5 WWE Superstars who lost momentum after the Royal Rumble 

#3 Rikishi (WWE Royal Rumble 2000)

14. Royal Rumble 2000 - The first Royal Rumble of the New Millennium gets a lot of hate, but to me it was a fun match. Rikishi eliminating multiple superstars was a highlight, especially when he eliminated his Too Cool partners right after they danced together. Test also had... pic.twitter.com/N9AsA44yey

— Old School Jason (@attitudefan91) July 23, 2020

Retired WWE Superstar Rikishi had a great showing at Royal Rumble 2000. The former Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion was a fan-favorite during his heyday and competed in as many as 10 Royal Rumble matches. However, the one Rumble match that stands out in his career is the 2000 edition, where he eliminated seven participants. Though he came into the ring all-dancing and in a jovial mood, he surprised the fans with his dominant performance.

Rikishi is that bloke, watched the 2000 Royal Rumble earlier and the crowd was hungrier than anything for him as a babyface. Shame the heel run was a dud, could have seen him as a Main Event babyface right there. #RAWReunion

— Vampire Batterson (@ChatChatterson) July 23, 2019

Entering at number 5, Rikishi lasted for 16 minutes in the match before finally being eliminated by a bunch of superstars collectively. His booking in the bout raised expectations regarding his chances of being featured in a big clash at WrestleMania 16. This was the prime opportunity for WWE to capitalize on Rikishi's popularity and give him the biggest night of his career.

However, things didn't pan out as expected, and Rikishi instead wrestled a forgettable four-minute tag match in which he paired up with Kane to take on Road Dogg and X-Pac in a winning cause.