5 Worst WWE Royal Rumble Winners of All-Time
By Tim Sherry
WWE.com
4. John Cena – 2013
When John Cena won his first Rumble in 2008 the WWE fans were only slightly against him. That night in Madison Square Garden, Cena stood tall after one of the better Rumbles in the event’s history. And although the crowd response to his win was mixed, it was still a massive moment for “The Leader of Cenation” as he reigned victorious after coming back after 4 months on the shelf due to a torn pectoral muscle.
Now if any detractors were angry about Cena winning that night, it was his fans that should’ve been angry once he got to Wrestlemania 24 as he somehow along the line got his title shot turned into triple threat match with Triple H involved. Then to top it all off he loses that Wrestlemania match after being pinned by the current champ, Randy Orton. So let’s get this straight. Cena gets injured and makes a triumphant return at the Royal Rumble that the fans don’t 100% hate, just to lose cleanly in in his title match. Huh?
So if 2008 was enraging enough, here comes the 2013 Rumble. Going into the event the clear and concise most popular superstar in the company was current WWE Champ, CM Punk, although the WWE didn’t like to acknowledge that. As the champion for 434 days, Punk was the man who carried the company on his shoulders through some trying times while Cena and Punk’s Royal Rumble opponent, The Rock, hobnobbed with the Hollywood brass. The WWE Universe could see the writing on the wall especially after Cena picked up the Rumble match victory. And by the time The Rock dethroned Punk in the main event that night, it was official, it would be a Cena/Rock Mania main event for the second straight year. I can still hear wrestling fans gagging.
So, of course, the inevitable happened. Cena and The Rock went to war again but this time nobody cared. Even worse, the guy that should’ve been the main event stole the show as CM Punk and The Undertaker tore the house down earlier in the night. It’s tough to say that a 15-time world champion isn’t a deserving Rumble winner, but in 2013, the WWE got it very wrong and they really haven’t gotten it right since.