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Simply the most exciting concept in wrestling history, the Royal Rumble is always fun to watch. The idea of a new Superstar entering the ring every 90 seconds makes for some incredible possibilities. The possibility for swerves is also high during a Royal Rumble Match.
Every single Royal Rumble match is exciting by design, thanks to the intrigue surrounding it. However, barely half of them are truly great.
In that case, what makes a Royal Rumble standout?
A series of well-told stories throughout the match, a strong pool of talent, some memorable moments, a couple of surprises worthy of the occasion, and the most important thing - a popular winner. Some of these factors overshadow the others in certain editions but for a Royal Rumble to be beyond great, consistency is key.
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Only a few Royal Rumble Matches can be considered legendary, with all of these factors largely being prominent. Seven of them fit the term to perfection, truly standing out as the greatest editions of the greatest match stipulation in WWE. To round it off to a top ten, here are three honorable mentions.
#10 WWE Royal Rumble 2019 (Women's) won by Becky Lynch
#9 WWE Royal Rumble 2002 won by Triple H
#8 WWE Royal Rumble 2004 won by Chris Benoit
Anyway, onto the seven best Royal Rumble Matches in WWE history
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.
#7 WWE Royal Rumble 2007
The 2007 Royal Rumble Match is only considered legendary because of one thing - the final two Superstars. The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels engaged in an electric and nail-biting tussle in both Superstars' home state of Texas. It served as the perfect preview of their classic at WrestleMania 25, with both battles being won by The Deadman.
While the closing stretch of this Royal Rumble was excellent, the rest of the match was fine. Some of the standout performers include Edge and Randy Orton, both of whom accompanied Undertaker and HBK in the final four of this match. Also, The Great Khali enjoyed a pretty dominant showing at the Royal Rumble.
The Indian WWE Superstar ran wild and eliminated seven men, before being tossed out by The Undertaker. Meanwhile, the 2007 Rumble was the first one to feature ECW as a brand. Sabu's elimination was particularly memorable, as he got chokeslammed through a table at ringside.
However, the 2007 Royal Rumble Match will forever be remembered for its intense final few minutes between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. It was essentially a match at the end of a solid 30-man match and remains the greatest ending in Royal Rumble history.
#6 WWE Royal Rumble 1992
WWE was still finding its feet with the Royal Rumble concept in the early 1990s, with various stipulations being added to further sell the 30-man match. Out of the first decade of Rumble matches, the best one is by far the 1992 edition. It was the first Royal Rumble Match to truly feature high stakes.
The vacant WWE Championship was up for grabs here. This allowed WWE to tell a grander story over the course of this match, with the major player in all of it being Ric Flair. This Royal Rumble was essentially one man's journey, as Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan provided the perfect soundtrack.
He audibly showed his support for Flair and was outstanding right from The Nature Boy's early entry at number 3. Heenan repeatedly stated how that "wasn't fair to Flair", praising those who would help him and blasting the ones who attacked him. If Flair and Heenan's performances weren't enough, the field was stacked.
The likes of Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Roddy Piper, and Randy Savage were all featured here. This truly was a star-studded affair, worthy of the WWE Title. However, this Royal Rumble truly belonged to Ric Flair, who won after lasting over an hour. With a tear in his eye, this was the greatest moment in his life.
#5 WWE Royal Rumble 2008
While there isn't a real underlying story in the 2008 Royal Rumble Match until its end, there is no denying how legendary it truly is. It began with The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, who carried on from their brilliant showdown at the end of the 2007 Rumble Match.
From then, this match was a mix of big stars and promising up-and-comers. The likes of John Morrison, CM Punk, and Cody Rhodes all enjoyed lengthy spells in the Royal Rumble. Meanwhile, Batista was the iron man of the match as he lasted almost 38 minutes from No. 8.
WWE Hall of Famers Mick Foley and Roddy Piper were both parts of this match, garnering huge pops from the raucous New York crowd. However, the biggest pop at the Royal Rumble in 2008 came when John Cena entered at No. 30. He returned from a torn pectoral muscle around three months earlier than expected.
From that point, Cena was the obvious winner. He and Triple H had a fun mini-match at the end, but there was no doubt at all. John Cena had shocked the world. This moment ranks up as one of the greatest ever WWE moments to take place at Madison Square Garden, sending this Royal Rumble into the top five of all-time.
#4 WWE Royal Rumble 2010
For a 30-man Royal Rumble, the 2010 edition was pretty short. It was a welcome change of pace, with Superstars not overstaying their welcomes. The ring was never once overcrowded and WWE was able to tell three different and compelling stories in this match. All of them were brilliant in their own way.
First, CM Punk's sermon during the opening portion of the Rumble Match was entertaining as he tried to promo his way to a Royal Rumble victory. Then came Shawn Michaels and his tale of obsession. HBK was the heavy favorite going into the 2010 Royal Rumble Match, simply because he had to win to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26.
Michaels was so desperate to win that he shockingly eliminated Triple H from the match. However, it wasn't to be, as HBK was taken out by Batista. He sold the shock of being eliminated perfectly and even threw a tantrum in the ring. Meanwhile, the drama remained high at the Royal Rumble as the returning Edge entered at No. 29.
He immediately went after former tag team partner Chris Jericho and eliminated him, before going on to stand tall at the end of the match. It was a fulfilling moment to end a great Royal Rumble Match. Oh, and Beth Phoenix entered the match and eliminated The Great Khali. Edge is 1-0 against his wife in WWE matches.
#3 WWE Royal Rumble 2018 (Men's)
Beginning less than an hour into the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in 2018, the men's match from that year was pretty special. What makes it all-the-more sweeter is the fact that the past seven Royal Rumbles all ended in some form of disappointment, be it Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, or Batista standing tall.
This was the first time in a while that WWE actually booked a popular Royal Rumble winner, helping the match stand out in recent years. It began with two of the most over Superstars in WWE at the time, Rusev and Finn Balor. From that point, this match was simply a fun progression of ongoing stories.
Heath Slater was a part of a running gag during the first third of the Rumble, before paying it off by eliminating Sheamus in two seconds. That is the kind of comedy that makes Royal Rumbles so fun to watch. Meanwhile, in the more serious side of things, the final six was a true battle between the old guard and the new talent.
This was made possible by a shock appearance from Rey Mysterio. He joined John Cena and Randy Orton opposite Roman Reigns, Finn Balor, and Shinsuke Nakamura. It ultimately came down to Reigns and Nakamura, which could have gone either way. The latter ended up with the glorious victory.
This ending was one of relief and vindication for WWE fans, as they were able to unanimously enjoy a Royal Rumble winner for the first time since Edge's victory in 2010. His run in the main event scene may not have been a success, but Shinsuke Nakamura's Rumble victory in 2018 was truly epic.
#2 WWE Royal Rumble 2001
The two greatest Royal Rumble Matches in WWE history could be interchanged depending on one's taste, with the 2001 edition of the 30-man free-for-all being one of the most stacked Rumbles ever. It was that way in both, story and star power. There were five potential winners for this match.
The Rock, 'Stone' Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Rikishi, and Kane all could have won the 2001 Royal Rumble. The latter came exceptionally close, following a legendary performance. Kane lasted over 50 minutes and eliminated a then-record 11 men from the match. He was also a part of most of its integral plot points.
The Big Red Machine had different comedic confrontations with The Honky Tonk Man and the comedian, Drew Carey. Between them was the hardcore portion of the Royal Rumble, which saw the likes of Raven and Steve Blackman, among others, bring weapons to the match.
Kane also cleaned the house alongside Undertaker, before Steve Austin arrived. The Rattlesnake was attacked by Triple H before even joining the match but valiantly made his way to the ring. He then had an intense confrontation with The Rock - a preview of their classic main event two months later, at WrestleMania 17.
It came down to Austin and Kane, with the Texas Rattlesnake blasting the Monster with three chair shots before sending him over to win his third Royal Rumble Match. This match was filled with memorable moments and was never dull, much like the peak of the Attitude Era.
#1 WWE Royal Rumble 2020 (Men's)
There may be a tinge of bias here, but the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble Match was a masterpiece from top to bottom. It was expertly laid out, with the story being divided into two halves. The first portion focused on Brock Lesnar and his unbeatable aura. He entered at No. 1 despite being the WWE Champion.
Lesnar quickly dispatching off various Superstars seems like a boring concept, but it just about worked to perfection. This was a one-man variety show that focused on the very best of The Beast. We got a fun returns - MVP, a reunion between close friends - Shelton Benjamin, and a dream confrontation - Keith Lee.
Brock Lesnar's reactions to all of them were priceless. He even encountered some ghosts from his past, in the form of Rey Mysterio and Kofi Kingston. Lesnar ended up eliminating all Superstars that were mentioned - 13 in total. This was an extremely unique story that was told in the Royal Rumble Match.
And just as it started to get tiring, WWE switched the story and Drew McIntyre eliminated Brock Lesnar from the Royal Rumble with a thunderous Claymore. The pop for that moment was massive, but it was nothing compared to Edge's shocking return. He entered at No. 21, making his in-ring comeback after nine years away.
Other cool spots include a brief Rated-RKO reunion and Seth Rollins as the final entrant, eliminating all of his rivals with help from Murphy and AOP. The end saw Roman Reigns eliminate Edge, before getting dumped out by McIntyre. Once again, the pop was enormous. The Scottish Warrior enjoyed the moment of a lifetime with the WWE Universe.
Aside from the fun stories, spots, and surprises, one reason why the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble Match was so good is the crowd. This was the last major WWE event to have live fans, further lending stock to it as a memorable affair.
Drew McIntyre's WWE Championship victory may have happened in front of nobody, but he will always have the Royal Rumble. A true reminder of the good times, at least for now.
