5 WWE superstars who entered the Royal Rumble after losing world title matches

#4 Randy Orton (2011)

Randy Orton

2011 saw WWE book a 40-man Royal Rumble match, to accommodate all the members of the New Nexus and the Corre. It hardly enhanced the match, making it feel like a chore to watch at times.

Randy Orton, who lost to WWE champion The Miz earlier, entered second to last in the main event. He enjoyed a decent showing towards the end after being screwed out of the WWE title by CM Punk and his followers.

Orton eliminated a couple of upper midcarders like Sheamus and Wade Barrett, seemingly making the final two before Alberto Del Rio sneaked in behind to dump him over. Del Rio would win the match by eliminating Santino Marella, dropping the Viper to third place.

However, it was an encouraging performance and showed that the loser of a world title match could still be a possible winner of the Royal Rumble match.