#16 2000 (The Rock):
Trending
When discussing the 2000 Royal Rumble, the thing that most people remember isn’t the actual Rumble match that the Rock won. That match was average, as far as Rumble matches go, and is remembered mostly for the Rock messing up the finish.
Instead, most people look to the outstanding Street Fight between Triple H and Cactus Jack as their primary memory from this PPV. That match’s reception dwarfed the reaction of the Rumble match.
The Rock was already a huge star by the time this match happened anyway, so it wasn’t like this was really a launching pad for his career or something.
#15 1993 (Yokozuna)
This was the first time that the Rumble match winner got a world title shot at WrestleMania. As such, the stakes were much higher than in most earlier incarnations of the Rumble. That said, this Rumble lacks a lot of good moments to remember.
The only real thing people remember is the spectacular botch involving Randy Savage hitting his trademark Elbow Drop and going for a pin…in the Royal Rumble match.
I honestly don’t know what was funnier: the way the commentators say, ‘Pin Falls don’t count!’, or how Yokozuna literally kicked out so hard from the Elbow Drop he threw Savage over the top rope. Either way, this is a Rumble match that sits firmly in the middle of the pack.
#14 2003 (Brock Lesnar):
There was nothing inherently wrong with this edition of the Rumble, but it didn’t have any truly outstanding moments either. It was solid from beginning to end, with a good opening between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels, and ended with Brock Lesnar destroying everyone left in the ring after being in the match for less than ten minutes.
This Rumble had a single goal: elevate Lesnar even further. It accomplished that goal without a doubt. All in all, a solid Rumble match.
