WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Ranking All 30 Match Winners

WWE.com

24. Alberto Del Rio – 2011

Alberto Del Rio signed with WWE in the summer of 2010 and seemed like the company’s next big international star. They plucked the former Dos Caras out of the Mexican wrestling scene, strapped a rocket to his back, and gave him a significant push into 2011.

However, an issue with both of Del Rio’s WWE stints was his inability to connect with the fans. He had trouble doing this upon arrival with the company, but into 2011 and for the next few years, WWE pushed him as one of the top names.

One of the brightest, if not the brightest spot of Del Rio’s first stint came with a Royal Rumble win in 2011. It was all about making him a big star with the largest Royal Rumble match field ever (40) and eventually a top heel. This decision would flop hard, though.

Del Rio received a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity at WrestleMania 27, losing to Edge in just over 11 minutes. He would receive future title shots, but this would have been the opportunity to pull the trigger on a win. This saw him drop down the totem poll with WWE, despite receiving pay-per-view main event spots, and World title reigns.

There were other candidates to win the Royal Rumble, like Randy Orton or Wade Barrett. The latter would have been an interesting choice to make into a star, as he still had some momentum from his Nexus days. Orton has been a top name for years and if he had won, wouldn’t have been argued with too much.