5 WWE Royal Rumble runner-ups who still headlined WrestleMania

Modified Feb 03, 2020 13:09 GMT

#1 Shawn Michaels - 2007

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.

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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.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Pratyay Ghosh