WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Ranking All 30 Match Winners

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11. Brock Lesnar – 2003

The moment Brock Lesnar debuted after WrestleMania 18, he got pushed to the moon. Within four months, he was main eventing SummerSlam for the WWE Undisputed Championship and defeated the Rock. Few Superstars have ever done this, much less within six months of debuting.

Well, coming into the 2003 Royal Rumble match, Lesnar was one of the favorites, if not the guy to win it all. He had the momentum of his rookie year going for him, plus a face turn after Paul Heyman defected away. This made the decision somewhat obvious to put Lesnar over the likes of Undertaker, Kane, Batista, and others.

The momentum carried the Next Big Thing into the WrestleMania 19 main event against Kurt Angle. This saw the infamous failed shooting star press, which could have broken Lesnar’s neck. However, he still beat Angle for the WWE Championship and had a reign that lasted through the spring.