Top 5 WWE Royal Rumble PPVs of all time

#1 Royal Rumble 2001

Simply excellent, from top to bottom.

Every event on this list either had a classic Royal Rumble or an excellent undercard. This show, Royal Rumble 2001, had a combination of both. This is when WWF at its absolute prime, the road to WrestleMania X-Seven.

Dudley Boyz vs Edge and Christian opened the show in a tremendous way, before a scintillating Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship, between Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. Its legacy will forever be tainted, but it stood out at a time when everything was top class.

After an all-heel WWF Title match between Kurt Angle and Triple H, it was time for one of the greatest Rumble matches of all time. Flanked with some impressive star power with the likes of The Rock and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, some of the surprises only made things more exciting.

Honky Tonk Man and the Big Show provided those pops, but one man stole the Royal Rumble in 2001. Kane went on a massive tear and eliminated a then-record 11 Superstars from the match, lasting over 53 minutes before being the last one out at the hands of Austin.

Royal Rumble was followed by another couple of classics, in the form of No Way Out and WrestleMania 17. This will forever be remembered as the strongest string of pay-per-views in WWE's storied history. And it began at the Royal Rumble.