WWE: Ranking The Top Ten Royal Rumble Winners
We are on the verge of the 34th annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view. History tells us that we are in store for another great show.
Over the years, the Royal Rumble has earned its spot as a fan favorite among fans. Some of the most historic and entertaining moments in the company have come from this match. Superstars have used the Rumble to push themselves to become the next big star in the company. In two unique cases, Ric Flair and Triple H used the match to become WWE Champion.
We have seen 26 different men and three women stand victorious at the end of thirty-six rumble matches. Batista, John Cena, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton have all won the rumble match twice. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin stands alone as the only man that has won three Rumble matches.
As we anticipate the next pair of Rumble matches, let’s take a look back at the long legacy of the Royal Rumble. Out of all of the winners that are considered, here are who I believe are the top ten winners of the Royal Rumble.
10. Asuka (2018)
Fans were ecstatic when the company announced the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match in 2017. Everyone knew that they were about to witness history on this night. To set the stage of the match and show how good the women in WWE were, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks started things off.
While two of the women who spearheaded the Women’s Evolution faced off, another, Charlotte Flair, watched at ringside, with Alexa Bliss sitting only a few feet away. With both champions (at the time) having a front-row seat to the proceedings, the fans knew that this was going to be a showcase of the best women in the business.
Great women from WWE’s past and present showed up in the Rumble match for a chance to make history, from Trish Stratus to Lita, Michelle McCool, The Bella Twins, Beth Phoenix, Natalya, Bayley, and on and on and on. This match was absolutely packed. However, one woman stood tall among the rest.
In the end, Asuka outlasted 29 other women to become the first woman to ever win a Royal Rumble match. After the match, Flair and Bliss entered the ring to confront Asuka, only for Ronda Rousey to arrive and “steal” her moment. Rousey made her big debut during the confrontation and took a bit of the sheen Asuka’s win, but made the moment even more legendary.
9. Lex Luger and Bret Hart (1994)
The 1994 Royal Rumble match was filled with a who’s who of future legends in the company at the time, guys like Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, Randy Savage, Diesel, and many more.
Powerhouses like Diesel and Lex Luger dominated in the match. Diesel, for his part, tallied the most eliminations in the match, throwing out seven different men. “Big Daddy Cool” lasted a little over fifteen minutes before five competitors came together to eliminate him from the match. It took even more men to lift up and eliminate Mabel not long after.
Marty Jannetty received a nice reception from the crowd when he came out at number 29. The crowd cheered him even louder when he collided with former partner Shawn Michaels. Unfortunately for Jannetty, he would ultimately be eliminated by Michaels.
The final four would come down to Bret, Michaels, Luger, and the wildcard Fatu, who would be the first man out of the quartet. Michaels was next to go at the hands of Lex Luger after nearly a half-hour in the match. He would retaliate by winning the next two Rumbles.
However, it is the winner that we are here for, right? Well, this is the only time there wasn’t just one winner. It came down to a back and forth between Bret and Luger. The two exchanged blows before Luger tried to lift Bret, but couldn’t get him fully up. He dropped Bret, who then rushed towards Luger, sending both men over the top rope. After much debate, for the only time in Rumble history, two winners were named.