Top 5 Royal Rumble winners of the Millennium

#1 Chris Benoit (2004)

Years of hard work paid its dues.

The master of the “Crippler Crossface” entered as the first participant in this match. He eliminated the five hundred pounds Big Show to win after spending over an hour in the gruelling match.

Notably, Paul Heyman, the then-SmackDown General Manager, forced Chris Benoit to be the first entrance to ensure he wouldn't win the Royal Rumble.

After the “Rabid Wolverine” won the Rumble match, he appeared on Raw the next night and challenged Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. This resulted in a triple threat match at WrestleMania XX, with Shawn Michaels as the third competitor.

Bonus:

Their friendship knew no bounds.

Everyone at the attendance at WrestleMania XX gave a standing ovation to the winner Chris Benoit, who had his eyes wet thanks to an outpouring of his emotions. He was joined by his best friend Eddie Guerrero in the ring to celebrate the occasion.