WWE Royal Rumble: Ranking Every Winner After Lynch, Rollins Wins

Credit: WWE on Twitter

31. Shinsuke Nakamura

This is maybe the biggest letdown on this list. The “King of Strong Style” entered 2018 in the midst of a creative funk, with his main roster run failing to reach the highs of his time in NXT, let alone NJPW.

That seemed destined to change following that year’s Royal Rumble. Nakamura entered the match at Number 14, practically the middle of a wide open field. The final four saw Internet darlings Nakamura and Finn Bálor sharing the ring with WWE’s anointed stars John Cena and Roman Reigns. The ecstasy felt by hardcore fans when Nakamura won the match by last eliminating Roman Reigns was topped only by the feelings of elation these same fans experienced when Nakamura immediately announced his intention to challenge AJ Styles at WrestleMania.

A rematch of a classic encounter from Wrestle Kingdom 10, the so-called dream match ultimately left fans disappointed, as Styles retained the WWE Championship following a contest that never really got out of first gear. Still, signs seemed promising as Nakamura turned heel, low blowing Styles and nailing him with a Kinshasa after first shaking his hand. The feud continued to underwhelm, however, as Nakamura continued to come up short in his championship opportunities in matches that failed to come near the heights of the famed Wrestle Kingdom encounter.

By the end of the summer, fans were burnt out on the feud, and were ready to see both men move onto something new. Nakamura would capture the United States Championship later in the year, but has not sniffed the WWE Championship picture since. As such, his promising Royal Rumble win is, in retrospect, a major letdown.