the match in Orton's favor, with the WWE title being awarded to The Viper. Triple H still managed to come out victorious and retained his WWE title.

#3 Stone Cold Steve Austin - 1999

Austin

The 1999 Royal Rumble was built around what many regard as the greatest rivalry in pro-wrestling at the time. Vince McMahon was hell-bent on making sure that Stone Cold Steve Austin didn't win the match and make his way to the main event of WrestleMania 15. Austin came out at #1, while Vince came out next. The entirety of match saw Vince stooping to the lowest of lows to prevent Austin from winning.

In the end, The Rock's interference aided McMahon in eliminating The Rattlesnake and winning the Royal Rumble. At St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House, Austin defeated Vince in a Steel Cage match to win the title shot at WrestleMania. At The Grandest Stage Of Them All, Austin faced The Rock in the first of their three WrestleMania encounters, with the WWE title on the line. Mankind was the special guest referee for the bout, and Austin hit a Stunner on The Rock to win the WWE title for the second consecutive occasion at a WrestleMania.

#2 Big Show - 2000

Big Show

Regarded as one of the best Rumbles in WWE history, the 2000 edition that emanated from Madison Square Garden saw The Rock eliminating Big Show in what was deemed as a controversial finish. Big Show claimed that The Rock's feet had touched the floor first, leading to a match at No Way Out, where Show won and punched his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania.

The duo faced again soon after, with The Rock putting his career on the line. With some help from Vince McMahon, The Rock won the contest. At WrestleMania 16, the WWE title was defended in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match, featuring The Rock, Big Show, Triple H, and Mick Foley. Unfortunately, Big Show couldn't capitalize on this rare opportunity and was the first one to get eliminated. Although he had a Hall of Fame worthy career, Show never managed to reach this level again in his WWE career.

#1 Shawn Michaels - 2007

Shawn Michaels

The ending to the 2007 Royal Rumble match is still hailed by fans for how incredibly unpredictable it was. Possibly two of the greatest Superstars of all time, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker were the final two competitors after Michaels managed to throw Edge and Randy Orton over the top rope. For the next few minutes, the fans watched in awe and admiration as two of the all-time best took on each other in an instant classic. The Undertaker finally eliminated Michaels to win the Rumble, and later chose to compete for Batista's World Heavyweight title at WrestleMania 23.

Michaels went on to set his sights on WWE Champion John Cena, on the RAW brand. At the event, Shawn Michaels faced John Cena in the final match of the night, despite not winning the Royal Rumble. Michaels failed to capture the WWE title, but The Undertaker succeeded in defeating Batista to become World Champion earlier in the night.