Top 5 oldest Royal Rumble winners in WWE history 

#4 2014 Royal Rumble, Batista - 45 years, 8 days

Batista at WWE Royal Rumble

Shortly after his 45th birthday, Batista returned to WWE and stunned the fans by winning the Royal Rumble Match in 2014.

The fans expected WWE to push Daniel Bryan to the top on the Road to WrestleMania XXX. While Bryan was the fan-favorite to win the battle royal, WWE shockingly left him out of the Royal Rumble.

In a very unpopular move, Batista won the Royal Rumble match on this day in 2014. Clearly the fans wanted to see Daniel Bryan triumph, but this set the wheels in motion for a very emotional Wrestlemania. pic.twitter.com/lZFi8plxdB

— MAIN EVENTS (@maineventsmcr) January 26, 2021

CM Punk and Seth Rollins kicked off the 30-man bout. As the match went on, thunderous 'Daniel Bryan' chants filled the arena. Batista made his comeback at the 28th position and dominated the bout s by eliminating Erick Rowan, Alberto Del Rio, and Ryback.

Batista and Roman Reigns were the last men standing. The disappointed fans in attendance backed Reigns to win the Royal Rumble. But Batista sent "The Big Dog" outside the ring to seal his spot in the WrestleMania main event.

#OnThisDay in 2014, Batista won the #RoyalRumble matchBatista would go on to the Main Event of Wrestlemania 30 to face Randy Orton & Daniel BryanThe crowd werent too pleased with Daniel Bryan missing from the match & the Internet quickly followed with #bootista@DaveBautista pic.twitter.com/9tyML4YQPu

— The Beermat (@TheBeermat) January 26, 2021

Although Daniel Bryan did not receive an opportunity to enter the Royal Rumble, he ultimately made it to WrestleMania XXX's main event and won the world title.