When it comes to which WWE Royal Rumbles are the best and worst, many fans have their picks ready without hesitation.
Although the likes of 1992, 2001 and 2018 are always going to be regarded as all-timers, with the choice mostly dependent on the era they grew up in, not all Rumbles have been created equally. From Roman Reigns being booed out of the building, 40 and 50-man Rumbles being a slog to get through, and most recently the backlash towards Jey Uso, it could be argued that the worst Royal Rumbles debate is more difficult than which one is the best.
When it comes to what makes a great Rumble, fans are looking for surprises, fun moments, logical booking, and a winner that they want to see put in a featured match at WrestleMania. With 30 men and women set to battle it out once more on January 31, WWE will be hoping that when all is said and done, the 2026 matches will be on the right side of the debate.
The Best And Worst WWE Royal Rumbles In History
Best WWE Royal Rumbles
Best – 1992
For fans of the golden era of the late 80s and early 90s WWF, this remains their pick for the greatest Rumble of all time more than 30 years later. The first of 2 times that the WWE Championship was at stake, it was Ric Flair who put in the marathon 60-minute performance to pick up the win and his final World Championship. Not short on starpower by any means, the likes of Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Randy Savage, Roddy Piper and The British Bulldog all join Flair to battle it out for the top prize in pro wrestling. Although there have been close to 40 Rumbles since, there aren’t many that have a case to knock this one off the top spot.
Best – Men’s 2018
A strong case for the best Rumble of the past decade, the 2018 Rumble had a great mix of surprises, cameos, and a winner that fans actually wanted. NXT stars Andrade and Adam Cole had fun showings in the match, and The Hurricane did a callback to his comedy spot from 2002 when he tried to go toe to toe with John Cena. The final 6 came down to an old vs. new standoff as John Cena, Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton stood across the ring from Roman Reigns, Finn Balor and eventual winner Shinsuke Nakamura. At a time when Nakamura was ridiculously over with the fans, the Japanese star was a great choice to win the match, setting up a Mania showdown with AJ Styles.
Best – Women’s 2024
Of the Four Horsewomen of WWE, it has been Bayley who has been overlooked the most. Yet to main event WrestleMania, and taken off the Mania 41 card on short notice to be replaced by Becky Lynch, it appeared that the veteran may have seen her time in the main event come to an end. However, in 2024, Bayley put in a marathon performance of 63 minutes to win the match from the number 3 spot. With the Damage CTRL story pushed to the side on multiple occasions despite the starpower, no one was complaining that Bayley finally got her WrestleMania moment by adding the Rumble to her list of accolades.
Best – Men’s 2020
Very much a match of two halves. Looking to be even more dominant, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar entered the match at number one at looked to eliminate the entire field to prove that no one was worthy of facing him for the title. After eliminating 13 entrants, a record that remains to this day, it was a low blow by Ricochet and a Claymore by Drew McIntyre that sent The Beast flying over the top rope. From there, the match looked to once again settle down into a regular rhythm, but the return of Edge sent the match to a whole new level. Sending the live fans into a frenzy, the Hall of Famer competed for the first time in 9 years to set up his comeback. In the end, it was Drew McIntyre who stood tall and has remained a main event star ever since.
Best – Women’s 2019
Becky Lynch kicked off 2019 the same way she ended 2018, by being the most talked-about performer in all of wrestling. After losing to Asuka at the start of the show, it appeared that Lynch’s night was over. However, unlike 2014, WWE learned their lesson and made sure that Lynch not only made her way into the match, but went on to win it. With Lana unable to compete after being attacked by Nia Jax, Lynch made her way to the ramp and demanded that she take Lana’s place. With producer Finlay agreeing, Lynch outlasted the field and went on to main event WrestleMania.
Best – 2001
Another Rumble that is in the conversation for greatest of all time, the 2001 match took place in the height of The Attitude Era and had it all. From the starpower of The Rock, Steve Austin, Kane and The Undertaker, to the impromptu Hardcore Championship match to Drew Carey’s brief cameo, this remains the go-to Rumble for those raised during one of the hottest periods in wrestling. With Austin and Rock having their staredown in the closing moments, foreshadowing their WrestleMania 17 showdown, there’s a reason why this Rumble and 1992 will forever fight for the top spot.
Worst WWE Royal Rumbles
Worst – Men’s 2022
To say that the 2022 Men’s Royal Rumble was a mess would be an understatement. Although it started out strong with AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura facing off, things went downhill fast. Although Johnny Knoxville’s entry was an entertaining cameo, there were also a lot of filler entrants from the likes of Madcap Moss, Happy Corbin and Rick Boogs. Things did pick up when Bad Bunny made his surprise return at number 27, which was then followed by Shane McMahon for reasons unknown, but the match then went to a disappointing and predictable conclusion when Brock Lesnar entered at number 30. Losing the WWE Championship earlier in the night, Lesnar laid waste to the field to set up yet another match against Roman Reigns. 30 years on from the 1992 classic, this is not one that is essential viewing. Unfortunately, this was also Big E’s final match on a Premium Live Event.
Worst – Men’s 2025
The fans who wanted someone new to win the Rumble in 2025 certainly got a case of be careful what you wish for! The 2025 Rumble was definitely heavy on starpower with John Cena, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles all a part of the match. With a fun cameo from Joe Hendry, Bron Breakker destroying iShowSpeed and John Cena eliminating Logan Paul, the 2025 Rumble looked set to be an all-timer. However, the mood changed when it was Jey Uso who was the last man standing. With fans accusing WWE of nepotism, letting their feelings be known on social media and hitting the thumbs-down button en masse on YouTube, there is still a belief by many that Uso was one of if not the worst Rumble winner in history. However, Uso remained popular among the live fans and did get to reign with the World Title by beating Gunther at WrestleMania, but this wasn’t the rise to the top that “Main Event” Jey Uso had hoped for.
Worst – 2011 Royal Rumble
WWE tried something new in 2011 when they expanded the Royal Rumble to 40 entrants. There’s a reason why the concept didn’t stick, as many were fatigued by the time that the extra 10 entrants made their way into the match. Additionally, it didn’t help that the overall winner of the match was Alberto Del Rio, who last eliminated firm fan favourite Santino. The heel can win the Royal Rumble, but this felt like a very dissatisfying payoff to an extended Rumble. Still, could be worse…
Worst – 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble
With the 40-man Rumble still fresh in many fans’ minds, there was outcry and confusion when WWE went even bigger in 2018 for its debut in Saudi Arabia. Dubbed The Greatest Royal Rumble, the show saw 50 men battle it out in the traditional battle royal. While Daniel Bryan put in a marathon 1 hour 16 minute performance, a record that will likely never be broken, and there were big names in the match such as Kurt Angle, Randy Orton and Chris Jericho, which also is Jericho’s final WWE match to date, this one is a test of patience for even the most hardcore Rumble fan. To tp it all off, winner Braun Strowman won a commemorative championship, not a match for a top WWE title, and never defended it since.
Worst – 1999
Another case for the worst Royal Rumble winner of all time, it was Mr. McMahon who won the Rumble in 1999, a match that also had Steve Austin, Triple H, Edge and Owen Hart among the notable entrants. Even though this was a historic match as Chyna became the first woman to enter the bout, much of the action took place outside of the ring as Austin chased McMahon around the arena, only to be beaten up by McMahon’s cronies. With McMahon dumping Austin over the top rope to win the match, the Chairman forfeited his Mania match, which was then given to Austin as he was runner up, rendering the whole thing pointless!
Worst – 2015
It was very clear that WWE messed up badly in 2015 when even The Rock couldn’t get a positive response from the Philadelphia crowd. One year on from CM Punk leaving the company and the fiasco that was Daniel Bryan being excluded fromthe 2014 match, fans had hoped that the company learned its lesson and that the winner would be anyone but Roman Reigns. Unfortunately, it was Reigns who won the match, much to the dismay of the fans in attendance. Still 5 years away from his career-defining run as The Tribal Chief, this was not a fun time to be a Roman Reigns fan.
Honourable Mention – Both 2021 Royal Rumbles
While any wrestling without fans is a tough watch, it is the Royal Rumble that suffers the most from having no fans in attendance. With Carlito and Christian making one off returns at the show, Edge winning the match from number 1 and Bianca Belair getting her breakout moment, this could have been so much better if fans were present. Unfortunately, this will be the one that fans will struggle to connect with the most.
Featured images: WWE
